MONTGOMERY — In a 3-2 vote, the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) voted Thursday to continue withholding state funding from the Fairhope Public Library.
The vote came during a meeting where APLS chairman John Wahl was asked to issue a trigger warning before continuing to read an excerpt from a book in the library's teen section, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky.
"Please. Dave. No," Wahl read. "But the boy just talked soft to her about how good she looked and things like that, and she grabbed his penis with her hands and started moving it … After a few minutes, the boy pushed the girl's head down, and she started to kiss his penis."
Wahl said he didn't want to have to read the excerpt, but felt it was necessary to give fellow board members an idea of what all teens have access to in the library.
A reporter live-streaming the meeting then interrupted to request a trigger warning before any further reading on the topic of rape.
"Look, this is going to be in front of minors," Wahl replied. "It does deserve a trigger warning. Thank you," Wahl replied. "And it deserves that for the children. You just provided an excellent point."
Wahl reminded attendees that if parents sign off on an all-access library card, teens will still be allowed to access the adult section, where he believes books with sexually explicit material belong.
The "yes" votes to withhold funding included Amy Minton, Debbie Windsor and Kasandra Stevens. The "no" votes were Ronald Snider and Angelia Strokes. Wahl did not vote.
Ahead of the vote, Fairhope Public Library Ddrector Robert Gourlay and Board of Trustees chairman Randal Wright were given the opportunity to respond to concerns.
"As a whole, these books did not have a reason, we felt, they should be moved," Wright said.
Wright said the board of trustees read the 10 books in question and decided to keep them in the teen section.
Read Freely Alabama founding member Angie Hayden, who was in the meeting, spoke up and said she felt the APLS board was "bullying" Wright.
In a statement following the meeting, Read Freely said in part, "Using the legally meaningless term 'sexually explicit,' Wahl ambushed the Fairhope director and board chair with cherry-picked passages – stripped of context and purpose – in an attempt to justify overriding the judgment of a local board and trained professionals. The books targeted by Wahl include modern classics such as 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower.' Wahl even included 'The Hate U Give,' a YA novel about racism, in his list of books to be banned from young adult sections across Alabama. He is broadening the scope of what is targeted, and now the board intends to make a list of banned books for Alabama's public libraries."
However, Wahl said he does not believe taxpayer money should be used to expose children to graphic sexual content.
"When a public library knowingly keeps explicit material in sections intended for minors, it violates the trust of parents and the responsibility entrusted to it by the people of Alabama," he said.
Gourley said he did not feel comfortable speaking on behalf of the Board of Trustees, which approved the challenged books. He and Wright declined to take questions from 1819 News.
Wahl said the APLS board will continue to ensure state funding is used responsibly in all public libraries. As for Fairhope, he said it's not too late.
"This situation can be corrected immediately," Wahl said. "Move adult material out of children's sections, restore appropriate safeguards, and funding can be restored. The goal here is accountability, protection of children, and restoring public confidence—not punishment."
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