Clean Up Alabama is encouraging the public to tell the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) Board to require libraries to automatically remove sexually explicit materials.
Hannah Rees, founder of Clean Up Alabama, said in an email to supporters on Monday that a 45-day comment period to the APLS board was now open.
"It's time to write in. The comment period at APLS has begun. Here we are again, folks. The APLS board has determined it is necessary to make some additions to the Alabama state code where publicly funded libraries are concerned," Rees said. "Back in 2024, they established that libraries could no longer purchase or acquire sexually explicit or inappropriate materials that were published/geared for minors 0-17 yrs old. While we had asked them to define inappropriate in the code at the time, it was still a win to have this language in the code. As we suspected, many libraries took advantage of the vagueness of the term 'inappropriate' and have not removed or stopped purchasing inappropriate materials."
Rees continued,
“Here is what we are asking for during this 45-day comment period:
1. Removal of Materials Contrary to State and Federal Law
Public libraries should not purchase or retain any materials that are targeted, advertised, or published for minors 0–17 years old that conflict with Alabama’s “What is a Woman Act”, the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (VCAP), or recent federal executive orders affirming that there are only two sexes, male and female, as fixed realities. Materials that promote gender ideology, transgenderism, transgender procedures, or sexual orientation should be considered inconsistent with these laws, executive orders, and current APLS policies and state code, and therefore removed from all publicly funded libraries. Age-appropriate materials regarding religion, history, biology, and human anatomy should not be construed to be against this rule.
2. Automatic Removal of Sexually Explicit Materials
I further request that the APLS definition of “sexually explicit” be codified into state code, requiring the automatic removal of such materials without relying on the “Miller test” or waiting for public challenges. Library staff and boards should be responsible for identifying these materials. Any library failing to comply should lose APLS funding until the matter is corrected.
*** We have been consistent and confident in our requests from day one because we knew we had the correct interpretation of the law on our side, even though we were wading into unprecedented territory. We did not need court rulings to address this issue head on for us to press forward confident in the outcome, especially with common sense on our side. But now, we not only have common sense but we have precedence to back up our simple request to protect children in publicly funded libraries. ***
3. Legal Support for Protecting Children
Recent court rulings—Little v. Llano County and Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton—affirm that libraries have both the authority and responsibility to protect children from harmful content. These cases confirm that removing inappropriate materials for minors is not censorship but responsible governance. Libraries may manage collections to ensure age-appropriate content, and states may apply stricter standards beyond the Miller test to safeguard children. Ultimately, our publicly funded libraries must protect the children of Alabama and reflect Alabama values. We must ensure that our libraries remain safe and trustworthy for families.”
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