*************WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE*************
Read Freely Alabama's Baldwin County chapter hosted a town hall meeting Tuesday in Fairhope to explain what they call "extremist disinformation" and how to combat it. However, participants may have made extreme and misleading statements and spread disinformation themselves.
Although Read Freely claims to be a nonpartisan group, founding member Angie Hayden warned attendees about Republican control of the state library board, whose members are appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey.
Hayden used the word "extremists" six times during the town hall and told the people the right was attacking "incredibly good people."
Alabama Public Library Service chairman and Alabama Republican Party chairman John Wahl spoke to 1819 News about comments made during the meeting.
"It is not an extremist position to oppose having sexually explicit material in children's sections of Alabama's libraries," Wahl said. "That is a common-sense position. It is the position of most Alabamians and if they want to talk about who is destroying Alabama libraries and the reputation of Alabama libraries, it is the advocates for putting inappropriate material in front of children."
The word "fight" was used eight times, and panelists vowed they would not give up.
The moderator, founding member of Read Freely Alabama Amber Frey, made statements such as, "We need to be irrational!" and "We're fueled by love and rage. A lot of rage!"
Baldwin County chapter founder Elizabeth Williams claimed the group is fighting censorship. She said they want to safeguard the freedom to read, while parents are asking for sexually explicit materials to be moved out of the children and teen sections of the library.
Williams has said on several occasions there was no pornography in the Fairhope Public Library. However, sexually explicit material such as masturbation, intercourse and oral sex are in the teen section of the library. There are also books about body mutilation, sexual assault, drug use and violence.
Fairhope Library Board of Trustees chairman Anne Johnson claimed the books were about "rainbows and colors."
However, "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson, which was part of a display at the town hall Tuesday, includes sexual descriptions and images. According to Fox News, the book features gay hookup app Grindr and promotes using the app for "sexy fun time." Although Dawson said the book is not for children, he told Rolling Stone Magazine that it's important to teach kids as young as 11 about sexual intercourse.
"Gender Queer," which was in the town hall display and has been challenged in Baldwin County, details vibrators and oral sex with images.
"I can't wait to have your c*** in my life," the book reads. "I'm going to give you the blowjob of your life, then I want you inside of me."
One of the nation's most challenged books, "All Boys Aren't Blue," was in the teen section of the Fairhope library last year but is currently checked out. Concerned citizens have read it in public meetings.
The book details two male children, who are cousins, engaged in sexual activity. It also discusses masturbation, oral sex and sex between two college-aged men.
"I put some lube on and got him up on his knees, and I began to slide into him from behind," it reads. "I tried not to force it because I imagined that it would be painful; I didn't want this moment to be painful. So I eased in, slowly, until I heard him moan."
Another book in the display and available in the juvenile section of the Fairhope Public Library, "It Feels Good to be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity," teaches children they do not have to identify with their gender.
"Ruthie was five when she told her parents, 'I know you think I'm a boy, but really I feel like a girl," the book reads.
Still, Hayden says those who point out the sexually explicit material are taking it out of context.
Parents who do not want their children to be exposed to confusing topics and sexuality at a young age say those books should not be readily available to children.
Elizabeth Denham told the story of how she became involved with the issue after her gay son was required to read books the family did not politically align with.
"That was one of the first bigger public spectacles I made of myself because I was not going to have my son read those books," she stated at the meeting.
According to her own writing, she posted the list of summer reading options on Facebook, and the school immediately responded by retracting the assignment.
While Read Freely focuses on LGBTQ material, many parents have challenged books for explicit sexual content and language.
Wahl said it's not about the LGBTQ community but about protecting children.
"I am disappointed to see radical leftist groups trying to use the LGBT community to cover putting sexually explicit material in front of children," said Wahl. "It doesn't matter what orientation or background you have. No sexually explicit material is okay for, no sexually explicit material is okay to be left in front of children."
He said no matter what background a person has, they should support protecting children, and that is what the state of Alabama will do.
Parents have asked that inappropriate books be moved to a special section or into the adult section so their children do not unintentionally encounter them.
The libraries no longer have a choice. Wahl and the state board implemented new rules for all libraries.
Libraries must:
Create policies governing the selection criteria for minors and how they are safeguarded from sexually explicit or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth.
Approve written guidelines that ensure library sections designated for minors under the age of 18 remain free of material containing obscenity, sexually explicit or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth. Age-appropriate materials regarding history, religion, biology, or human anatomy should not be construed to be against this rule.
Approve written selection criteria for minors that prevent the purchase or otherwise acquiring of any material advertised for consumers under the age of 18 that contains obscenity, sexually explicit, or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth. Age-appropriate materials regarding history, religion, biology, or human anatomy should not be construed to be against this rule.
Approve written guidelines that establish library cards for minors under the age of 18 must require parental approval before a minor's card is permitted to checkout materials.
Fairhope Library Board of Trustees chairman Anne Johnson said the board reluctantly agreed to implement the rules because they didn't want to harm the library.
"I think we were trying to kind of loosen the language a little bit so it wasn't so restrictive for our library," she said. "I think we took a middle-of-the-road approach, ultimately. Not too restrictive language, not too wide open."
Wahl said there is no compromise on the new rules.
"There is no middle ground on complying with the state code," he responded to Johnson's comments. "The libraries have to comply with the new code regulations or they will lose state funding. There is no workaround. There is no halfway."
The misinformation didn't stop there. Hayden told town hall participants that the people trying to remove explicit material are tied to Project 2025, Wahl.
"I won't get too far into this, but the state library board is starting to look a little compromised as well," Hayden said. "The book challenger that was just talking to you about is now on the state library board. And GOP chair John Wahl, supporter of Project 2025, is the chair."
1819 News asked Wahl about the claim against him. He said it is disappointing that a person would publicly lie about his stance on policy, but he believes the left is desperate to make the right look bad.
"I have no connection to Project 2025," Wahl said. "I'm actually not 100% sure on what the project consists of or who was organizing it in the past. As far as I know, it has not been chosen by the Trump administration as a path forward."
"So, I don't know of anyone talking about Project 2025 within the conservative movement," he added. "It seems to be a boogeyman created by the left."
At the end of the meeting, Hayden claimed the rules violated free speech and infringed on the separation of church and state.
To report explicit material in a state-funded library, patrons may report to the APLS administrative office or to the board member in their district.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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