Editor's Note: Warning graphic content
"Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human" is a graphic novel that is more graphic than most. It shows a naked man sitting on another naked man's face, close-up images of penises and vaginas detailing how to masturbate with your fingers and butt plugs, and it's available in Alabama libraries despite new rules that could threaten state funding.
The book attempts to convince readers that some people are born with sex organs that do not match their sex. It depicts men with female breasts and women with beards and hairy bodies and goes on to explain how people can undergo transition.
Meanwhile, the book has a disrespectful tone towards parents.
"They're always telling us to just avoid sex," it reads. "But maybe we should be getting help for the sex we might already be having."
The Spanish Fort Library and the Fairhope Public Library offer the book to teens, ages 13 - 17.
The sexually explicit material in the book is designed to educate readers on topics such as "kinks, fantasies, and porn," and encourages pornography as a way to "help you discover new aspects of your sexuality and help you safely explore kinks and fantasies."
"And what about kinky people who do these things that are TOTALLY sexual, but it's not, like, SEX-sex- like, uh, like spanking or being tied up with ropes and dangled from the ceiling?" the book asks.
It encourages readers to search the internet for pornography, people and communities who share interests and have advice.
Spanish Fort Library Shanavia Reed and referred 1819 News to the city for comment.
"This library structure is that we are a department of the city, so we are not allowed to comment to any sort of media," a librarian told 1819 News.
Fairhope Public Library officials have yet to return calls from 1819 News concerning inappropriate materials for teens.
Moms for Liberty Baldwin County chapter founder Rebecca Watson told 1819 News she was aware of the book and had attempted to speak with the library director about her concerns.
"She told me that they were in compliance and I told her that they were not in compliance and that book was not allowed to be in that section and that it needed to be relocated to the adult section and she was very defensive and gestured me to the door."
Watson believes the book violates new rules by the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) to ensure minors do not come into contact with obscene materials.
"It's got graphic pictures of what I would consider pornography in the book," Watson added. "It's actually horrifying."
Watchdog website BookLooks.org rates the book a 4/5 for "obscene sexual illustrations and commentary; obscene sexual nudity; profanity; and alternate gender ideologies."
The authors are Matthew Nolan and Erika Moen, who are married and live in Oregon with their cat, Flapjack.
Spanish For Mayor Mike McMillan provided the following statement after 1819 News showed him images from "Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human."
The Spanish Fort Public Library has adopted policies in accordance with guidelines provided by the Alabama Public Library Service in an effort to review and locate books and determine appropriate content for children and youth 18 years of age and under. Those policies have been reviewed and approved by the Alabama Public Library Service. In addition, the Spanish Fort Library Board has adopted policies regarding the location and placement of books in the library based on the card catalog descriptions of content and age, and the Board has imposed restrictions requiring parental consent before certain books can be checked out by children and youth. It was brought to our attention that two books were found which were not appropriate for children and youth, and those books have been removed from circulation for further review. Furthermore, the Library policies and implementation of policies regarding the location of books in the Library are under further review in order to make every effort to ensure appropriate content for children and youth collections.
As government leaders, we have an obligation to support and defend the Constitution, including the right of freedom of speech. As a local government leader, father and a grandfather, I believe that we should protect the hearts and minds of our children and youth, without being exposed to unnecessary liability based on the confusing state of the law on these issues, and I believe it is time for both the state and federal governments to give local governments and libraries more guidance and assistance in establishing policies and guidance to protect our children and youth.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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