The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) approved on Thursday to begin the process of aligning the state’s administrative code with President Donald Trump’s executive order, mandating that no federal monies be given to entities that promote gender ideology.
APLS chairman John Wahl sent a letter to every public library in the state the day before the meeting, demanding submission to the order or risk losing funding. APLS is responsible for doling out federal dollars to local libraries. Trump’s order, titled The Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” mandates that no federal funds be used to promote gender ideology.
After an hour of public comment, which presented a fascinating array of personalities railing against the perceived censorship by the APLS board, former APLS chairman Ron Snider complained that the board was adopting policies on ‘gender ideology’ without a definition existing in the state’s administrative code.
Wahl agreed with Snider, stating he believed any rule changes should go through the proper format, allowing input from members of the public.
“[A]dding language saying ‘gender ideology I believe that does, in my opinion, add to state code,” Wahl said. “And so, I would not be supportive of just passing something today. I think that’s something that would have to go through that review process and amend state code, rather than the board just passing it.
This is not the first time Wahl and the APLS board have sought to change the administrative code. Early last year, the board underwent a lengthy review process to enact rule changes proposed by Gov. Kay Ivey. A ninety-day public comment period garnered nearly 6,500 letters from those supporting and opposing the changes.
The proposed rule changes will require 45 days of public comment and further administrative actions, meaning any changes to the code will not take effect for several months.
The board approved beginning the review process, with Snider being the only “no” vote.
“We have a duty to protect children from radical ideologies that seek to confuse them about who they are,” Wahl said following the meeting. “Parents should decide what their children are exposed to when it comes to sexual content, not transgender activists. Alabama families deserve the peace of mind that when their kids walk into a public library, they won't be confronted with social agendas or materials that contradict science and common sense. It's time to let children be children again. Libraries should be a place for learning and literacy — not a battleground for social experiments."
“Gender ideology isn’t about politics — it’s a direct assault on truth and the innocence of our children,” he continued. “It denies the fundamental reality of male and female, replaces science with confusion, and pushes controversial narratives onto young, impressionable minds. We are going to stand up for parents and Alabama families when it comes to this issue.”
Clean Up Alabama, a group that started to oppose sexually explicit books in libraries, was swift to praise the board’s actions.
“This move empowers local libraries across the state to use a stricter and more practical standard than the outdated federal Miller test when evaluating content in children’s and teen sections,” the group said in a statement. “Thanks to APLS’s leadership, books containing sexually explicit words or themes can now be reviewed and relocated based solely on the presence of that material—without needing to be evaluated as a whole.”
“This action reflects what we’ve always believed: protecting minors is not censorship—it’s common sense and constitutional responsibility. And now, recent federal rulings like Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton affirm that states have the right—and the duty—to go further in shielding children from harmful content," the group added.
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