Louisiana: “AG Releases Report on ‘Sexually-Explicit’ Content in Public Libraries”

UPDATE (Feb. 8): We’ve added a link to a statement by the Louisiana Library Association at the bottom of this post.

From the Lafayette Daily Advertiser:

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry unveiled a new report — titled the “Protecting Innocence Report” — on Tuesday, which includes a list of books his office considers to be “sexually explicit” or inappropriate for children.

Landry, a Republican, has been at the forefront of the controversial move to keep some books out of the hands of children, with his efforts including setting up a tip-line where people could report books to the state. During a press conference on Tuesday, Landry pushed back against criticisms that he was trying to ban books or target specific groups with the report.

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Any library that does not implement policies outlined by the bill would not be able to get approval from the state’s bond commission for projects, and parish and local governments could withhold payments from the library if it does not follow the bill’s policies.

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Peyton Rose, the executive director for Louisiana Trans Advocates, criticized Landry in a statement for not providing assurances that the bill would not be used to target and censor LGBTQ+ content.

“Ultimately, SB7 is an overreach of big government to decide what resources parish libraries can have available to their local community members,” Rose said. “AG Landry should know best that censorship is not a Louisiana value, and bills like this chip away at our citizens’ Freedom of Speech.”

Groups like the St. Tammany Library Alliance and the Real Name Campaign also denounced the bill and Landry’s efforts.

Learn More, Read the Complete Article  (738 words)

Direct to Statement by Attorney General & Full Text Report

See Also: Statement From ACLU Louisiana

UPDATE (Feb. 8): Setting the Record Straight: A Statement by the Louisiana Library Association (via Louisiana Library Association)

Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries