We the People of Johnson Co MO, Tuesday, August 30, 2022 📚 Banning Books in Missouri - YIPPEEEEE!!!!
Link: www.ksdk.com/article/news/education/missouri-book-ban-law/63-ccd45ac8-0d39-472c-b1fd-8b6f422479b9
Link: www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/missouri-law-makes-sharing-explicit-books-with-students-a-crime/ar-AA113jG1
Okay, that headline is something I NEVER thought I would say. Ever. Anything about banning books seemed morally wrong. But then, a year or so ago I was exposed to the pornographic books in both primary and secondary schools. WHAAAAAAAT!!?!?!? Pornography and school just should not be in the same sentence. Ever.
There is no reason children should be exposed to LGBTQ+ ideas or other sexually explicit material. It doesn’t help children. Shrieking that it does is simply loud but being loud doesn’t make it true.
Here’s the scoop on what has recently happened, and I APPLAUD Missouri! 👏Republican state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder introduced the sex anti-trafficking measure, SB 775, with Democrat co-sponsor state Sen. Jill Schupp. (Democrat co-sponsor! YAY Dems!) The amendment targeting books was introduced by Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin. Senate Bill 755 passed and became law yesterday, August 28, 2002.
The majority of the law has to do with combating child sex trafficking, updating the state's Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights and establishing the Statewide Council on Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children.
Brattin, who added the amendment, says the legislation protects students. "In schools all across the country, we've seen this disgusting and inappropriate content making its way into our classrooms," Brattin said in a statement. "Instead of recognizing this as the threat it is, some schools are actually fighting parents to protect this filth. The last place our children should be seeing pornography is in our schools." (Italics mine).
So how does it work? Anyone providing visually “explicit” sexual material to a student in either a private or public school can be charged with a class "A" misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Some exceptions to those visual materials include works of art, works of anthropological significance or materials used in science courses. Images could come from magazines, videos, books, or online content.
"Every single person in the school district is potentially liable if they're subjecting kids to this stuff. It will be school boards, it'll be teachers, it'll be everyone having to comb through to make sure that they're not presenting this to kids," Brattin explained.
Some of the books that he found particularly alarming include:
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Dead End by Jason Myers
Gender Queer: A Memoir
"These novels have graphic, pornographic material of sex acts and that's what this language really dives into. We're now seeing school districts actually starting to remove these books we brought up," Brattin said. He said they tried to go after the literary aspect as well, but finally agreed on the visual aspects.
"We want kids to read books that allow them different perspectives, but at the same time protecting their innocence and we have a moral obligation to do that," Brattin said.
The Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) shared guidance for school librarians and calls this new law “concerning on many levels.” The level that whacks me in the eyeballs is that the American culture has come to the point we would need a law to repair this situation and prevent it from recurring. Common decency has become uncommon. Allowing children to grow up without sexual grooming, with age-appropriate innocence is essential for health.
Who was the greatest sexual and anti-family unit groomer of children in the 20th Century? Hitler and the Nazis. Let’s not repeat that.
MASL encourages librarians to get familiar with the language in the amendment to make the right decisions. It will also present a session at the annual Missouri School Board Association’s (MSBA) conference in November on the topic of Navigating Book Challenges.
Navigating Book Challenges. Really? Navigating. Book. Challenges. How about “Pitching Porno.” That has a ring to it.
That’s my take. Check out the links and get your own take. You also can search “Missouri schools banning pornographic books” to find more sources. There are some of you out there who know a LOT more about this than I do, so chime in on the Comments and educate us! Thanks!
And a special thanks to Senators Rick Brattin, Holly Thompson Rehder and Jill Schupp. We very much appreciate you!!!
We the People of Johnson Co MO, go to each of the Senator’s webpages and send them a BIG THANK YOU!!!! I’m on it!