{"id":1663584,"date":"2022-09-29T06:52:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T10:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1663584"},"modified":"2022-09-29T06:56:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T10:56:54","slug":"arkansas-library-says-book-teaching-masturbation-to-ages-7-12-will-stay-on-childrens-shelves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arkansas-library-says-book-teaching-masturbation-to-ages-7-12-will-stay-on-childrens-shelves\/","title":{"rendered":"Arkansas Library Says Book Teaching Masturbation To Ages 7-12 Will Stay On Children\u2019s Shelves"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farkansas-library-says-book-teaching-masturbation-to-ages-7-12-will-stay-on-childrens-shelves%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1663584&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><em>This article quotes explicit content about sex.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A book marketed to children ages 7 to 12 that teaches kids to masturbate and affirms gender dysphoria was recently backed by a committee of public librarians in Arkansas after a local parent challenged its place on the shelves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSex Is a Funny Word,\u201d by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth, includes images of a child touching herself in the bathtub and affirmation of gender dysphoria, all aimed at prepubescent kids. A children\u2019s library reviewer <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.library.ualberta.ca\/deakinreview\/index.php\/deakinreview\/article\/view\/27067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">described <\/a>the book in 2016 as a \u201ctrans-inclusive sex education book.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The book, which won top awards from gay activist organizations, \u201cfollows a cast of four 8-10 year old kids, including gender queer Zai, as they learn about and explore that strange and funny word \u2014 sex.\u201d \u201cHaving a penis isn\u2019t what makes you a boy. Having a vulva isn\u2019t what makes you a girl. The truth is much more interesting than that!\u201d the book tells kids.<\/p>\n<p>After a patron\u2019s complaint about the book last month, the Rogers Public Library assembled a committee of six of its librarians, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/597235046\/Formal-Letter-August-29-2022-Redacted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a letter to the patron<\/a> dated Aug. 29 from Rogers Library Director Hannah Norris Milligan, obtained this week by The Federalist. The majority of this librarian committee decided to keep this book in the children\u2019s section of the library, where children of any age can find it on the shelves.<\/p>\n<p>The obtained public documents show that Norris Milligan participated on the library\u2019s six-member review committee for the book, recommending that it stay on the library\u2019s shelves \u201c[f]or families that wish to discuss these sensitive topics with their children using a diverse and inclusive resource.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018There Is Great Value in This Work\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere is great value in this work,\u201d wrote Rogers Children\u2019s Library Director Kristin Jones in her response to the book challenge. \u201cThis is an excellent book on sex education for children who are nearing or entering puberty. One of the things that makes this book exceptional is that it is inclusive of so many different kinds of children: children without parents, children with disabilities, children who do not consider themselves to be boys or girls, just to name a few.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jones recommended the book stay on the library\u2019s children\u2019s nonfiction shelves and as a fit for children ages 8 to 12 whose parents think they are ready to read it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes this volume exceptional is its introduction of the subjects of transgender identity, intersex conditions, and masturbation,\u201d says a review of the book in the School Library Journal in March 2016, according to the challenge committee\u2019s documentation.<\/p>\n<p>Rogers librarian Lesley Knieriem wrote warmly in favor of the book in her response for the review committee: \u201cIn a society that is bombarded with hyper gender-conforming messages in advertising, popular entertainment, and politics, when sexual predation of children by family members and religious leaders is on the news every night, when suicide is the major cause of death for young people who identify as trans, a message of acceptance, hope, encouragement, and self-love is literally life-saving,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Knieriem recommended the book for children ages 7-12, as the documents in her handwriting and with her signature show.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes people might feel so \u2018uncomfortable or angry\u2019 that they profoundly misread this book, and distort its contents,\u201d she also wrote in her review. \u201cWhile the book explicitly and repeatedly encourages children to understand and feel at home in their bodies, these people might falsely accuse the book of doing the opposite, especially people who are uninformed or confused about the meaningful and scientifically necessary distinction between \u2018physical sex\u2019 and \u2018gender\u2019, or unaware that science has shown that puberty can begin as young as age seven and gender awareness as young as three.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot think of any work that has this one\u2019s unique and priceless virtues,\u201d Knieriem concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Only one member of the review committee voiced any hesitation about the book\u2019s suitability for the library\u2019s collection for children. Rogers Youth Librarian Evan Day wrote: \u201cThe book frames sexuality toward 7-12 year olds in a viewpoint that clashes with the values of a large part of our community, but also is in line with how many also believe. If we are going to start removing titles based on this I\u2019m not sure we could be consistent with the rest of the collection. I believe the library needs to err on the side of having a broad selection and not play toward one side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Day also commented: \u201cI don\u2019t know what \u2018the line\u2019 is in being explicit in sexual content for 7-12 year olds but a few places seem to run up against it at least: Talking about how it can feel good to have your anus touched was not something I usually expect from a book geared toward this age group (p 66). The section on masturbation is similar (p 109-111).\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Public Funding for Sex Talk Targeting Kids<\/h2>\n<p>Rogers, Arkansas, is a Northwest Arkansas town of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkansasonline.com\/news\/2022\/aug\/11\/rogers-to-see-two-contested-races-for-city-council\/\">approximately <\/a>71,000 residents in a growing region of the state. Rogers is governed by a Republican mayor, Greg Hines, and represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by another Republican, Steve Womack. Arkansas\u2019s 3rd Congressional District has been represented by Republicans in the House <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rogers,_Arkansas\">since <\/a>1967. The library\u2019s board of trustees is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogersar.gov\/441\/Library-Board-of-Trustees\">appointed <\/a>by Rogers\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis book is held by many of the public libraries in Northwest Arkansas, including Bentonville Public Library, Fayetteville Public Library, and Springdale Public Library,\u201d Jones notes in her committee statement.<\/p>\n<p>Norris Milligan notes the book\u2019s awards from LGBT activist groups as one reason her library will continue to use taxpayer-funded resources to teach kids how to touch their genitals in consultation with a \u201ctrusted adult\u201d who may or may not be family. \u201cSex Is a Funny Word\u201d was an American Library Association Notable Children\u2019s Book for 2016 and \u201chas won several awards including the 2016 Stonewall Honor Books in Children\u2019s and Young Adult Literature, and the Normal Fleck Award for Canadian Children\u2019s Non-Fiction,\u201d Norris Milligan notes in the letter.<\/p>\n<p>According <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/02\/16\/meet-the-sex-shop-founder-who-is-grooming-children-through-books-in-school-libraries\/\">to the Toronto Star<\/a>, this book\u2019s author, Silverberg, and a partner opened a sex shop in Toronto that planned \u201cto hold an off-site sex-education workshop for parents of children aged 7 to 12, one that will focus on more than reproduction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Norris Milligan writes that the \u201cprofessional librarians\u201d who reviewed this book deemed it to be \u201cof value because it is a uniquely inclusive and diverse resource on the topic of sex education that many families in the Rogers community need for their children who have questions about the changes in their bodies or their sexuality.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"263\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-279984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter1-300x121.jpg 300w\" \/><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"col-12 col-md-6 body-xs px-15 pe-md-0 ps-md-30 py-15 m-0 text-center\">An excerpt from Rogers Library Director Hannah Norris Milligan\u2019s letter.<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe Challenge Committee believes,\u201d the letter says, that the book \u201c\u2026encourages dialog between a child and trusted adult\u201d about topics that include masturbation, anal exploration, and sexual disassociation. The letter says it is proper to use the term \u201ctrusted adult\u201d in scenarios in which a child may be discussing sex with adults because \u201cit serves to include children with alternative guardian situations.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"855\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-279983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter2.jpg 855w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter2-300x201-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/librarianletter2-768x516-1.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What Else Is Inside This Book (NSFK)<\/h2>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/thenewphilippics.substack.com\/p\/sex-is-a-funny-word-by-cory-silverberg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New Philippics blog<\/a>, which chronicles what\u2019s inside LGBT books for kids and on library shelves all over the nation, \u201cSex Is a Funny Word\u201d introduces its prepubescent target audience to a variety of explicit sexual behaviors. Here are a few quotes from the book, according to New Philippics: \u201cLike nipples, some people\u2019s breasts are sensitive and can feel good when they are touched.\u201d \u201cLike other holes in the body, the anus is usually very sensitive, which means it can feel good to touch but can also hurt if we are rough with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are some images from the book. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Dysphoria-Intro-1024x768-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-279981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Dysphoria-Intro-1024x768-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Dysphoria-Intro-300x225-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Dysphoria-Intro-768x576-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Dysphoria-Intro-1536x1152-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Dysphoria-Intro.jpg 2016w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe endeavor to offer materials that encompass the differing needs of our patrons in religious beliefs, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and sexual identity,\u201d Norris Milligan concludes in her letter.<\/p>\n<p>Norris Milligan did not respond to Federalist calls for comment, left with a colleague Monday and in a follow-up to her work voicemail on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>   <a title=\"View Challenge Committee Reviews on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/597305536\/Challenge-Committee-Reviews#from_embed\">Challenge Committee Reviews<\/a> by <a title=\"View The Federalist&#039;s profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/274202084\/The-Federalist#from_embed\">The Federalist<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  Joy Pullmann is executive editor of The Federalist, a happy wife, and the mother of six children. <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/iX1dsZnedpJjPMoP7\">Sign up here to get early access<\/a> to her next ebook, &#8220;101 Strategies For Living Well Amid Inflation.&#8221; Her bestselling ebook is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/R1JL\">Classic Books for Young Children<\/a>.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Pullmann identifies as native American and gender natural. She is also the author of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Education-Invasion-Parents-Control-American\/dp\/1594038813\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486730068&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=education+invasion\">The Education Invasion: How Common Core Fights Parents for Control of American Kids<\/a>,&#8221; from Encounter Books. In 2013-14 she won a Robert Novak journalism fellowship for in-depth reporting on Common Core national education mandates. <\/p>\n<p>Joy is a grateful graduate of the Hillsdale College honors and journalism programs.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article quotes explicit content about sex. A book marketed to children ages 7 to 12 that teaches kids to masturbate and affirms gender dysphoria was recently backed by a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":519,"featured_media":1663588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1663584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1663584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1663588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1663584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1663584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1663584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}