{"id":2074774,"date":"2023-10-21T04:14:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T08:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-hearing-combating-graphic-and-explicit-content-in-school-libraries-comes-amid-complaints-of-book-bans\/"},"modified":"2023-10-21T04:22:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-21T08:22:40","slug":"congressional-hearing-combating-graphic-and-explicit-content-in-school-libraries-comes-amid-complaints-of-book-bans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-hearing-combating-graphic-and-explicit-content-in-school-libraries-comes-amid-complaints-of-book-bans\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressional hearing addresses concerns over &#8216;book bans&#8217; amidst efforts to combat explicit content in school libraries."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/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%2Fcongressional-hearing-combating-graphic-and-explicit-content-in-school-libraries-comes-amid-complaints-of-book-bans%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=2074774&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--><blockquote>\n<p>Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) held a\u200d congressional\u200c hearing on \u200dThursday about combating graphic and\u2064 explicit content in school \u2063libraries, moves deemed as \u201cbook bans\u201d by activists and some members \u2062of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bean emphasized\u200d that efforts to monitor student reading materials are focused on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-captures-what-disneys-male-fairy-godmother-really-does-inside-boutique-for-young-girls\/\" title=\"Disney's male 'Fairy Godmother' caught on video in girls' boutique.\">preventing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/masterpiece-cakeshop-christian-baker-on-trial-again-this-time-sued-by-transgender-activist\/\" title=\"Masterpiece Cakeshop Christian Baker On Trial Again: This Time Sued By Transgender Activist\">sexually explicit material<\/a><\/a> from being\u200d freely available in school libraries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re holding this hearing to help ensure that young children \u200dare never exposed to this type of graphic content, not to further expose them to it,\u201d he said. Mr. Bean argued media companies have\u200b \u201cdistorted the\u200c truth and fueled public outrage and discontent\u201d over school boards reviewing books for student access, painting efforts to \u200dremove \u201cpornographic\u200b material\u201d from school libraries as \u201cbans\u201d \u2062and mere attempts to undermine discussions of race and LGBTQ+ topics\u2062 and themes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/lawmaker-pa-laws-not-about-banning-books-but-about-reinforcing-existing-law-to-protect-children-5511390?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Lawmaker: PA Laws Not About Banning Books, But About Reinforcing Existing Law to Protect Children<\/h3>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>10\/20\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/newsom-signs-law-prohibiting-california-schools-from-banning-books-with-inclusive-and-diverse-perspectives-5498494?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Newsom Signs\u200b Law Prohibiting California Schools From Banning Books With &#8216;Inclusive and Diverse Perspectives&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>9\/26\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cIn\u2064 fact, seven of the 10 most frequently removed books feature explicit heterosexual content,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The hearing is in part a response to President \u2064Joseph Biden\u2019s recent move in appointing Obama administration\u2062 official Mathew Nosanchuk to Deputy Assistant Secretary for\u200d the Department of Education\u2019s Office for Civil Rights. Mr. Bean told The\u2063 Epoch Times that the Biden administration is threatening \u2064to\u2062 withhold federal funding to school districts that \u200b\u201cban books.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Book Reviews vs. &#8216;Book Bans&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Eden took issue with the word \u201cban\u201d and argued that unless a book \u2064is no longer accessible\u2063 to \u2062students in any way\u2014such as removing it from \u2064public libraries, book stores, and\u2064 Amazon.com\u2014it is not \u201cbanned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Eden\u200b also cited some of\u200d the explicit sexual content displayed \u200cin many of the books being reviewed for schools, such as \u201cGender Queer: A \u2064Memoir,\u201d a comic-book-style autobiography that displays the author\u2019s personal struggles with gender as\u200c a coming-of-age story. Mr. Eden described a scene where a teen performs sex\u2064 acts on an adult toy worn by another\u200d teen, which \u2062is accompanied by illustrations depicting the interaction.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/senate-hearing-sen-kennedy-reads-disturbing-content-from-banned-books-asking-who-decides-on-appropriate-school-books-5490335\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">read passages<\/a> \u2062from both \u201cGender Queer\u201d and \u201cAll\u2063 Boys Aren\u2019t Blue\u201d during\u2062 a \u200cSenate Judiciary Committee hearing on Sept. \u200b12. Almost all of Mr. Kennedy\u2019s recitation was \u201cbleeped\u201d for television, causing the clip \u200bto go viral on the internet.<\/p>\n<p>The author of \u200b\u201cGender Queer,\u201d Maia Kobabe, told The Washington Post earlier this year that the book is a \u201ccomic, and in \u200bfull color, but that doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s for children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stacy \u200dLangton, a parent in Virginia\u2019s Fairfax County\u200c school system, had <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/entertainment-religion-arts-and-entertainment-virginia-school-boards-9eb21874bf1f8da6f27a0ea4e1f8a016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">her \u2064microphone cut off<\/a> while reading the explicit passages from \u201cGender Queer\u201d during a public \u2064school board meeting\u2064 in September 2021. She was criticized by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/44-san-francisco-schools-to-see-name-changes\/\" title=\"44 San Francisco schools to see name changes\">school board member<\/a>\u200d for\u2062 using \u201cexplicit language\u201d in her\u2064 speech, which were\u200b quotes \u200cfrom \u200dthe book.<\/p>\n<p>While some have painted\u200c book review efforts \u2064as directed attacks on discussing LGBTQ+ ideas and concepts, Mr. Eden quoted an article from The Washington Post that found less than 7\u200d percent of parent book review requests contained the words \u201cLGBTQ+\u201d without being accompanied by\u2062 words like \u201csexual,\u201d \u200d\u201cpornographic,\u201d or \u2063\u201cobscene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is what\u2063 this issue is really about\u2014the provision of sexually explicit material to children by public employees. This is a question of adult judgment. Hustler\u2063 has close-up\u200d genital photos, and most \u200cbelieve that\u200d this is not appropriate for school libraries.\u2064 Romeo and Juliet has lyrical illusions to sex, and most believe this \u200bis fine for\u200c school libraries. A line must be drawn somewhere\u2063 between \u2063those\u2063 two points. But where, exactly?\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Degenfelder argued that graphics depictions or\u2062 illustrations of any kind of sexual intercourse, regardless of orientation, should not be paid for by tax-payer dollars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMentioning details of [these books] feels\u200b wildly inappropriate in a congressional hearing, then why \u2064is it available to our children? Graphic and erotic images of any sexual orientation \u2062are \u200bnot suitable for\u200c minor children \u2064and are a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2>Issues of Race<\/h2>\n<p>Rep. Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-Ariz.) expressed concern that removing books from\u200b school \u2064libraries \u200dwould negatively \u2062impact students of color \u200dstruggling\u200b to find diverse viewpoints that are representative of their own identities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe community I represent now was predominately of color. Now and then, the school \u200ddistrict \u200dwas significantly of color and traditional academic candidates did not reach those students. The curriculum didn\u2019t reflect them, the books didn\u2019t reflect them, \u2064and the subjects and characters didn\u2019t look like the students who were going to those schools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Grijalva said his school district\u2019s superintendent is \u2063seeking to limit broad\u200d discussions on race and worries this will hurt\u200d students of color the most.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe latest wave of Republican-led\u2063 book banning seeks to erase our \u200chistory and reduce the diversity \u2063of thought and \u200bexperiences that\u2063 exist today,\u201d \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepRaulGrijalva\/status\/1715115514794512389?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he wrote on X<\/a>,\u2062 formerly known as Twitter, after the hearing \u2064on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most frequently cited\u200d examples of a book being removed for \u2063discussing \u200crace \u200bis \u201cThe Hate U Give\u201d by Angie Thomas, which,\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190512032100\/http:\/\/www.ala.org\/advocacy\/bbooks\/frequentlychallengedbooks\/top10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to the American Library Association<\/a>, was \u200cchallenged \u2063for\u200c \u201canti-cop\u201d \u200bmessages, profanity,\u2063 drug use, and sexual references.<\/p>\n<p>Mr.\u2063 Eden said \u200dhe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-hearing-combating-graphic-and-explicit-content-in-school-libraries-comes-amid-complaints-of-book-bans\/\" title=\"Congressional hearing addresses concerns over 'book bans' amidst efforts to combat explicit content in school libraries.\">searched school library card catalogs nationally<\/a> \u2063and \u2063found that \u201cThe Hate U Give\u201d is currently present in all \u200cpublic schools \u200bafter it\u2062 was removed, reviewed, and \u2063re-approved by school committees.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bean defended the book\u200d review process.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Removing a book \u200cfrom a library shelf is not akin to pouring \u2063gasoline on it and setting it ablaze. It\u2019s not criminalizing the ownership of the book. It\u2019s not even making them less accessible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>Finding \u2062&#8221;Banned Books&#8221; on the Shelves<\/h2>\n<p>State Sen. Keith Perry, a Republican from Florida\u2019s 8th district, was approached by\u2063 a parent \u2064who made a complaint about the book \u201cBeyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out\u201d in her district. \u2064She found\u200c the book on a\u2064 school library shelf \u2062after hearing about its contents in the news. The parent said her personal\u200c information \u2063was leaked to the press after making a formal complaint with her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nc-dem-senate-challenger-votes-against-bipartisan-school-reopening-bill\/\" title=\"NC Dem Senate Challenger Votes Against Bipartisan School Reopening Bill\">local school board<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One\u2062 of the six people profiled in \u201cBeyond Magenta\u201d described in explicit\u200d detail sex acts they engaged in at\u2062 six and 11 years old with other children. The\u200c passages in \u200dquestion also reference non-consensual sexual intercourse between minors.<\/p>\n<p>Some Florida parents are also worried \u200babout sexually explicit books making it to school library \u2062shelves.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren Bush, a parent in \u2063Highlands County, \u2064went\u200c to the school board website and used \u200da \u201cLibrary Book Search\u201d link to see if any\u200c of the books \u2062from\u2064 a \u200blist made by the Florida \u2062Citizens\u2019 Alliance were present in\u200c any nearby schools. After Ms. Bush found several of the titles listed in Highland County schools, she made a public \u2063Facebook post discussing her concerns.<\/p>\n<p>According to Ms. Bush, the hyperlink in the search\u2064 tool was removed two-days after her Facebook post went public. She \u200csaid the text was present, but the hyperlink attached to the text was removed.<\/p>\n<p>She then reached\u200b out to \u2062Highland County \u2063Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda\u200d Longshore for clarification. Dr. Longshore denied any knowledge of the incident, according to Ms. Bush. At some point after their meeting,\u200b the original\u200b hyperlink attached to\u200b the \u201cLibrary Book Search\u201d tool on the school board \u2063website was \u200dre-enabled, \u2063Ms. Bush \u2064said.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063books in question were from a list of 58 produced by Florida Citizens\u2019\u2063 Alliance\u200d (FCA), \u2063a non-profit focused on K-12 education reform. FCA brought\u2064 the list to Highland County\u2019s attention \u2064in July 2021 and determined the district had 17 of the 58 books in circulation at the time.<\/p>\n<p>One parent, who \u2063spoke on the condition\u200c of anonymity,\u200b was concerned that despite these\u2064 efforts from FCA, the Highland County school \u200cdistrict has yet to put the\u200d topic of \u2063reviewing books on the \u2062official agenda for a school board meeting. She wishes the book review\u2063 process was being\u200b done in public to facilitate collaboration between both parents\u2064 and members\u200d of the public alike.<\/p>\n<p>Echoing concerns that\u2062 these issues\u200d are obstacles for students\u200c and teachers, Mr. Bean said the \u2063main purpose of his hearing was to refocus efforts on what matters the most with public education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we want to do is get back to the\u2064 basics\u200d of having a wholesome, well-rounded education that\u2063 prepares kids for either college, \u2064the workforce, or the military. That&#8217;s what we want to\u2063 get back\u2063 to. That&#8217;s what the American \u2064people want. Everything else is a diversion. Everything\u2064 else is a red herring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>Is reviewing books for explicit content a responsible approach to protecting children, or\u2064 is\u200b it a form of censorship that limits students&#8217; exposure to diverse perspectives?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Explicit language in a public setting, but she argued that it was necessary to bring attention to the \u2064inappropriate content in the book.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates for book reviews argue that it is important to ensure that\u200b books provided to students are age-appropriate and align with the values and beliefs of the community. They claim that\u2062 reviewing books for explicit content is\u2062 not a form\u2063 of censorship or banning, but rather a responsible approach to protecting children from inappropriate material. \u200cCritics, however, argue that these reviews are in fact an \u2062attempt to\u2062 limit students&#8217; exposure to diverse perspectives and topics, particularly those related to race and LGBTQ+ issues.<\/p>\n<p>The debate over book reviews and &#8220;book bans&#8221; has intensified in \u200drecent years, with both sides expressing strong opinions. Proponents of book reviews argue that their aim is to safeguard the well-being and moral \u200bdevelopment of students, particularly \u200dyoung children, who may not have the emotional maturity to handle explicit or sensitive content. They argue that explicit material can have a harmful impact on\u200d young minds and may\u200b shape their perceptions and behaviors \u2062in undesirable ways.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents, on\u200c the other hand, argue that\u2063 book reviews are a \u200dform of\u200d censorship and an infringement on freedom of expression and access to information. They contend that students should have the right \u200bto explore a wide range of ideas and\u200d perspectives, even if they are controversial or uncomfortable. \u200cThey believe that exposure to diverse viewpoints is\u200b essential for intellectual growth and the development of critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n<p>One of \u2062the key challenges in this debate is determining where the line should \u2062be\u2064 drawn between \u2063age-appropriate\u2064 content and explicit material. What may be deemed \u2064appropriate for\u200c older students may not be suitable \u2063for younger ones. Finding a balance that respects both \u2064the \u2064protection of children and the principles of\u200c intellectual freedom is a complex task.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the issue\u2064 of \u2064book reviews in school libraries raises important questions about \u2063the role of schools in shaping students&#8217; education and \u2062development. It also highlights the ongoing \u2062tension between the desire to protect young minds and the need to provide them with access \u2063to a diverse range of ideas and perspectives.\u2064 As the debate \u200ccontinues, it\u200c is crucial to engage in respectful dialogue and consider the potential \u200clong-term consequences of the \u200bdecisions made in this area.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The congressional hearing on \u200bcombating graphic and explicit content \u2062in school libraries has\u2064 reignited \u2064the debate over book reviews and &#8220;book bans.&#8221;\u200d While supporters argue\u2063 that these efforts are necessary \u2062to protect children from inappropriate material, opponents view them as censorship and an infringement on students&#8217; intellectual freedom. The challenge lies in finding a balance that ensures age-appropriate content while respectin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) organized a congressional hearing to address explicit content in school libraries. Critics and lawmakers labeled these actions as &#8220;book bans.&#8221; Bean clarified that the aim is to prevent sexually explicit material from being easily accessible to students, rather than monitoring their reading choices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2377,"featured_media":2074775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2074774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074774","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\/2377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2074774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2074775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2074774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2074774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2074774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}