The Huntington Beach City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to direct a community board to screen and potentially remove children’s library materials for sexual content.
The resolution, authored by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, has been characterized as a “book ban” by opponents – a characterization Van Der Mark disputes. Free speech advocates and civil rights organizations spoke out against the policy before the vote.
“No City library or City facility shall allow children ready access to books and other materials that contain any content of sexual nature,” the resolution states. “Books and other materials containing any sexual writings, sexual references, explicit sexual images, and any other sexual content shall not be placed in, or be present in, any section of any City Library or facility other than adult section(s), i.e., those areas/shelves designated 18-years or older.”
Critics say this language could apply to an array of classic literature, including Romeo and Juliet. But Van Der Mark and her conservative allies on the council have pointed to more modern examples, such as the memoir “Gender Queer,” which features an animated depiction of someone performing oral sex.
So far, most fights over reading material in California have centered around schools. Huntington Beach’s new resolution stands out because it pertains to city libraries.
“This is not a school, this is a public library and this is just insanity that they’re going this far,” former Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library president Dina Chavez told the Los Angeles Times.
Read the text of the resolution here.