Georgia Lawmakers Advance Bill That Would Jail Librarians Who Allow LGBTQ-Themed Books in Children’s Sections

Georgia’s lawmakers have advanced a bill that could lead to librarians receiving jail time if LGBTQ books deemed to be harmful to minors are placed in the children’s section of the libraries they manage. Georgia law makes distributing pornographic or obscene materials to children a high and aggravated misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Since the 1980s, librarians have been exempt from the law. However, lawmakers in the Peach State are moving to eliminate that exemption. On Tuesday, a subcommittee of the Georgia House advanced a bill that would remove the exemption for public school or university libraries. It would, however, exempt librarians who were unaware of the alleged material, who warned that it might be considered harmful, or who recommended moving it to the adult section.The bill has sparked concerns that librarians could be jailed if books with LGBTQ storylines are placed in the children’s section of a library. The head of an educational advocacy group, the Intercultural Development Research Association, Mikayla Arciaga, raised concerns about how Georgia’s law describes obscene material. “Our understanding is that this definition, as written, would apply to any act of homosexuality in media or literature, not just intercourse, but two men holding hands in a picture book or two women kissing while making dinner in a chapter book,” she said. “Our concern is that this definition would unintentionally capture an entire aspect of literature that I don’t think is the full intention of this body or the author.”A state senator who supports the bill, Max Burns, told reporters that under the current obscenity law, such a book could be labeled obscene. He added that there would have to be a “discussion for a different bill” to potentially clarify the law to address Ms. Arciaga’s concern. A supporter of the bill, Mike Griffin, of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, told the Georgia Recorder on Tuesday, “Kids are being exposed to pornography at such an early age … It’s so very important that we deal with limiting these types of access because it’s creating perpetrators that are out there, they’re trying to go after kids.”He called the bill a “no-brainer.”Ahead of the vote, critics of the bill argued that libraries do not have obscene materials. A trustee of the DeKalb County Library System told lawmakers, “Georgia libraries do not purchase obscene materials.”He also warned that librarians will fear legal action and remove books if someone complains that a book is inappropriate, potentially before any review process is complete. Last year, a committee of Georgia’s Senate passed a similar bill that could lead to librarians being jailed if libraries had “explicit” materials in their children’s section.

Georgia Lawmakers Advance Bill That Would Jail Librarians Who Allow LGBTQ-Themed Books in Children’s Sections

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