Tumult over allegedly sexually-explicit library materials spills over at Abilene council meeting

Tempers flared at Thursday's Abilene City Council meeting as ongoing discussion about materials said to be sexually-inappropriate materials that could be accessed by children dominated a lengthy public comment section.

Some parents brought their children to the meeting to speak before the council about banning what most collectively called "bad books."

Thomas Rodriguez, one of the children who spoke against the library materials, said he was "against the bad books in the library because one of my little brothers or sisters could randomly just pick one up and start reading it and set a bad example for all my other brothers and sisters."

One speaker made comments that her experience with early activism by the LGBTQ community proved to her there was an ongoing agenda to normalize such behavior, which she alleged stems from sexual assault.

That earned cries of "that's wrong" from at least one attendee, and a warning for decorum from Councilman Weldon Hurt, who was conducting the public hearing.

Many of those who spoke previously tackled the topic at meetings of the Abilene Public Library's board, which recently passed a parental responsibility policy that will go to the council at its next meeting this month.

Most of those who spoke openly were opposed to the policy, which places emphasis on parental responsibility. They reiterated their desire to put certain books in a section separate and apart from where minors could access them.

Bad books?

Thomas Rodriguez's mother, Francisca, who said she lives outside of the Abilene city limits, said she opposed the library's responsibility policy because "tramples over the souls of our children and washes the hands of the city of any liability."

Like others who spoke against the policy, Rodriguez said the issue does not have anything to do with wanting to ostracize the LGBTQ community.

"These are books that are coming in (by) the thousands," she said. "So, we're helping the city be preventive."

Rodriguez said there were attempts in literature and culture to "normalize everything."

"Adult to child, animal to child," she said. "You are trying to normalize everything. So we're asking the people in this room, not to make it an LGBTQ (issue) because it's not about that. It's about protecting the children. And we're asking you to join forces, everybody In the room, no matter which side you're on, because I do feel like no matter what side you're on, you're also about protecting children."

Rodriguez and others stated the board's decision to move forward with its new policy showed a lack of working together on the part of the city and those who want to separate the books.

"I'm here again to ask please work with us," she said. "We're willing to join anybody who wants to look at what's coming. ... We've been working hard, so shelter in because a storm is coming."

Disregarded complaints?

Rebecca Gingrich, who has spoken at previous meetings, said the passage of the policy by the board disregarded the complaints of numerous attendees.

"(It) places the sole responsibility upon the parent and/or guardian for what a minor observes and/or views in the library," Gingrich said. "The problem with this is that we have no say as to what is coming into our library. And that is one of our biggest concerns. There are many types of books, many types of influences,."

Some argued that the policy was discriminatory against parents with multiple children, stating they could not possibly monitor each child's activity equally.

"It is not the public's responsibility to determine when my child can be exposed to any type of sexual education in any way, shape or form," Gingrich said. "I understand that there is a dispute and there's a disagreement as far as what is sexually oriented materials."

While much focus as been on a graphic novel, "Let's Talk About It," which is geared toward teens but shelved, according to city officials, in the adult section, Gingrich said "it's not just one book" that the group is concerned about.

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"It's very, very insidious as far as how things are being marketed toward younger children," she said, adding she has personal experience with "these issues (because) of a transgender individual" in her family.

"The problem is the cause and effect that it is causing to my grandchild," Gingrich said. "She's very, very confused. She is confused because she doesn't know she has two moms, three moms. A dad? She doesn't know. And how does she deal with this in the school? She can't even answer these questions."

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Opposing views

Monica Warn-Walker spoke, as she has before, as both a retired educator and a member of the LGBTQ community, about the importance of both appropriate materials for children and the importance of freedom of information.

"There are many things in the public library as a Christian that I do not approve of either, but it is a public library," she said. "Because of that, all of these things belong in our public library. We pay our librarians a good salary because they are experts in what they do. They are knowledgeable, they understand the needs of our community as well as what's appropriate.

"I would ask that we consider leaving these kinds of decisions to our experts that we pay for."

Library board member Jason Hernandez read explicit verses from the Bible.

"How crazy would it be to walk into a church and for me to ask to remove certain books or verses?" he said. "... I'm trying to just understand."

Hernandez said many were afraid to speak their mind on the issue for fear of being "judged or ridiculed," adding he was OK with certain books being "categorized differently."

Some speakers described the library system as now a "minefield," especially for those who home school or want to keep their children away from what they see as potentially pornographic materials.

"There are online materials and books in our library shelves that have a direct potential to cause lifelong damage to our most precious and valuable assets, our children," speaker Eric Bengs said.

More:Abilene City Council hears arguments pro and con on LGBTQ materials in libraries

Bengs said the parental policy puts the onus on parents to know where all the "landmine" books are among the tens of thousands the library system has "instead of keeping our children safe in the first place by placing those books in a section so we as parents have the ability to shield our children from those things that. once seen, cannot be unseen."

"I am not advocating or requesting a book ban," Bengs said. "I am against the sexualization, any sexualization, of our children through materials currently available online and on the shelves of our library. It was once a safe place, it's now a minefield, and those minefields are very, very real."

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Tumult over sexually-explicit library materials spills over to council