A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on book bans took a racy turn Tuesday, as Republican senators and a witness read scenes of various sexual content into the congressional record to defend the ba…

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on book bans took a racy turn Tuesday, as Republican senators and a witness read scenes of various sexual content into the congressional record to defend the banning of multiple titles from U.S. schools.

…

The hearing on book bans was called as multiple Republican-led states have made it easier for books to be challenged in classrooms and as school board meetings have been flooded with arguments on what is appropriate for children to read.

The American Library Association said the number of book challenges in the United States doubled between 2021 and 2022.

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Republicans and Democrats found common ground in agreeing there are books that are inappropriate for some children, but Democrats said the argument that all the books under discussion are sexually explicit is a scapegoat for the issue.

“No one is advocating for sexually explicit content to be available in an elementary school library or in [the] children’s section of the library,” Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “That’s a distraction from the real challenge. I understand and respect that parents may choose to limit what their children read, especially at younger ages. My wife and I did. Others do, too. But no parent should have the right to tell another parent’s child what they can and cannot read in school or at home. Every student deserves access to books that reflect their experiences and help them better understand who they are.”

  • stephfinitely@artemis.camp
    33·
    1 year ago

    These people are wild. American first and freedom of speach, then something says something they don’t like and its ban this, make this illegal.

    • Throwaway@lemm.ee
      3·
      1 year ago

      So you want elementary schools to have sexually explicit books in their libraries? Do you have kids of your own?

      • Gnothi@lemmy.worldEnglish
        50·
        1 year ago

        “No one is advocating for sexually explicit content to be available in an elementary school library or in [the] children’s section of the library,” Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “That’s a distraction from the real challenge. I understand and respect that parents may choose to limit what their children read, especially at younger ages. My wife and I did. Others do, too. But no parent should have the right to tell another parent’s child what they can and cannot read in school or at home. Every student deserves access to books that reflect their experiences and help them better understand who they are.”

        • Throwaway@lemm.ee
          2·
          1 year ago

          So whats going on is these idiots aren’t aware of what a “book ban” actually is, and are wasting everyones time.

          Now Ive wasted my time, simple case of dumb govt.

      • Zerlyna@lemmy.worldEnglish
        34·
        1 year ago

        I have a now 6th grader and it’s called parenting. I decide what is appropriate and not appropriate for my child. Not someone else.

      • AnonTwo@kbin.social
        8·
        1 year ago

        You didn’t argue against him. You shamed him.

        You shamed him for arguing an objective truth. Your children will grow in a land without freedom because you shamed people who tried to defend it.

      • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
        6·
        1 year ago

        I have a kid of my own. I want her to have access to all kinds of book content, sexual or not.

        Sexual content in books is not going to ruin children. The vast majority are mature enough to handle it and it will more often than not help teach them to navigate the real world with more nuance than they would otherwise.

        It can give words to the actions and feelings they come across, say for example, when a child is sexually assaulted and isn’t aware that it’s wrong, so they don’t speak up about it.

        The books are not the problem. Books are never the problem and banning them is a huge infringement of the government on people’s freedom.

      • JasSmith@kbin.social
        3·
        1 year ago

        This is Lemmy. Of course they don’t have kids. Most of these people are severely emotionally stunted teenagers going through a Che Guevara phase.