Once again, a public library stands as a bulwark against censorship and authoritarianism.
According to AL.com, the decision to deny funding to Alabama’s Fairhope Public Library came “after months of turmoil.” The final straw, apparently, was the library’s decision to keep “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and other books flagged as “inappropriate” and “sexually explicit” in its teen section rather than move them to the adult section.
One of the board members voting to deny funding, John Wahl, is also the chair of the state GOP.
Wahl may have won the battle but he seems to have lost the war. For one thing, the books are not being moved. Board chair Randal Wright and the library director “said the board had already read the books and decided they were suitable for the teen section,” as per AL.com. “Moving the books would equate to censorship, Wright said.”
Board member Ron Snider reportedly told Wahl that if he believes teens were not already familiar with the so-called “vulgarity” in the books, “you’re not in the reality that I’ve been.”
Wright also pointed out that a parent can keep a child from reading a book. “But you can’t keep that book away from my child. It’s not your job to make that decision,” he said.
But the best part is that while the denied funding amounted to about $22,000, the library has raised more than $100,000 in community donations since the controversy began, AL.com reported.