An anti-book censorship group’s meeting last week in Fairhope has exploded into a back-and-forth dispute with the chair of the Alabama GOP – with the group’s leaders calling those who want to control books and impose criminal penalties on librarians “extremists.”

The charges of “extremism” and “extremists” leading the library culture war in Alabama surfaced during the meeting last Tuesday hosted by Read Freely Alabama. Since then, both John Wahl – chair of the Alabama GOP who took over as chair of the Alabama State Public Library Service (APLS) board in September — along with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey — have expressed concerns over the use of the word “extremists” to characterize those with concerns about content in libraries.

“All along, the governor’s views on this have been pretty simple: She wants libraries to be a safe space for families, and she wants our young people to be focused on reading and learning,” said Gina Maiola, spokesperson for Ivey, who is charged with appointing members to the APLS board. “If not wanting our children to be exposed to sexually explicit or inappropriate material while visiting a library makes us ‘extremists,’ then call us extreme.”

‘Extremist’ accusations

The accusations of extremism were highlighted during the meeting by members of Read Freely Alabama, which urged supporters to get better organized and prepared for legislative battles early next year over proposals that could include criminalizing librarians.

Angie Hayden, founder of Read Freely Alabama, called one of the pieces of legislation introduced the summer as “terrifying,” and urged those upset over book censorship to show up to library board meetings and push back against “extremists.”

The thing is about extremists is that they are dedicated whereas the more reasonable majority is falling and “shows we are not as dedicated, loud and consistent,” Hayden said. “That is where we need to be better. I think we are afraid to be loud. If you’re in a room with one of them, you won’t look like one of the irrational ones.”

Wahl, in a statement last week to AL.com, said that calling members of the APLS board as “extremists” is “incredibly inappropriate.” He then blasted his opponents, including the Alabama Library Association, as “Marxists.”

Read Freely Alabama, in a recent rebuttal to Wahl’s comments, said it is him and his allies on the APLS who had “done nothing for the past year and a half to discourage unfounded attacks on librarians.” The group pointed to physical assault, foul names and false accusations about committing crimes by groups like Moms for Liberty and Clean Up Alabama.

A representative with the Baldwin County chapter of Moms for Liberty said that within Baldwin County, there has been no instances of physical or verbal assault at librarians. A representative with Clean Up Alabama declined to comment to Read Freely Alabama’s concerns.

“We would remind Mr. Wahl that he serves all of the public, not just those with whom is ideologically aligned, and we will continue to hold him accountable,” the Read Freely Alabama statement reads. “Mr. Wahl should be aware that neither his role as chair of the Alabama Public Library Service nor his role as ALGOP chair permits him to wield his position to place government at the center of family decisions, which is precisely what he has done with the APLS administrative code.”

Said Wahl, “The APLS board took action to make sure Alabama libraries are safe and that families could place trust in their local library collections. The enemies of our libraries and the ones destroying their reputation are the radicals pushing a new narrative of allowing sexually explicit materials in children’s sections.”

The latest dispute comes as Alabama libraries have become the central point of controversy connected to the national Culture War over book censorship and concerns over LGBTQ+ content within the public venues.

Wahl took over the APLS as its board chair in September and came on board after the APLS implemented new policies required for local libraries or risk losing state aid. Requirements, rolled out in July include approving written guidelines establishing separate library cards for minors under 18, a requirement for parental approval before a minor’s card is permitted to check our materials from a library’s adult section, and new approval requirements to for library cards.

Some libraries, such as the Athens-Limestone County Public Library and the Fairhope Public Library, report that over 60% of parents are opting to apply for all-access adult library cards for their children.

Video game, movie ratings

Read Freely Alabama argues that Wahl and groups he supports, such as Clean Up Alabama and Moms for Liberty, objecting to content in libraries as a way to eliminate content they find disagreeable. Those groups largely allege that libraries are filled with in appropriate content for children.

Wahl said libraries throughout Alabama continue to work on the new code changes, and that their goal is to ensure that children do not stumble across sexually explicit material.

“We rate video games, movies and TV shows,” Wahl said. “Library access should be no different. I believe strongly in freedom of speech and returning control from government to families, and that is exactly what these changes do.”

Read Freely Alabama, in its reaction to Wahl, said the chairman is confused about the proper role of government with his comparison of the private film industry with public libraries.”

“The film rating system is a voluntary industry standard, not a government mandate,” the Read Freely Alabama statement says. “As surely Mr. Wahl is aware, that would be an inappropriate and unconstitutional use of government power, a concept with which Mr. Wahl should familiarize himself. We find it alarming that Mr. Wahl fails to understand the difference in private industry standards and those he wishes to impose on a public institution.”

Read Freely Alabama then pointed to a similar effort in Texas. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, among the most conservative in the U.S., ruled in January that efforts by the Texas Education Agency were unconstitutional when the agency attempted to enforce state law requiring booksellers to rate the explicitness and relevance of sexual references in materials sold to schools.

Wahl, in response, said Read Freely Alabama’s comments were “utterly misleading.”

“The FCC regulates obscenity, indecency and profanity on broadcast television and movies that children would have open access to,” he said. “The motion picture, music, and video game industries chose to self-regulate out of respect to parents and safety to children. If Hollywood can do it, why can’t libraries?”

Project 2025 accusations

Read Freely Alabama is also blasting Wahl for being a supporter of Project 2025 and is pointing to an online video in which he is interviewed by actor Walter Masterson about the Heritage Foundation’s controversial policy platform that would exert additional political control over educational content.

In that video, taken some time during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, Wahl is asked about Project 2025.

Masterson says, “don’t shy away from Project 2025, don’t shy away from abortion.”

Wahl then interjects to say that Florida is a “swing state” but that Ron DeSantis has won the governorship by wide margins “because of those bold stances” on conservative matters.

Wahl did not specifically mention Project 2025, and he later told AL.com that Read Freely Alabama is misrepresenting his position. “I have never been connected with Project 2025, nor do I have a TikTok account. This seems like another bizarre attempt by Read Freely Alabama to spread false information.”

Read Freely Alabama said it is Wahl who is politicizing a non-partisan institution with his “open collaboration with Project 2025 sponsors” like the Eagle Forum and Moms for Liberty.

Read Feely Alabama is also critical of APLS board member Amy Minton, who personally challenged about 30 books in the Gadsden library, targeting those primarily with LGBTQ content. Minton was named by Ivey to the APLS board in February.

Minton, in response, questioned why Read Freely Alabama members “want books that show how to clean sex toys available in a children’s section. There are plenty of books we can agree upon that encourage a kid to read but not those in that get them stuck on medication the rest of their life or transition or make themselves not to have children and question who they were born to be. Yes, I challenged those books.”

LGBTQ books

Read Freely Alabama, in a response to Minton, said they agree – books about sex toys should not be in the children’s section at libraries.

“Fortunately, no such books are or ever have been in any children’s section in Alabama libraries,” the statement reads, critical of the books Minton challenged in Gadsden “simply for being LGBTQ-inclusive.”

Minton said she is appreciative of Gadsden Library Director Craig Scott of moving “many of those books” she objected to and defended her actions.

“When they want to bring up the thing about the books I challenged and they want to say it was about (being anti-) LGBTQ , there are many things in there with graphic pictures showing how to have sex,” Minton said about some of the books she raised concerns about. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for children to discuss any of that in the children section. My position was move it to the adult section. If the parent wants to order it, they can buy it. But not have it in the children’s section.”

She added, “I do want to know why they want those books that show children how to masturbate or why do they think we need graphic pictures showing that in the children’s section.”

Read Freely Alabama, in its statement, said Minton is an advocate for “soft censorship” by preventing public libraries “from purchasing books that she personally finds objectionable.”

“While it is true libraries cannot hold every book in the world, it has been affirmed through case law that libraries cannot censor material based on viewpoint discrimination,” Read Freely Alabama’s statement says. “That includes refusing to purchase books simply because the content is controversial to some.”

The organization also says that Minton does not have the professional credentials to judge a book as “developmentally” appropriate or inappropriate.

“It’s clear she is discriminating against children’s books based on ideas therein, not because of concerns about children’s safety from sexual predators,” the statement reads. “Read Freely Alabama families are also taxpayers who fund these libraries and find it concerning that one individual imposes her parenting beliefs on all Alabama families, which is unconstitutional. None of these books meet the legal definition of obscenity.”