The board members of an Alabama library at the center of a culture war over the placement of so-called ‘sexually explicit’ content announced Monday they will not reshelve two books that were challenged in recent years.

The two books that will remain in the library’s teen section include the 2006 novel “Sold,” which is about a girl sold into sexual slavery; and the 2020 book “Grown,” about sexual exploitation.

Multiple library board members read the two books, praised them for their content, and said neither met requirements that might lead to relocating them into the adult section.

The board’s requirements include, among other things, reviewing previous legal standards over what defines obscenity. That includes analyzing the book in its entirety on whether it appeals to prurient interests that can be viewed as sexually stimulating or has the potential to sexually arouse someone.

The library also considers “community standards” on whether a book should be relocated from one part of the library to another.

“They don’t have obscene material in them,” said board member Randal Wright, adding that she read “Sold,” calling it a “tragic, sad and horrible” story about a girl sold into sexual slavery in India.

She added, “It’s so well-written and has won all kinds of awards. But looking at everything we think about (when considering a book’s relocation), it just doesn’t have anything in it that is prurient. It’s not real graphic. Yes, things happen. But again, it belongs in the teen section.”

Challenges

The library board’s decision comes as library officials begin reviewing books that were challenged by a handful of residents, some who are conservative activists with the organization, Moms for Liberty. Another 13 books are slated for review in the coming months. Those reviews involve each one being read and analyzed by individual library board members.

Five books have since been reshelved from the teen to adult sections within the library following independent reviews earlier this year. But the Fairhope library has been at the forefront of criticism by the Alabama Public Library Service board of directors, whose members say the board isn’t doing enough to protect children and teens from sensitive materials.

The APLS board voted in March to temporarily suspend approximately $42,000 in annual state funding the Fairhope Library receives each year from the state, for what were violations to the state’s code – approved by last summer – that administers the handling of content described as “sexually explicit.”

Within 12 days of the funding cut, an online petition organized by the anti-censorship group, Read Freely Alabama, raised over $46,000 to support the library.

The Fairhope library became the first in the state to have its state funding cut by the APLS over what state library officials said was a violation of the administrative codes adopted last year.

The code prohibits books that meet the state’s definition of sexually explicit content. It does not contain exceptions for educational or instructional materials.

John Wahl, chairman of the APLS board who is also the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, told a group of library directors during a Zoom call on Thursday that he felt there can be a resolution in the concerns with the Fairhope library that will not lead to a more permanent cut in funding.

“My priority is working with them,” he said during the call with library directors that was forwarded last week to AL.com.

Wahl also defended a change in views between a letter from February, in which he said the library was in compliance with the APLS code, and the March meeting when Fairhope’s funding was cut without any pre-warning to Fairhope library or city officials.

Related content: From compliance to defunding: The case over Fairhope’s library creates confusion

Wahl said there had been a lack of communication between APLS and the Fairhope library over “age requirements,” in which he felt there was content shelved in the children’s section that was sexually explicit.

“The difference (between the February letter and March APLS board decision) is that the policies were approved, and they were correct,” Wahl said. “But the policies on the children’s section were not being followed.”

“I don’t want to throw stones at anyone,” he added. “They have been tremendous. I think we’ll be able to accomplish everything where they won’t miss anything on the funding.”

Wahl said the APLS only took action when the concerns were brought to them about the material shelved at the library. He then defended the parents who generally raise concerns about material viewed as inappropriate. The concerns about the materials in Fairhope were raised by a representative with the conservative Moms for Liberty, which has targeted libraries nationwide as part of an ongoing culture war over LGBTQ content.

“This notion they are radicals and bigots is not fair,” Wahl said. “Both sides have different viewpoints. We have to respect that. Sexuality is a very sensitive topic. There are a lot of great people and parents on both sides of this. Do we have a perfect situation? No. Rarely do you. But what is incumbent on us is that we do the best we can to make both sides feel welcomed. Is this the best way? I don’t know if it’s the best way. It is a way. The answer is not making the other side feel uncomfortable in the library.”

None of the activists who challenged “Sold” or “Grown” spoke at the board’s meeting on Monday, and it’s unclear on whether the two books will be further challenged before the APLS. In Fairhope, after the library board reviews a book, the decision it makes is final for five years.

Amy Minton, the APLS board member who filed the motion in March to cut Fairhope’s funding for violating the code, told AL.com last month that Moms for Liberty was unfairly singled out in the dispute.

Library supporters

The only people who spoke were library supporters who expressed disgust over the handling of Fairhope by the APLS. They also blamed what they said was a small group of vocal activists reaching out directly to the APLS for creating a situation that has generated national attention.

Cheryl Corvo, a Fairhope resident said that “sexually explicit” content should not be determined by “outrage,” but determined by a book’s full “context, purpose and societal value.”

“Children stumbling into books is fear mongering,” Corvo said, addressing arguments made by Wahl and others over concerns about the location of books in teen sections. “It’s about control, and extremists’ narrow views of reality.”

Gustavo Douaihi, also a Fairhope resident, said he has read the books that are being challenged in Fairhope and said, “they are all age appropriate.”

“I don’t expect the library to be babysitting,” he said. “This is, after all, a public library, not a church library. These books are not required reading.”

He added, “It’s not pornography they want to ban. It’s knowledge. It’s the knowledge that topics teenagers struggle with. They are not pornographic, but they are important and help our community raise smart, compassionate, and well-informed leaders.”