Idaho library law goes viral on Reddit and leads to a lawsuit

The Bill: 

On April 10, Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) signed H.B. 710 into law, which requires libraries in the state to move materials considered “harmful” to children into an “adults only” section.

The law also allows Idahoans to file a claim if they’re children obtain “harmful” materials from a public library. According to the state’s definition of obscene materials, library items that must be in an adults only section include books about homosexuality.

The law took effect on July 1. 

The Backlash: 

When the law took effect in the beginning of the month, one library put up a notice about the new, separate section of books and a photo of the sign went viral on Reddit.

“To proceed beyond this point you must: Be 18 years of age or older. (If you are under 30 please be prepared to show Photo ID),” the notice states. “Or have an unrestricted library card… Or be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library.”

Many commented that Idaho’s separation of materials that included “obscene” subjects was “government overreach” and that the library should be open entirely to the public.

“They want to control what you read and what you think about,” a Redditor commented.

“That's sad as hell. I just retired from a library in a rust belt town with plenty of homeless folk, gang members, unaccompanied kids and teens, and ALL were welcome,” another Redditor wrote. “The library is for everybody.” 

The Background: 

According to the American Library Association’s list of the books that most frequently face book bans, LGBTQ books are challenged more than books on any other subject.

And forcing libraries to restrict books on certain subjects is just one of the many ways that Republican-led state legislatures have censored materials about homosexuality: Librarians in some states have been asked to “purge” all LGBTQ content from their libraries, and in others, librarians could be liable for criminal penalties for fines should they lend out a book that is “harmful to minors” to a kid.

But a group of private schools, privately-funded libraries, and parents in Idaho might not let state legislators get away with separating some books from others.

On Thursday, the group brought a lawsuit against the state alleging that the law “violates the First Amendment rights of private schools and libraries and 14th Amendment protections for the fundamental liberty interest of parents.”

“A healthy democracy depends on vibrant, independent, private institutions,” a lawyer representing the plaintiffs told the Idaho Capital Sun. “This new, dark turn for state censorship in America cannot stand.”

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