Judge blocks Iowa law barring sexually explicit books from schools, calls it 'puritanical'
A federal judge has blocked Iowa from barring books and other materials deemed to be sexually explicit from public school libraries, but the state can still require teachers to inform parents if their children seek to identify as the opposite sex.
On Friday, Judge Stephen Locher granted a partial preliminary injunction to the law signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in May. Publisher Penguin Random House and authors John Green and Jodi Picoult were some of the plaintiffs who challenged Senate File 496.
With the law set to go into effect on Monday, the Biden appointee stated that the law does not target books containing graphic descriptions of sex “in any reasonable way,” asserting that the measure is too broad.
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“Instead, it requires the wholesale removal of every book containing a description or visual depiction of a ‘sex act,’ regardless of context,” the judge wrote.
“The underlying message is that there is no redeeming value to any such book even if it is a work of history, self-help guide, award-winning novel or other piece of serious literature,” Locher continued. “In effect, the Legislature has imposed a puritanical ‘pall of orthodoxy’ over school libraries.”
The judge also blocked a portion of the law that prohibits school districts from providing programs, tests or instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six.
But Locher let stand a rule requiring schools to inform parents if their child requests to go by a name or pronoun that does not align with their given name and biological sex. Under the law, a school district may not give parents false information about their child expressing a desire to transition.
If a school district fails to inform parents about their child’s struggles with their gender identity, then the consequences for a first violation include a written warning. Subsequent violations could result in disciplinary hearings and other consequences.
Gov. Reynolds expressed disappointment with the judge’s decision, declaring in a statement that instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation has “no place in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms.”
“And there should be no question that books containing sexually explicit content — as clearly defined in Iowa law — do not belong in a school library for children,” the Republican governor stated.
“The fact that we’re even arguing these issues is ridiculous,” she added. “The real debate should be about why society is so intent on over-sexualizing our young children. It’s wrong, and I will continue to do my part to protect their innocence.”
Reynolds signed Senate File 496 amid national discussions about school districts hiding students’ struggles with their gender identity from their parents, as well as concerns about the materials certain age groups have access to in school libraries.
Multiple parents have filed lawsuits accusing school districts of concealing their child’s transition, such as a recent lawsuit filed by Michigan parents Dan and Jennifer Mead. The parents alleged that district employees at East Rockford Middle School treated their 13-year-old daughter as a boy and referred to her with masculine pronouns without their knowledge.
According to the Meads, the school concealed their daughter’s transition by secretly changing her records before they were sent home. The parents say they accidentally discovered the situation after an employee failed to change one of the records.
Throughout the country, parents have also voicedobjections to school libraries offering books that contain sex scenes or promote transgenderism. One of the titles that has frequently come up during school board meetings is the book Gender Queer, a graphic novel by author Maia Kobabe.
The book details Kobabe’s struggles with gender confusion and contains graphic descriptions of various sex acts.
According to a September poll by the Republican polling firm WPA Intelligence, more than 90% of registered voters said the sexual descriptions and illustrations in Gender Queer are “inappropriate” for students.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
