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TOPEKA — The Oakley Public Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to maintain a kids’s e-book over objections from a lady who requested for its elimination.
Janna Leitner tried to ban “Fred Will get Dressed,” by Peter Brown, from the general public library after her two kids, ages 9 and 11, found the e-book and introduced it to their mom’s consideration. Library workers advised Kansas Reflector that the girl, who was recognized in assembly minutes, was troubled by what she considered as LGBTQ content material.
The e-book is a few boy who likes to “romp by means of the home bare and wild and free” and tries on his mom’s garments. Brown, a bestselling writer of kids’s books, is a straight, cisgender man who wrote the e-book about an expertise he had as slightly boy.
The library board heard Leitner’s considerations throughout an April 27 assembly. The minutes from that assembly reference a dialogue about whether or not the e-book is acceptable for kids. The board determined “to desk the censorship challenge” till the Might 25 board assembly, the minutes stated.
Throughout Wednesday’s assembly, library director Victoria Halbleib requested to offer an announcement for the document, in response to unofficial minutes obtained by Kansas Reflector.
“To ban a e-book is basically improper,” Halbleib stated. “I’m sorry that Mrs. Leitner and her kids had been disturbed by the content material of this e-book, nonetheless, the content material of any e-book has no energy over us until we open it and proceed to look or learn it. This isn’t about defending or condoning the content material of this e-book or different materials on this library. This can be a censorship challenge; it’s about the suitable of each patron who comes by means of the door to have the liberty to determine for themselves what they’ll learn. Please don’t censor and take away this e-book from our assortment.”
The board voted 6-0 to not take away the e-book, in response to the minutes. The board additionally voted to order a plain exhausting copy of the e-book — the prevailing copy is a “wonderbook,” which incorporates audio — and place it on the common bookshelf, reasonably than put it on show.
Brown beforehand stated this was the primary identified try to ban his e-book.
“The girl making an attempt to ban ‘Fred Will get Dressed’ has the suitable to maintain her kids from studying the e-book, however controlling what different folks can learn? That’s downright un-American,” Brown stated. “I believe everybody must loosen up, and let kids be whoever they’re going to be, and allow them to learn what they need to learn. Every part goes to be superb.”
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