HB 139 calls for civil penalties of $10,000 in addition to other damages and fees if a school or public library provides materials that are "harmful to minors." While Idaho libraries do not provide materials that are harmful to minors, the simple threat of expensive lawsuits is likely to have a damaging chilling effect, restricting Idahoans' liberty to access information, self-direct, and read and think freely for themselves. HO 139 is another misguided attempt by the state to limit Idahoans First Amendment freedoms. This bill will particularly impact small, rural libraries and taxpayers, which will have to choose whether providing materials that support their communities is even possible under the threat of expensive and time-consuming lawsuits. If local libraries that are forced by unneeded state regulations to defend against private claims of harm, they will not be able to continue to serve the needs of local Idahoans. This bill is government overreach, a violation of parents' rights, and an attack on the ability of libraries to provide access to information for all Idahoans, regardless of their values or beliefs. (If you live outside of Idaho, please sign this national petition: https://action.everylibrary.org/bookbans)

There are a handful of people in our county who are more than willing to limit all Clay County students to the books, ideas, and teachings THEY approve. They opened the door for this flood of book bans by loudly decrying a few books that contain sexual situations. But now that the door is wedged open, it's not enough to ban books that mention sex... they also want to ban books with black and brown faces on the cover. Books that recognize that LGBTQ+ people exist. Books that encourage readers to treat others equally, regardless of their differences. Books that acknowledge that we have differences, and THAT IS OK. Where has this censorship gotten us? National and international news- Clay County, Florida has become a punchline. The right to read is one of our first amendment rights as Americans, and it’s important that our students have that right as well. Books offer us a variety of perspectives, allowing us to put ourselves in other people's shoes. Help us stand up and tell the school board and district leadership that we trust our educators (teachers and media specialists), that we want our students to have access to diverse library materials, and that we don't want this loud minority making decisions for the rest of us.

We are all concerned with creating positive, safe, and welcoming environments for our children. But going after public libraries and schools means that this isn't about kids. It's about a small group of people controlling what all North Dakotas are able to read or see. Only 8% of voters in the US think that there are "many books that are inappropriate and should be banned". It is a small group of people pushing for these kinds of bills and book bans around the country. They talk about books about sex and sexuality, but award-winning authors like Margaret Atwood, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or even James Joyce could be caught in the crosshairs of ‘obscenity’ challenges too. Even Winnie the Pooh was called into question for not wearing pants. Our local library and school boards are accountable to the communities they serve, and those are the right venues to address book challenges, not a top-down obscenity law from the legislature. We can’t let a bill like HB1205 expose every school, library,and the public servants who work in them, to criminal prosecution to satisfy a few crusaders. It's not a reasonable thing to make criminals out of our librarians and educators. Please join the citizens of North Dakota in opposing HB1205 now. The bill is being heard in the House Judiciary Committee. Please take a moment and tell your Representative in the North Dakota House to help stop this bill before it goes any further. Use the form on this page to send your message today.

Members of the “Citizens Defending Education” group in Glen Ridge are attempting to ban the following six books from the Glen Ridge Public Library: 1. All Boys Aren't Blue - George M. Johnson 2. Here and Queer - Rowan Ellis 3. This Book is Gay - Juno Dawson 4. It's Not the Stork - Robie H. Harris 5. It's Perfectly Normal - Robie H. Harris 6. You Know, Sex - Cory Silverberg The Library Director has confirmed that each of the above books meets the Library Materials Selection Policy. These books all contain content related to the LGBTQ+ community and it is clear that the CDE group is targeting this group here in Glen Ridge. Please sign the petition and come to the February 8th, 2023 Library Board of Trustees Meeting to voice your opposition to this proposed ban. During this meeting, the CDE’s appeal of the Library Director's decision to reject the ban will be discussed and voted on. The meeting will be held in the auditorium of Ridgewood Avenue School at 7:30 PM.

In 2022, the Alpine School District in Utah pulled 52 books from their library shelves, and ultimately banned 22 books for “pornographic or indecent” material. A large percentage of the banned books were written by LGBTQ+ authors, or dealt with issues of sexuality, gender, and race. Censoring what students can read takes away their freedom of expression, and limits their ability to think for themselves. We need to let the school board know that we trust librarians and teachers to choose material that is appropriate for all students. Sign the petition to let the school board know that you oppose government censorship and support the freedom to read!

You should sign this petition if you believe any of these statements could be true: That the true intent of this policy change is to marginalize the LGBTQ+ community. Books should be discussed on their merits. Broad categories of books should not be waived away as “obscene” without a critical look by our librarians. That our librarians are pretty good at their job. Library board members - public servants - have a duty to answer questions about their proposals, and should not flee public meetings. The proposed policy revision is vague and does not define specific words that would be critical to enforcing it. The proposed revisions contradict the rest of the library’s Collection Development Policy, which has been doing a good job serving the community for many years. It's our job to be the parents, and these restrictive policies take away our parental rights.

Last year the Utah State legislature passed HB374 which has lead directly to books being banned in our school libraries. This hurts students and limits their ability to think for themselves, leaving them less self-reliant, and ill-prepared for success in an increasingly competitive global economy. Legislators are now suggesting that they need to pass MORE censorship laws - even ones that could lead to arresting librarians and teachers for their commitment to protecting constitutional freedoms and access to information for students. They think they are the best judge of how to parent and teach Utah kids -- and they want to take away your freedom to choose books for you and your family. We trust parents, librarians, and teachers to parent and teach, and think politicians should not be using the power of the state to restrict our freedoms and liberties just to appease loud extremists. We trust professional librarians and teachers to choose materials that support the education, development, and mental health of ALL students in accordance with state standards, local policy, and state and federal laws. Sign the petition and stand with Utahns who oppose book bans and support the freedom to read. (If you live outside of Utah, please sign this national petition: https://action.everylibrary.org/bookbans)

Proposed censorship measures in several U.S. states will regulate the books that you're allowed to read in our nation's libraries. Some could also lead to jailing librarians as a result of their commitment to free speech and access to library materials. If they succeed, you will lose your freedom to choose books for you and your family. Help fight against book bans and government censorship.

Sign the petition to support the Banned Books Week resolution! The resolutions protects your freedom of speech and expression. Congress needs to know that this is a bi-partisan issue that touches on the rights and hopes of every American.

Parents already have the right to limit their own children's reading selections. Creating a restricted section that is only accessible with a permission slip creates unnecessary steps. The books have already been vetted by library professionals. By opening book challenges to all residents, parent rights are diluted as anyone can choose to limit the books that are available in libraries.