Advocacy groups are suing the Prattville library board over policies on sexually explicit books

A number of groups and individuals have filed a lawsuit against the Prattville-Autauga Library Board over its policies regulating potentially obscene or sexually explicit children’s books.

The Prattville Library is the starting point for the national debate over sexually explicit children’s books in the library. Since early 2023, residents have expressed concerns about the library’s book collection containing sexually explicit material.

The entire library board has been replaced since the drama began, and groups supporting preservation of the books have accused the new board of being more sympathetic to those who want to remove or move the sexually explicit material.

In February, the board voted to approve a series of policy changes related to the acquisition and display of books that contain “obscenity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender discrepancy.” Additionally, library card requirements for those under 18 have been changed.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Library may not purchase or otherwise acquire any material that is marketed to consumers 17 years of age or older and contains content including, but not limited to, profanity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender inconsistency.” , says the rules. “Age-appropriate materials on biology, human anatomy or religion are exempt from this rule.”

The rules add: “Library staff shall prominently display a red warning sticker on the cover of all books or other materials in the library’s collection that contain content including, but not limited to, profanity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity , or gender discrepancy and advertising to consumers aged 18 and over. Materials involving biology, human anatomy, or religion are exempt from this rule.

In response, the library board was sued in federal court, claiming the guidelines were allegedly unconstitutional and overly broad.

The Alabama Library Association (ALLA), the state chapter of the American Library Association; Read Freely Alabama, a group formed in response to the movement in Prattville, and several residents on behalf of their minor children are all named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

“The Eligibility Policy and the Minors Library Card Policy each violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. They are too broad. They discriminate based on content. And they are vague,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiffs, who include library card holders injured by the Guidelines, a local grassroots organization of library supporters and patrons, and a statewide organization of librarians and library supporters, therefore ask this Court to invalidate these First Amendment violations and invalidate the Guidelines to be unconstitutional and void and to prohibit the Board from implementing or enforcing these policies.”

“Specifically, each policy unconstitutionally interferes with the right of minors to borrow and read books and other materials protected by the First Amendment, including material that is not obscene to minors. The guidelines also interfere with the rights of older, more mature minors to read and view material that is not obscene or harmful to them, but which may be inappropriate for younger minors,” it continues.

The lawsuit seeks injunctions against the library board to prevent it from implementing the selective and minor library card policies. The plaintiffs are also seeking “reasonable attorney’s fees.”

Laura Clark, the library board’s attorney, released the following statement in response to a request from 1819 News:

“We stand behind our policies and will continue our fight to protect children in our library.”

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