Alabama Mothers of Liberty sent a letter to lawmakers last week asking them to take steps to prevent libraries from providing certain materials to children and youth.

“The Alabama Legislature is committed to using the power of state funding and mandates to provide meaningful, long-term solutions that protect minors and allow parents to have their voices heard.” “The time has come to push for meaningful change,” the group wrote. The letter was signed by Emily Jones and Rebecca Watson from the group's Madison and Baldwin County chapters.

Although these are the only two Mamas for Liberty groups active in the state, the statewide organization Clean Up Alabama has taken many of its cues from the group, and Mamas for Liberty They recently asked Mobile County residents to form a chapter.

In the letter, the group laid out its goals, ranging from work already underway at APLS to increasing state control over local library collection policies.

• APLS should leave the American Library Association
• APLS should replace ALA as Alabama's primary source for professional development, policy recommendations, and resources for local Alabama library systems.
• APLS should develop clear policies regarding the selection and placement of books that can be recommended to local library systems.
• APLS should develop objective standards for the age-appropriateness of sexual content and book placement in children, youth, and young adult sections of public libraries.
• The state Legislature denies state funding to local library systems, refusing to heed calls (by Gov. Kay Ivey) to amend current policies regarding parental rights, book review forms, and sexual content for minors. Consideration should be given to limiting or eliminating provision.
• APLS must enact a software update that prevents minors using children's library cards from checking out books and resources over the specified age range.Statewide software updates required as a safeguard

That last call to action is especially questionable, since APLS does not control the software library used to check out books. If lawmakers required all state-funded libraries to install such software, a new approach would be to manage it through APLS.

APLS is also not concerned with how libraries manage content, so setting age-appropriate standards for sexual content and book placement is also currently outside the scope of APLS. The board is still waiting to hear from Attorney General Steve Marshall on what powers the agency has to micromanage local libraries, but Congressional action could expand that power. Gender can also be considered.

The letter states that objective criteria should be developed to screen books placed in the young adult section and that there is “no reason why minors in Alabama should be exposed to pornographic materials.”

One such book, according to the letter, is “All Boys Aren't Blue.” His letter calls the book “pornographic,” but that claim is debatable. The group included four pages of photographs in the book, including a passage in which the author detailed a sexual encounter he had with a male cousin as a young man. The author describes the encounter in clear detail and describes his emotional state. The second half of the book also includes a description of his first consensual sexual encounter.

A message on the book's cover says the book was purchased with a grant from state Sen. Sam Givan, R-Huntsville, and the letter says it is intended to “uplift fiction and educational materials.” It was written down.

In the letter, the group claims the book was checked out by a 9-year-old boy.

“This will continue to happen to well-meaning citizens who support libraries because these are the books that ALA is currently promoting,” the letter said.

The book is housed in the young adult nonfiction sections of two Huntsville-Madison area library branches, which are typically aimed at teens ages 12 to 18. The publisher recommends this book for ages 14 and up.

The letter alleges that the ALA has “promoted the publication of books that sexualize and groom children in recent years,” and to back up its claims, the organization's annual general meeting called for “drag queens. Talk Time and Queer Inclusion' series of workshops in 2019. meeting.

“We are now in a battle between parents who want to be the ones teaching their children about sex and parents who want librarians to take on that role,” the group said in the letter. .

The letter then references Section B.8.6.2 of the ALA Manual, entitled “Sex Education Materials in Libraries.” It says: “ALA affirms the right of youth to receive comprehensive sexuality education, materials, programs, and referral services of the highest quality. We affirm the active role of librarians in providing such. and , urges librarians and library educators to reconsider existing policies and practices and to take a leadership role in making information available to children, youth, parents, and youth support professionals.”

Neither Moms for Liberty nor Clean Up Alabama has disclosed the actual size of their membership. However, observations at events suggest that only a small percentage of people use the library on a regular basis, and are rather part of a political movement that exploits the Kulturkampf for partisan political gain. is shown.