FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WKRG) — Tonight, a room was divided between mostly people supporting the Fairhope Public Library and a few wanting certain books relocated from the children’s section to the adults’ section.
These are the eight books being debated:
- “Julian at the Wedding”
- “My Two Dads”
- “My Two Moms”
- “It Feels Good to Be Yourself”
- “Julian is a Mermaid”
- “Mommy Laid an Egg”
- “Gender Swapped Fairy Tales”
- “Parts & Hearts”
Brian Dasinger, a member of the Baldwin County Conservative Coalition, which compiled the list of titles, says he wants to protect local children from literary works with sexual content.
“We are trying to protect the children of Fairhope and move what we believe is sexually explicit material from the children’s section to the adult section,” Dasinger said.
One by one, both sides stood up to speak. Some did not see a problem with the books and said they should stay where they are.
Elizabeth Denham, a long-time Baldwin County resident, says book relocations could lead to censorship.
“You move a book from one section to another, you start to label it inappropriate or exploitative and that’s a slippery slope to banning,” Denham said.
Dasinger said he believes the books are inappropriate for children.
“Quite frankly, the majority of them disgust me; there are sexually explicit pictures. More than that, there is indoctrination occurring and a glamorization of how to perform sexual acts,” he said.
Angie Hayden, a parent, says the books are not explicit.
“They will take books from the young adult section or adult section and they will find that one paragraph out of the entire three or 400 pages that mention something sexual and read it aloud and then imply that it’s being pushed on 8-year-olds,” Hayden said.
Dasinger told News 5 that he and the Baldwin County Conservative Coalition came up with a resolution to relocate certain books and take measures to prevent minors’ exposure to what he sees as adult-oriented content.
That resolution has been sent to the Fairhope City Council for review.
We also asked members of the library board about this topic, and they declined to comment.
