Pornography in the Teen Section of DCPL
Daviess County Citizens for Decency asked the Daviess County Public Library to move all pornographic books out of the teen section and into the adult section. We also asked that all other books in our audit be labelled with content warnings.
The DCPL Board refused.
The DCPL Executive Director claims she fixed the problem by renaming the "Teen Section" the "Young Adult Section" and by implementing a punitive Limited Access Card. No policy was changed. The newly named "Young Adult" section still accommodates 13-17 year olds. The only thing that changed was the sign. By relegating the teen children of any parents who complain to the children's section (3-12 year olds) DCPL has demonstrated a very real disregard for this community's values.
Shut up and read your porn or it's pop-up books for you!
Evidence of the pornography can be found by following the links below. The remainder of the 240+ books included in our audit are books that we believe the library should put content warnings on. Some in the children's section (3-12 years old) broach subjects like racism, discrimination, gender identity, and even sex. While others in the teen section contain extreme violence and rape, racism, sexual activity, illegal drug use and excessive foul language. A large number of books in the teen section, not listed here, border on pornography but may be more implicit than explicit.
We believe parents, not the library staff, should decide when children are confronted with these subjects. And parents, not library staff, should decide how the subjects are presented.
Although we believe there is no place for these books in decent society, we did not ask that any books be banned. Books listed here should be placed in the adult section of the library. All others, not meeting the Supreme Court's threshold for obscenity, should be labeled with content warnings.
Most of the books included in our audit were reviewed by Ratedbooks.org or Booklooks.org. The links embedded in titles below will take you to excerpts from the books at those two sites. (The books struck through have already been moved by DCPL)
THE FOLLOWING LINKS ARE NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN.
5/5 - Explicit References to Aberrant Sexual Activity, Explicit Sexual Nudity (depictions of sexual organs in a state of arousal)
“Obscene” References to Sexual Activities (involving anal, oral or vaginal intercourse; fingering, anilingus or ejaculation) PLUS Sexual assault/battery, bestiality, or sadomasochistic abuse
4/5 - Explicit Sexual Nudity (depictions of sexual organs in a state of arousal)
“Obscene” References to Sexual Activities (involving anal, oral or vaginal intercourse; fingering, anilingus or ejaculation)
For more on the Rating system, please visit Booklooks.org