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Thursday, June 1, 2023

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WI working family advocates shine a spotlight on Reps' voting records; a new report says that Phoenix area can't meet groundwater demands; Nevada sporting community sends top 10 priorities to Gov. Lombardo's desk.

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The Senate aims to get the debt limit spending bill to President Biden's desk quickly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes a campaign stop in Iowa, and a new survey finds most straight adults support LGBTQ+ rights.

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Oregon may expand food stamp eligibility to some undocumented households, rural areas have a new method of accessing money for roads and bridges, and Tennessee's new online tool helps keep track of cemetery locations.

Maine Librarians Fight Bill to Ban Books Considered 'Obscene'

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Tuesday, March 14, 2023   

School librarians in Maine are fighting a bill that would ban
schools from providing students with books considered "obscene," saying it could potentially criminalize educators. Proponents of the legislation say they are merely protecting children from inappropriate material but educators say the definition of the word obscene remains unclear.

Heather Perkinson, Maine Association of School Libraries president, said librarians are being singled out and harassed, finding their names and phone numbers posted online.

"We are all worried about whether books that we have in our libraries are going to be challenged and whether it's going to get us into some kind of trouble," Perkinson said.

Perkinson added the bill is similar to other GOP-driven measures across the country and is part of a larger attack on public education. The American Library Association reports
more than 1,600 attempts to ban titles in 2022, the highest number in decades.

Most of the titles garnering complaints from parents and lawmakers deal with LGBTQ relationships or gender identity, including the title, "Gender Queer," a graphic memoir by Maia Kobabe.

Perkinson said the book speaks to many students in Maine who question their own identities.

"Unless you read the whole book, if you just see those images, then you're not getting the whole context and the whole narrative," she said.

Perkinson added librarians work hard to purchase appropriate materials with school district money, considering reputable review sources, book awards and the school's particular curriculum. When one parent attempts to take away the rights of students to read a specific book, they are infringing on the rights of all parents, she said.


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