Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is expected to sign a bill that will financially penalize public schools and libraries that restrict inappropriate titles from their collections.
House Bill 2789, which was introduced by 53 leftist lawmakers in February, passed the state Senate last week with a vote of 39 to 19. Once signed into law, public institutions that take measures to keep pornographic “children’s books” out of their collections in the new year will lose all state-provided library funding.
The schools and libraries will be forced to adopt standards set by the Marxist-led American Library Association, or alternatively, create their own policies that allow children to have unfettered access to LGBTQ+ propaganda and pornography.
“Removing an adult sexual practices book from school libraries isn’t a ‘ban,'” conservative journalist Daniel Lee wrote on Twitter in response to a Washington Post article that frames the state’s move as something worthy of celebration.
Removing an adult sexual practices book from school libraries isn't a "ban."
— Daniel Lee (@realdanlee) May 5, 2023
“The US government does not prohibit the ownership of books,” another Twitter user chimed in. “[B]ut Many parents have demanded that public entities not expose their children to certain content,” he continued.
https://twitter.com/flipinjap808/status/1654678012414279680?s=20
Throughout the past several years, Young America’s Foundation has on numerous occasions exposed leftists’ attempts to keep books including Gender Queer, This Book is Gay, and Flamer, among others, on the shelves in countless schools and libraries throughout the country.
The pornographic novel Gender Queer, in particular, has been at the forefront of debates over what kind of materials should be accessible to children at public libraries and in schools.
“Imagine how sick and depraved you have to be to call this a children’s book,” wrote Seth Dillon, YAF speaker and founder of the Babylon Bee.
WARNING: This tweet is not appropriate for young audiences. Please click here to remove the blur.
In Dixon, Illinois, home of President Ronald Reagan’s Boyhood Home, YAF successfully partnered with local parents and government officials to remove Gender Queer, which depicts minor children engaged in oral sex, from the public library’s collection.
https://twitter.com/yaf/status/1537139641488482310?s=46&t=EZp4LY7Mt2CCo6vQkqjnKw
“My first reaction upon seeing these graphic sexual images was to be very disturbed that the book was targeting minors,” Dixon Mayor Liandro Arellano Jr., told the New Guard in June.
It’s very disappointing that the efforts of parents and community members who have been fighting for parental oversight and local control will have their victories erased entirely.
“There is a very fine line between book bans and protecting our children. This law makes no distinction between the two and now puts our children at risk of obtaining sexually explicit content that they have no business reading or indulging in as kids,” Jacob Porwisz, who is involved with the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the College of Lake County, told the New Guard.
YAF is committed to continuing to work with parents and community members throughout the state of Illinois in support of their efforts to protect children from obscene content in the classroom and beyond.