State Library Catalog Reveals Graphic Sexual Content, Pro-LGBT Books in Children’s Sections

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Above: a page from the children’s book GayBCs.

Arkansas’ statewide library catalog shows several books containing graphic sexual content are in children’s and young adult sections of libraries around the state.

According to the Arkansas State Library’s digital catalog, Mockingbird, the book Gender Queer is at libraries such as:

  • The Main Library in Little Rock
  • Terry Library in Little Rock
  • Fletcher Library in Little Rock
  • Bentonville Public Library
  • Crowley Ridge Regional Library
  • Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library
  • Fort Smith Public Library
  • Calhoun County Library
  • Garland County Library

Gender Queer is a graphic novel that frequently has been challenged in schools and libraries because it contains illustrations that show explicit sexual acts involving minors.

The catalog also lists the book L8r, g8r — another book that contains explicit content — at the following libraries:

  • Bentonville Public Library
  • Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library
  • Grant County Library
  • Mabel Boswell Memorial Library
  • Malvern Hot Springs Central Library
  • CALS Maumelle Library
  • Arkansas River Valley Regional Library
  • Garland County Library
  • Fort Smith Public Library
  • Tri-County Regional Library System
  • Greenbrier Library

The book It’s Perfectly Normal — a children’s book that includes illustrations of nudity, sex, and homosexuality — was found listed in catalogs for libraries in Conway, Little Rock, and North Little Rock.

Several pro-LGBT children’s books also appeared in library catalogs around the state, including:

  • They, She, He easy as ABC published for children ages 3-7 (Cross County Library)
  • Bye Bye, Binary, a board book for babies and preschoolers (Crawford County Library System)
  • The GayBCs, a picture book for preschoolers and young children (Crowley Ridge Regional Library)

Unfortunately, there has been a growing trend of public libraries in Arkansas placing sexually explicit and pro-LGBT children’s books in their catalogs.

Parents have found graphic sexual material and pro-LGBT books in children’s sections at public libraries across Arkansas.

Communities can take steps to remove objectionable material from their local libraries.

Library boards and librarians have leeway to establish selection criteria and make decisions about the kinds of material available on the library’s shelves.

Library patrons generally can use a Material Reconsideration Form to ask libraries to remove inappropriate material.

And voters can call on their elected officials to enact laws protecting children from objectionable material in public libraries.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Rogers Public Library Declines to Remove Sexual Content From Children’s Section Despite Objections

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Last week Family Council wrote about sexual material and pro-LGBT books in the children’s section of the Rogers Public Library.

Family Council has obtained a copy of a letter from the Rogers Public Library rejecting a patron’s request to remove one of the books — Sex Is A Funny Word — from the library.

As we have written before, library patrons typically can use a Material Reconsideration Form to ask a library to remove inappropriate material from circulation.

According to the rejection letter, the patron asked the Rogers Public Library to remove Sex Is A Funny Word because the book promotes gender dysphoria and child sexuality — particularly masturbation.

The letter notes that the library opted to keep the book, because it “is a uniquely inclusive and diverse resource on the topic of sex education.”

Below is a copy of the library’s letter opting to keep the book.

According to the American Library Association, Sex Is A Funny Word was frequently challenged at libraries nationwide in 2017 and 2019 because of its LGBT content and sexual material and because of concerns that the book would lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”

Libraries don’t have to put books like this one in the middle of their children’s sections.

There is only so much shelf space available in a library. That’s part of the reason why library boards and librarians have leeway to establish selection criteria and make decisions about the kinds of material available in a library.

With that in mind, it would be entirely appropriate for a library to remove a book like Sex Is A Funny Word from circulation — or at least separate it from other children’s books.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Children’s Books at Rogers Public Library Contain Pro-LGBT Material, Sexual Content

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The Rogers Public Library’s catalog includes children’s books that are overtly pro-LGBT and contain sexual content.

Picture books and board books like ‘Twas the Night Before PRIDE, What Are Your Words?, and Bye Bye Binary promote transgender ideology to preschoolers and young children.

The library’s online catalog indicates that these books are available among other children’s picture books at the Rogers Public Library.

The children’s section also hosts the book Sex Is A Funny Word by Cory Silverberg. The library describes Sex Is A Funny Word as, “A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities, Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers. Much more than the ‘facts of life’ or ‘the birds and the bees,’ Sex Is a Funny Word opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their values and beliefs while providing information about boundaries, safety, and joy. . . . Sex Is a Funny Word reimagines ‘sex talk’ for the twenty-first century.”

The library catalog also includes titles such as Making A Baby — a book written with help from LGBT leaders that “covers sex, sperm and egg donation, IUI, IVF, surrogacy and adoption” — and When Aidan Became A Brother — a book about a little girl who decides to become a boy.

These books are intended for children as young as five years old.

Sex education material and pro-LGBT picture books don’t belong on the same shelves as Goodnight Moon. Families should be able to take their children to the library without worrying about what their kids might accidentally find in the children’s section.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.

Parents have found graphic sexual material and pro-LGBT books in children’s sections at public libraries across Arkansas.

So what can families do if they find pro-LGBT children’s books in their libraries?

Communities can take steps to remove objectionable material from their local libraries.

Library boards and librarians have leeway to establish selection criteria and make decisions about the kinds of material available on the library’s shelves.

Library patrons generally can use a Material Reconsideration Form to ask libraries to remove inappropriate material.

And voters can call on their elected officials to enact laws protecting children from objectionable material in public libraries.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE