Connecticut Republicans passionately defended their ability to ban books and censor public libraries during a Thursday hearing of the legislature’s Committee on Children.
The committee heard public testimony on several bills during its afternoon hearing, including legislation to require school and public libraries to develop policies to review the books they offer in the event those materials are challenged.
Several Republican legislators worried these review policies would impede efforts by right wing activists to ban books at school and local libraries if they decide the material is objectionable.
“We should be the final-sayers in that,” Rep. Brian Lanoue, R-Griswold, said, “and if there’s a book so egregious that we decide as a community, a local community, we don’t want to have that, we think that’s unacceptable, what I just described, would be unacceptable in our schools.”
Lanoue’s declaration came during the testimony of Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, who offered support for the legislation and defended local libraries.
“School libraries do not and never will carry X-rated material,” Duff said. “Book banning endangers tolerance, weakens our democracy and paves the way for greater censorship. Classic books that are part of America’s heritage have been banned.”
Duff pointed to several books that have been banned by right wing activists including Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Books that have often been challenged involve African American history, LGBTQ issues, and racism, he said.
The bill includes protections for librarians, who have recently endured harassment by activists seeking to impose their own opinions on which books should be offered. Duff encouraged residents and legislators to defer to the decisions of library staff, who have been trained to curate book offerings.
Some Republican legislators rejected the argument.
“I don’t know that a librarian’s school degree or the fact that they’re trained makes them qualified to decide what’s right or wrong for my child to see,” Rep. Anne Dauphinais, R-Killingly, said.
Librarians have reported an increase in charged encounters with activists seeking to dictate which books can be made available at libraries. During Thursday’s hearing, Scott Charles Jarzombek, president of the Connecticut Library Association, described a variety of concerning behavior directed at library staff including threats of physical violence.
Jarzombek appealed to legislators to support the bill.
“Allow librarians to do their jobs without the harassment they’re currently facing, allow parents to voice their concern and have a clear process where we can all act like adults,” Jarzombek said. “The kids are watching, we are setting an example, let’s set the right one.”
As he answered questions from Republicans opposed to the bill, Duff noted that children seeking to access pornography would have an easier time using a cell phone or any device with an Internet connection, rather than curated public libraries that do not carry pornography.
Duff suggested residents seeking to help children should pursue more productive avenues than banning books in libraries.
“Let’s really help children. Let’s make sure that they’re successful, let’s make sure that they’re housed and fed,” Duff said. “Let’s make sure that we close the achievement gap and we get the right kind of funding to our schools. That’s how we help children.”
