A fairly routine Senate Judiciary Committee hearing turned R-rated on Tuesday — when Sen. John Kennedy read from a sexually graphic children’s book to spur a growing call from parents to have age-appropriate literature in schools and libraries.
The 71-year-old Republican from Louisiana read excerpts from LGBTQ young adult books, including “All Men Are Not Blue” and “Gender Queer,” and grilled witnesses who have pushed back against state laws and initiatives to prevent parents from speaking out in what could accessible to their children.
“I put some lube on and got him on his knees. And I started sliding into him from behind,” Kennedy read from “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” an upcoming book for young adults with a queer black protagonist.
“He asked me to turn around while he put the condom on himself.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) shocked sensibilities during Tuesday’s hearing with a sexually graphic reading of a book written for children.
Kennedy, 71, read excerpts from LGBTQ young adult books including “All Men Are Not Blue” and “Gender Queer” and grilled witnesses such as Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Gainnoulias.
The NSFW reading was made during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Book Banning: Examining How Censorship Limits Freedom and Literature,” which discussed efforts to define what books should be available to the public.
“I want to try to understand what you are asking us to do. Let’s take two books that have been talked about a lot,” Kennedy told Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who earlier this year supported a bill to withhold state funding from libraries that don’t follow American Library Association guidelines.
The guidelines do not mention explicit sexual content and say books “may not be banned or removed because of partisan or doctrinal objections.” The Illinois bill, which was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in June, also does not address potentially obscene material.
“I put some lube on and got him on his knees. And I started sliding into him from behind,” Kennedy read from “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” a coming-of-age book for young adults.
Kennedy went on to read an excerpt from “Gender Queer,” a 2019 graphic novel about gender identity written for teenagers that has been pulled from the shelves in some public school libraries.
“I got a new belt today. I can’t wait to wear it,” she read in part.
“Mr. Secretary, what are you asking us to do? Are you suggesting that only librarians should decide whether the two books I referred to earlier should be available to children?” Kennedy asked Giannoulias.
“With all due respect, Senator, the words you spoke are disturbing,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.ZUMAPRESS.com
“With all due respect, Senator, the words you spoke are disturbing, especially coming out of your mouth, they are very disturbing,” Giannoulias responded. “But I will also tell you that we do not encourage children to read pornography.
“We support parents, random parents, to not have the ability under the guise of making sure kids are safe to try and challenge the world view in every way on this issue,” Giannoulias said.
“When individual parents are allowed to decide where the line is and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ which involves a rape scene, should that book be removed from our libraries? I think it’s a slippery slope.”
“This school district is acting in response to a legitimate parent’s concern. They should have removed this,” said Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah).Ron Sachs – CNP
Kennedy agreed with the witness that “censorship is bad” but said the books he read were subject to different scrutiny.
“You heard the book we talked about. We’re not talking about ‘Catcher in the Rye,’” the Louisiana Republican said. “So tell me what you want, who gets to decide? And all I heard was a librarian. And parents have nothing to do with it. And if that’s your answer, what planet did you just parachute from?”
Giannoulias responded: “Senator, with all due respect, the parents really spoke up. My parents are immigrants, came to this country. We never check out a book without our parents seeing the book being read. They encourage us to read books.”
“Every student deserves access to books that reflect their experiences and help them better understand who they are,” said Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).REUTERS
Members on both sides of the aisle agree that some books contain too graphic sexual passages for young readers but fail to specify what powers either the state or parents should be able to use in response.
“This school district is acting in response to legitimate parental concerns. They should have removed this,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). “Shame on them if they don’t do that and shame on those who want to nurture children sexually.”
Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) countered that the witness did not “advocate that sexually explicit content be available in elementary school libraries or in [the] children’s section of the library.”
“That’s a distraction from the real challenge,” he said. “I understand and respect that parents may choose to limit what their children read, especially at a younger age. My wife and I do. So do other people. But parents should not have the right to tell other parents’ children what they can and cannot read at school or at home. Every student deserves access to books that reflect their experiences and help them better understand who they are.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
