SE Illinois News

State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is warning about the state’s recently passed law that requires local libraries to adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights before they can receive state grants.

The law was enacted after parents in Illinois and other states protested what they see as pornography in school libraries and classroom reading lists. 

"This measure encroaches on parents' rights," Niemerg told Center Square. "In my mind, it's parents that have an obligation to raise their children, not the public education system, not the government. This legislation effectively makes it impossible for local library boards to block pornographic material from their shelves. It strips away local control of libraries and continues the war on families in Illinois. Supporters of this new law are deliberately misrepresenting the views of legislators like me who support the rights of parents. No one suggests we take 'The Catcher in the Rye' off shelves." 

The bill prohibits the removal of materials from library shelves based on partisan or personal reasons and aims to ensure access to controversial content. 

Niemerg expressed concerns about the measure encroaching on parents' rights and the potential lack of safeguards to protect children from explicit material. He also criticized the lack of provisions to shield children from potentially graphic books, asserting that the law removes local control and undermines families in Illinois. The law stipulates that libraries failing to comply will lose access to state funding starting next year.

Machesney Park-based Harlem School District 122 Board of Education removed "Gender Queer" along with other titles in mid 2022. "Gender Queer" in particular has drawn criticism for its vivid depictions of sexual scenes. Parents around the nation have attacked the book as being overly sexual and unsuitable for youngsters. "It’s porn," Lynette Hofman said, according to WIFR. "We're talking incest, molestation and pedophilia."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has leaned into the fight calling those who would remove controversial books, even from elementary school libraries, as “demagogues who are pushing censorship." 

“It’s an ideological battle by the right-wing, hiding behind a claim that they would protect our children — but whose real intention is to marginalize people and ideas they don’t like,” Pritzker said.  “This has been done in the past, and it doesn’t stop with just snuffing out ideas.”