Alabama lawmakers advance bill that could lead to prosecution of librarians

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted for providing “harmful” materials or programs to minors. The Alabama bill removes the existing exemption for public libraries in the state’s obscenity law. It also expands the definition of prohibited sexual conduct to include any “sexual or gender oriented conduct” at K-12 public schools or public libraries. Opponents argued that proposal would threaten librarians with criminal prosecution at the whims of community members who disagreed with their decisions on books and programs. The legislation comes amid a soaring number of book challenges _ often centered on LGBTQ content _ and efforts in a number of states to ban drag queen story readings.