We heard from a number of legislators during the session that there is a process in place for parents to object to materials in school libraries and that the process works.
This is why only three — THREE — voted in support of an effort by Rep. Sandy Salmon to address the issue when it came to the floor of the Iowa House. Those three were Salmon, Rep. Mark Cisneros and Rep. Jeff Shipley.
The other 97 — including 57 Republicans — voted against those efforts, instead believing the current process works or there is some other way to approach the issue.
That “other way” was never passed and signed into law. The status quo remains, as do the pornographic materials in school libraries.
So Republican legislators who believe the current process works are wrong.
Keep in mind the Board of Education is made up of members appointed by the Governor. That means this board of education, the same board that refused the appeal over keeping “Gender Queer” in a ninth-grade school library, is made up of members appointed by Republican governors Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds.
Nearly one year after finding out “Gender Queer” is in Iowa school libraries, it remains. Keep in mind “Gender Queer” contains adult sexual content according to Google and violates Facebook’s community standards on sexual activity.
But the book is just fine for putting on the shelf in school libraries across Iowa.
Instead of trying to wiggle off the hook of taking a side in the “cultural battle” over these books, perhaps we’d benefit from 51 Republicans in the Iowa House who are just simply willing to do the right thing.
The right thing is certainly not allowing “Gender Queer” to be shelved in school libraries.
