Libraries hosting ‘drag-queen story hours' for children could be fined under new bill

Public libraries offering 'age-inappropriate sexual material' targeted by proposal

Drag Queen Story Hour has become a fixture at libraries across the US in recent years (AP)

Public library employees in a US state could face a fine or jail time for providing “age-inappropriate sexual material” under a bill proposed by a local politician.

The bill, known as the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, has drawn criticism by library and freedom-of-speech groups since it was introduced last month by Missouri representative Ben Baker, a Republican.

The bill proposes that libraries create a parental review panel that would evaluate whether content provided by the library is “age-inappropriate sexual material”. The panels would be made up of five residents who are not library employees.

Under the bill, libraries could lose state funding for failing to comply and a library employee who “willfully neglects or refuses to perform any duty” of the legislation could face a misdemeanour charge and, if convicted, be fined up to $500 (£384) and sentenced up to a year in jail.

In a Facebook post, Mr Baker said the bill was aimed at events like the “‘Drag Queen Story Hours’ that have been happening at libraries across our country and in several libraries in our own state”.

In recent years, drag performers have entertained children by reading books at libraries and community centres.

The draft of the Missouri bill does not specifically address drag queen events. Mr Baker said on Facebook that the bill is “also aimed at agenda-driven literary content designed to encourage excessive interest in sexual matters”. He did not cite specific examples in his post.

He noted that if the parental board found content to not be age appropriate for minors, “then it would be removed from access by minors” but not removed from the library.

Politicians in Colorado and Maine have unsuccessfully sought to pass similar bills that would give parents more control over materials in public libraries and schools.

Mr Baker has found support for the bill.

“Baker will only be successful if we all rally behind him and lend our voices — and our votes — to preserving family values,” author and speaker Elizabeth Johnston wrote on her website Activist Mommy.

But library and freedom-of-speech groups have voiced concerns about the proposal.

Cynthia Dudenhoffer, president of the Missouri Library Association, said the group would “always stand against censorship and for the freedom to read”.

The New York Times