As the new school year begins, Missouri has a new law in place that bans schools from having books with images depicting sexual acts. Educators who violate the law could face up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
The law defines explicit sexual material as things like "deviate sexual intercourse," "direct physical stimulation of genitals" or showing human genitals. Some exceptions for sex education, biology and art are allowed.
State Senator Rick Brattin, who pushed the legislation this year, originally wanted to ban written sexual descriptions as well. The Associated Press reports that he got the legislation through by tacking it on as an amendment to another bill that sought to protect the rights of sexual assault victims.
Opponents of the law said the law would have led to banning a list of books that are currently popular in school libraries. One example of a book Brattin cited as being inappropriate is "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic," a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel about her relationship with her father which has drawn images of some sex acts.
Other critics of the law see it as a slippery slope that could lead to more books being banned.
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