HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KNX) - The Huntington Beach City Council will consider a motion Tuesday to restrict access to allegedly obscene books at the city’s public libraries.
The proposal, introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, would call on the City Manager and City Attorney to develop a process for screening books with “obscenity and/or pornography” and making them unavailable to minors.
Van Der Mark claimed that the city’s public libraries are “infecting our children with obscenity or pornography.” While the memo doesn’t cite any specific examples, she told the Epoch Times that she recently found a book at the library called The V Word, an essay collection aimed at teens about women losing their virginity.
She also mentioned Gender Queer, a memoir about gender identity and sexual orientation that has recently been banned in 56 school districts.
In an interview with Voice of OC, Van Der Mark said she didn’t want to ban or remove any books completely, but rather make them inaccessible for children and teens. “We don’t want to violate anyone’s freedom of speech or their right to this material,” she said.
However, in the agenda item submitted to City Council, Van Der Mark cited the Department of Justice website, which says that obscenity is “not protected under the first amendment rights to free speech.” She also recommended that alleged “unprotected obscene and/or pornographic material” be submitted to the City Attorney for legal analysis.
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Huntington Beach’s public libraries have come under fire on social media this month for promoting books and events aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, Voice of OC reports. Van Der Mark herself frequently criticizes the libraries on a Facebook page called Informed Parents of California.
Van Der Mark also recently admonished a teacher at Edison High School for showing a student-produced video about Pride Month during class.
“At no time was the teacher concerned with the students’ visceral reaction as they watched video clips of couples in intimate positions and poses,” she said during public comments at a school board meeting. The video in question briefly depicts two women standing with their foreheads touching.
Councilmember Natalie Moser blasted Van Der Mark’s proposed library restrictions on Twitter, writing, “What kind of society will we leave for our kids? I certainly don’t think book banning is the way forward.”
The Huntington Beach City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday night. If the motion is approved, Van Der Mark called for city staff to craft an ordinance restricting obscene materials by August.
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