Some misinformation has since stemmed from the proposed legislation and has taken a violent turn, according to the legislators.
HARTFORD, Conn. — As two Connecticut senators propose state legislation aimed to prevent censorship in school and public libraries, they are also working to dispel “misinformation” and address violent threats received as a result.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton) introduced Senate Bill 523, “Don’t Ban Library Books Act,” to the Connecticut General Assembly over a week ago. If passed, it would require libraries to have a system in place to vet individual complaints about a book before taking action, as well as provide legal protection to librarians and library staff for doing their job.
“What we are doing is allowing librarians who are trained as professionals to make decisions about the books to have in their libraries and also to have reconsideration plans for books in their libraries,” Maher said.
“It does not prevent a parent from monitoring and having the final say on the books their children read,” Duff said. “It does not prevent libraries from removing books from shelves as long as the proper procedure is followed.”
Some misinformation has since stemmed from the proposed legislation and has taken a violent turn, according to the legislators. A social media account called “Libs of TikTok” has claimed the bill would allow kids to access pornography.
Duff and Maher said their offices have been inundated with people on the phone and online threatening them for proposing the bill.
“There has been even been death threats, and such antics are an anathema to our democracy and to the purpose of this bill,” Duff said.
One of the voicemails Duff’s office received suggested that a physical attack on him “would be perfect.” Duff said police are investigating the threats that were made.
There were over 100 book challenges in 2023, according to Ellen Paul, the executive director of the Connecticut Library Consortium, which oversees around 1,000 libraries in the state. Most of the complaints were about “books with words, ideas or themes that make some people uncomfortable,” according to Paul. She argues that book bans would censor one’s access to information.
“It is never the librarian’s job to dictate what people read. Only to ensure equitable access to information for all.” Paul said. “It would be noble to suggest that librarians challenge censorship because the free flow of information is the bedrock of our democracy. But most librarians just want to hand the right book to the right child at the right time.”
“We do know that there are diverse views, diverse ways of looking at the world, diverse ways of being in the world, and every child, every adult needs the opportunity to see themselves in books, and that is why we are here,” Maher said.
Melissa Combs is a mom to two teens in public schools. She spoke of her daughter, who was inspired by her life-long love of reading to become a published author and soon head to college to pursue filmmaking and writing.
“I had every confidence that the materials available to her in both her school media center and her public library were appropriate,” Combs said. “I trust librarians. And that trust, that access to books and other library materials and programs made my daughter who she is today.”
The bill was referred to the Joint Committee on Judiciary.
FOX61 has reached out to the state Senate Minority Leader for comment.
Leah Myers is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at [email protected]
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
Apple App Store: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
This post was originally published on here
