蜜桃影视

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

The Louisiana Senate approved a proposal Monday that would limit children鈥檚 access to library material. The vote took place without any lawmakers voicing opposition to what up until now has been a controversial proposal.

, by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, would require libraries to create a card system so parents could prevent their children from checking out books deemed inappropriate. Libraries would also have to adopt policy language to limit minors鈥� access to material that describes 鈥渟exual conduct,鈥� which the bill defines in five ensuing paragraphs.

Attorney General Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Republican Party-endorsed candidate for governor, supports Cloud鈥檚 bill. It鈥檚 a response to ongoing fights in parish library systems where conservative activists have sought to restrict children鈥檚 access to certain materials 鈥� and in some cases remove them from shelves altogether. Most of the titles targeted .

The bill advanced on a party-line 27-11 vote, but none of the 11 Democrats against the bill raised concerns with the bill when given the opportunity.

While limited debate in the Senate is not unusual 鈥� the House is considered the more contentious chamber 鈥� critics are concerned that no senators spoke out against it.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of shocking,鈥� Peyton Rose Michelle, executive director of Louisiana Trans Advocates, said in an interview. Michelle has been at the forefront of the library issue, raising concerns about the unintended consequences for young LGBTQ+ readers.

鈥淔or them to not object is really disappointing,鈥� Michelle said. 鈥淚 was expecting literally any dissent.鈥�

The bill will next be heard in a House Committee.

A similar bill, , sponsored by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carenco, also supported by Landry, has not yet been heard in committee. It鈥檚 pending approval by the House Municipal Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committee, which last week killed that would鈥檝e allowed members of parish library boards to be fired without cause.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: [email protected]. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on and .

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 蜜桃影视鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.