Grassroots children’s advocacy group Moms for Liberty was profiled by CBS for their efforts to remove books with objectionable and even pornographic references and imagery from kids’ libraries.
But the network is being criticized for failing to show exactly what it is about the books that has the organization up in arms. The outlet did not shy away from saying the group wanted to keep certain materials away from children, but it failed to explain why.
As Moms for Liberty tweeted afterwards, “Looks like they are the ones banning the truth of what is actually being fought about in public schools.”
Perhaps it couldn’t. There are laws and regulations covering what may be shown on network television, and displaying certain images would bring trouble to CBS.
But this begs the obvious question. If materials are too graphic to be shown on network television, do they really belong in children’s libraries? Remember, Moms for Liberty is not advocating book banning, merely stating the obvious facts that some items are not appropriate for kids.
A medical professional was allowed to speak to children in a TX public school about “gender affirming care” without parental knowledge or consent.
Parents: you need to ask who has access to your children while they are at school.
Do not assume that it is only school staff. https://t.co/IOprNCXxGY
— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) April 25, 2023
It is hardly a novel idea that certain movies, songs, and books are not suitable for children. Movies and songs have long had a ratings system, and there are certainly books that target more mature readers.
Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, co-founders of Moms for Liberty, told CBS’s Martha Teichner that they simply do not want kids exposed to pornography.
They declared that the group set the bar “really, really low.” When asked which books do not belong in school libraries, the moms stated those that include incest and pedophilia. That’s setting the bar quite low.
But it was CBS conducting the interview, so of course the piece had to gloss over the actual offensive content. As a response, the Brooklyn Public Library’s president and CEO Linda Johnson and former teacher Summer Boismier were brought onto the program.
Boismier, responding to the efforts by Moms for Liberty, said she was “incensed” and “livid.” She added that “identities are not obscenities. Stories are not pornography. They are possibility.”
Johnson described an effort by the library called “Books Unbanned.” It targets people as young as 13 to work around successful efforts to keep inappropriate materials out of the hands of children.
As she explained, “If you’re between the ages of 13 and 21, and you can’t find the material that you want to read on the shelves of your school or your public library, send us an email.
The Brooklyn library will then send a digital card with access to the book in their digital collection. She did not mention parents in her explanation.
