Alberta’s education minister says school libraries must pull explicit, sexual content from their shelves starting Oct. 1.
Demetrios Nicolaides says the province’s new standards aren’t about banning books but ensuring kids aren’t exposed to the wrong material for their age.
The government has issued a list of specific sex acts that cannot be explicitly described in library books.
It considers mentions of kissing, hugging or hand-holding as not sexual in nature and not part of the ban.
Religious texts, such as the Bible, are also exempt.
School boards must review library materials, supervise students’ access, and report to the government, but there will be no additional funding to help them.
Demetrios Nicolaides announced in May that Alberta would be setting new standards for the books.
He said the review came after his ministry became aware of four coming-of-age graphic novels in school libraries in Edmonton and Calgary.
Nicolaides said each of the books contained inappropriate content, including graphic sexual material as well as depictions of molestation, drug and alcohol use.
A government survey on the topic launched after Nicolaides’s announcement found that the majority of respondents across demographics didn’t support the government setting new standards for library books.
Critics have said the government seems more concerned about engaging in culture-war politics than student well-being, noting that each of the books Nicolaides said he was looking to take off shelves dealt with 2SLGBTQ+ subject matter.
More to come
