Religious activists seek to censor library books in Texas. (AU Bulletin).A popular children's sex-education book may soon be banned from Houston-area libraries. In August, officials in Montgomery County, Texas Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. The county was named for the town of Montgomery, Texas, at the time the largest community in the county, which in turn was named for Andrew , voted to ban It's Perfectly Normal, a best-selling children's book about human sexuality This article is about human sexual perceptions. For information about sexual activities and practices, see Human sexual behavior. Generally speaking, human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. that has been translated into 17 languages for youngsters around the world, out of concerns that the book condones homosexuality. About a dozen Christian activists appeared at the Aug. 26 meeting of the Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to:
"It's not sex education," Frances Brown, one of the activists, told the library officials. "It's pornography. It's horrible." Commissioners were easily persuaded by the complaints and agreed unanimously to ban the book. One official, County Judge Alan Sadler, promised to "do everything in our power to ensure the book is taken out of the library immediately." He added that he was troubled by the book's approach to sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. , complaining that the book "tries to minimize or even negate that homosexuality is a problem." The final decision is subject to an official review of a committee made up of local librarians and members of a citizen book-selection panel. The book has been kept in the library's "young adult" section, and was approved for library use after receiving the 1994 "book of the year" award by the School Library Journal. The Houston-area controversy is actually one of many fights over It's Perfectly Normal, which the American Library Association American Library Association, founded 1876, organization whose purpose is to increase the usefulness of books through the improvement and extension of library services. lists as one of the most challenged books in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. since 1990. |
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