Publishers Sue Idaho Over Ban On LGBTQ Books

February 5, 2025 Christianists, Republicans

The Associated Press reports:

Several large book publishers, a tiny public library and others are suing Idaho officials over a law that forces libraries to keep some books in an adults-only section if community members believe they are “harmful to minors.” The Donnelly Library, Penguin Random House and the others suing say the law is overly vague and violates the First Amendment rights of students, librarians and other residents by forcing libraries to sequester literary classics like “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “A Clockwork Orange.”

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador [photo], who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. The law relies on Idaho’s legal definition of obscene materials, which includes “any act of homosexuality.” At the time, the Idaho Library Association warned that the law was vague and subjective, and said it would likely lead to significantly limited access to information for the public. In fact, that’s exactly what happened, according to the lawsuit.

Read the full article.

Labrador, who helped found the House Freedom Caucus, first appeared here in 2015 when as a House rep he authored the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act,” which would have allowed business owners to refuse to serve LGBTQ customers.

In 2017, we heard from him when he declared that “nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care.”

Labrador is a Mormon who served his mandatory two-year mission in Chile. He left Congress in 2018 for a failed run for Idaho governor.



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