Opinion: Arresting Parents for Reading Sex-Ed Books to Their Children? Arresting Librarians? WTF?
I came across this interesting document that Priscilla Bence (local pro-censorship activist) had shared with Alison Couch (District 4 Commissioner), and subsequently, Dr. Sandra Carraway (Columbia County Library Advisory Board Chair). In the document dated July 30, 2024, Mrs. Bence was advocating for removing all of the books from the YA room and replacing it with the new Middle Ground section. That wasn’t too shocking as Mrs. Bence has been regularly attacking the Young Adult/Teen Room, as detailed in a quasi-report that she wrote in March 2024. (That report is attached below.) What was interesting in the first document above was at the bottom, it mentioned it was copying the Columbia County District Attorney, Bobby Christine. I immediately thought, “WTF? Why in the world is she including the DA in her communications about books in our local public library?” I submitted an Open Records Request with the DA Office to see what exactly is going on with that. Nothing came back as far as emails and/or letters, so perhaps she thought better of bothering the local DA with her nonsense or maybe she handed him this letter unofficially and he blew it off. No idea, other than she said she was copying in the DA but the DA’s office has no record of communication.
However, someone also told me at about the same time that Joe Edlemon, the Chair of the Columbia County Republican Party had mentioned something at a recent Republican Breakfast that he talked to Sheriff Whittle about people being arrested for reading books to their children that are at the library. So, I reviewed the video and I had a friend cut it down to just where he mentions that.
You can review the full video on the Columbia County Republican Party Facebook page though if you would like (it’s towards the end). Joe Edlemon said:
....children could open it up and see - just grotesque things. Things we would never... Things that you would be arrested for, literally and I had that conversation with the Sheriff OK? Sheriff Whittle. You would be arrested if you read that stuff to a child but yet, for some reason, that material was allowed in our libraries. Purchased and allowed in our libraries, in the hands of our children, in the children's section.
Keep in mind that none of the materials in any of the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System meets the legal definition of obscenity. None. So, I reached out to Sheriff Whittle providing the above quote, and asked to verify if this conversation occurred and for an official response to the following question, “I would like to know if Sheriff Whittle intends to begin arresting parents in Columbia County for books that they check out at the public library for their children, such as books covering topics like sex-education, as that seems to be what Mr. Edlemon is implying?” Sheriff Whittle responded, “Ms. Parham, Joe Edlemon and I have had a conversation referencing obscene material being read or shared with a child that violates state law. Nothing in our conversation referenced a parent speaking to their child.” It seems that Joe Edlemon misrepresented his conversation with our local Sheriff. Color me shocked. He’s also greatly misrepresenting the literature and books available at the library.
Did I think before I dug into this that the DA and the Sheriff were actually going to start arresting people over materials at the library? No. I would hope that our DA and Sheriff have bigger things to contend with in our community, like arresting and prosecuting actual child predators, than worrying about which sex-ed book(s) a parent chooses or if a teenager reads a book with a sex scene. However, it’s important to realize the rhetoric, what is being advocated for, and the misrepresentations that are being used for political talking points. It’s dangerous to make these kinds of misrepresentations. Chairman Edlemon can find materials personally offensive and feel or say that those materials meets his personal definition of “pornography” but I feel like he starts crossing a dangerous line when he begins to bring law enforcement into the discussion and then further conflates his personal definitions based on his own views with legal definitions.
Joe Edlemon is also heard in that video encouraging members to contact Georgia State Senator Anderson (District 24) to revive a bill that would criminalize librarians (SB 154). Similar legislation has been introduced in different States. Arkansas actually passed their legislation which criminalizes librarians, and was struck down by the courts. Feel free to reach out to District 24 Senator Anderson and let him know there are other issues you would prefer him to spend his time on rather than demonizing literature and librarians.
Wow, I am dumbfounded by the ignorance, misrepresentation and vitriol within Priscilla Bence's letter. It's as if the library board is allowing her to dictate library policies and procedures. She seems to be influencing the board quite a bit and I'm personally disgusted. It is evident that her primary goal is to prevent children/teens from reading any books that may have so much as an LGBTQ+ character. Her supposition that these books are promoting the superiority of "the gay lifestyle" is preposterous. I don't care what her religious and personal beliefs are - because they are hers, but she doesn't have the right to determine what is ok under my family's religious and personal beliefs. I'm also disturbed by the comment regarding the dismissal of a board member simply because they refused to participate in efforts to restrict books. The board should represent a variety of it's patrons and it seems to represent a small number of like-minded anti-LGBTQ, anti-Science folks.
So, in addition to what we already knew - that they were lying about the intended purpose of their unconstitutional "Guidelines" - there is now evidence that they are lying about communications with law enforcement officials. Likely as a scare tactic to get others to jump on the bandwagon before they know where it is headed. Despicable.