Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She’s the editor/author of (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.
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Baggett was also behind a scheme that accused public school librarians of engaging in felony behavior. Baggett and Moms for Liberty member Tom Gurski took a copy of Storm and Fury to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, alleging that the librarian was distributing pornography. When asked how they got their hands on the book, it came out that Baggett had one of her students borrow the book. Judd Legum’s reporting at Popular Information offers how dark and manipulative this story was.
Now, Baggett has turned her attention to the Escambia County Public Library.
Baggett claims several local parents approached her about inappropriate books in the kid’s section of the public library. Among the titles are perennially popular targets from Moms For Liberty, including It’s Perfectly Normal, a developmentally-appropriate puberty and sexual education book for tweens and teens. The other book cited as inappropriate was You Know, Sex, a book written for those ages 10-12.
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As is her approach, Baggett immediately called the county commissioners over the children’s books and the library director. Her explanation was that those books were in a section labeled for readers 7-12, meaning that the two books, published for those age 9-12, were in the wrong spot.
Per WEAR, the books were relocated from the juvenile section and placed in the adult collection. A county spokesperson said the decision came because it was determined the books were not appropriate for the juvenile section. This is, of course, despite the fact both of those books were shelved in their exact appropriate place.
Once again it bears repeating: not only is this serial book banner continuing her efforts beyond the scope of what she and fellow censors claim is “just at the schools” into the public library. This is not the first nor the last time this will happen as we continue to weather the unrelenting attacks on the First Amendment rights of all. Furthermore, this story begs a lot of questions: who made the decision to label those juvenile books as inappropriate for juveniles in the public library? Why are those who made this decision bowing to pressure from a single individual with a very long track record not only of book banning but of deception and inappropriate behavior toward young people herself? The public library not paying attention to what’s happening at the school library is deeply concerning here,