I made a censorship hit list! In this month’s American Libraries Journal in their "Censorship Watch" section, the main story is called "Sex Manuals Arouse Anger." In it, they describe a meeting by 75 angry Delaware County (PA) residents who want the library’s seven (seven!) sex books removed from the shelves.
"The controversy began in late 2003 when Whoriskey went to the library in search of a book about the Aitkins diet. Discovering several books on sexuality in the browsing section next to the Aitkins-related title, he borrowed *Violet Blue’s Ultimate Guide to Fellatio* and returned the next day to check out six others. He showed them to Delaware County Council members, state legislators representing the area, and Kathy Coll of the Delaware County Pro-Life Coalition, explaining in the January 8 Delaware County Times that the books are ‘all pornographic and there is no way they should be in a public library with my tax dollars.’"
I guess because only people who can afford to buy books should be able to learn about sex outside of tax-dollar-funded "abstinence education." Thankfully, at the end of the piece: "However, the board of the Marple Public Library voted unanimously on January 29 to retain the books."
Thanks to one of the Berman sisters for passing the article along.
