The Alabama Public Library Service Board heard heated testimony Tuesday over a proposed rule that would ban books “positively depicting transgender ideology” from sections for readers under 18. The three-hour hearing in Montgomery marked the end of the public comment period before a final vote expected next month.
The rule would expand an existing policy that already requires youth sections to be free of material “deemed inappropriate for children.” It would add any content that “positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders.”
Board Chairman John Wahl, who also chairs the Alabama Republican Party, said the intent is to “ensure age-appropriate content” and to give “parents confidence” in what their children can access. Opponents, including librarians and LGBTQ+ advocates, argued the proposal is discriminatory and infringes on free expression. “These changes do not protect children — they police ideas,” said Matthew Layne, past president of the Alabama Library Association.
If adopted, noncompliant libraries could lose state funding. Similar measures in GOP-led states have faced national criticism. PEN America’s Kasey Meehan said such policies “feed on ignorance and fear-mongering against queer and trans people.”
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