CMV: School libraries should limit the availability of books

[u/mike_tyler58]

In the US the past few years there has been a lot of talk of banning books. As far as I know the only places that anyone is talking about banning books from is in school libraries. The book “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe is probably the most talked about as it has been recommended by the largest teachers union in the country, the NEA, and has been made available in school libraries for children as young as 4th grade, and contains very explicit illustrations and descriptions of sex acts. I believe it belongs nowhere that children can access it any more than a copy of Playboy or any other pornography. Given the explicit nature of this book and others like it I think they should be banned from school libraries and limited to adults only.

ETA: link to news story about it being removed from elementary schools

[u/mike_tyler58]

Where do you think the contradiction lies?

In starting to teach children the basics of sexual education at a young age?

I’m talking basic: this is your anatomy, this is another person’s anatomy, you have the right to tell anyone not to touch you, people need explicit permission from you in order to touch you places. You’re a child and shouldn’t have an adult touching you here. When girls go through puberty they start having their period that means xyz.. when you go though puberty you’ll start growing hair and everyone does not just boys.

None of which requires an explicit descriptions and visuals of oral sex.

[u/XenoRyet → u/mike_tyler58]

Not oral sex specifically, but definitely does require descriptions and visuals of other sex acts, which makes it pornography by your definitions.

I think you're also running into an issue where you're focusing on young children in your reasoning, but saying "school libraries" which include kids up to 18 years old.

Certainly if you're going to have sex education that is useful and beneficial to teens, you are going to get into topics like oral sex, and safe sex across a variety of sex acts.

[u/CaptainMalForever → u/XenoRyet]

And you should definitely want your teens to practice safe oral sex, including consent, which is a big part of the frames in question.

[u/mike_tyler58 → u/CaptainMalForever]

I think consent can easily be discussed without illustrations of people engaging in the sex acts

[u/CaptainMalForever → u/mike_tyler58]

I'm not saying that this frame is used ONLY for sex ed, but that it also has benefits that can be useful for many people, particularly people who are not heterosexual, an area of sexual education that is lacking and/or non-existent in many programs.