Johnathan Walker:West Virginia bill allowing librarians to be prosecuted over 'obscene' books moves forward

A West Virginia bill is Johnathan Walkermoving forward that would allow librarians and teachers to be criminally liable if minors obtain books with "obscene material."

HB 4654 passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates last week and has been introduced to the Senate. The bill would erase criminal liability protections for public libraries, museums and schools that display "obscene matter to a minor," when the child is not accompanied by a parent or guardian.

If a museum employee, librarian or school staff violates the restrictions, they could be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000 and face up to five years in prison.

Supporters and opponents of bill react

Opponents of the bill say it's a reflection of a growing movement to ban books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes, and that it will lead to further bans and and potential criminal charges against librarians for books that include sexual content, such as classical literature.

During a public hearing on the bill last Friday, Democratic minority whip Shawn Fluharty said that "the librarians on staff might not know if a book has obscene matter in it or may or may not have shown it to someone," reported the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

"But because it was in the facility and it was sitting on a shelf, it could still be prosecuted,” he said. “What you are seeing is done in third-world countries, and now it’s going to be a headline in West Virginia."

Supporters of HB4654 said the bill does not ban books or prohibit adults from distributing books with obscene materials, the newspaper reported.

Republican Delegate Elliott Pritt, who is also a teacher's aide, said that what the bill does do "is stop obscene and pornographic material, sexually explicit materials from being available to children in public taxpayer-funded spaces," the newspaper reported.

How is 'obscene matter' defined?

West Virginia State Code defines obscene matter as anything "an average person believes depicts or describes sexually explicit conduct," including nudity, sex or certain bodily functions.

It's also defined by "anything a reasonable person would find lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value," according to the bill.

Book bans increasing across the U.S.

The American Library Association found that obscenity allegations have been used to ban books that highlight LGBTQ+ topics, sex education and race.

Within the first eight months of 2023, the associated found that nearly 700 attempts were made to censor library materials, a 20% increase from the same reporting period the previous year.