Let us come straight to the point. Free speech purists — and generally, I am one — can make the counter case if they wish but there is no good argument in favour of populating the shelves of Alberta school libraries with pornographic comic books aimed at children. (And, there are certainly better things upon which to exhaust one's energies than arguing the merits of a child's access to pornography in schools.)Two reasons to be angry.First, thanks to the magic of the internet, this sort of filth can be found readily enough by those who want it. And filth it is, by the way. In the days when pornography came in glossy magazines sold at corner stores, this is what they kept behind the counter precisely so that children couldn't see it. Now all they have to do is head down the corridor to the school library. To see the examples provided by the Government of Alberta, visit the article written by my friend and colleague Jen Hodgson (below) where an embedded link will take you to the government site..UPDATED: Alberta government launches initiative to ban pornographic books from school libraries.Second, implicit in the placement of any book within a school library is that after careful bureaucratic consideration, it has been reviewed and found suitable for young people. Not necessarily endorsed... libraries should provide alternative points of view. One hopes that in Alberta, they do.But the general parental expectation is that if it's in the school library, it ought to be ok.Clearly however, it isn't in these cases. A trust has been breached..Objections please?One: 'Most of the examples the government provides at their link are queer/trans. So, anybody who doesn't like it must be anti-gay or at the very least, insensitive to the feelings of troubled youth.'Predictable rubbish, although we're bound to hear plenty of it. While the examples shown by the government are indeed mostly gay-centred, it would be equally offensive to have graphic comic-book portrayals of children having 'straight' sex. Parents have a right to be scandalized at any portrayal of oral sex that a ten-year-old can get their hands on, regardless of who is servicing whom, and how. And by the way, many gay people are horrified that other gay people try to reach out to children. Don't even try that line of argument.Two: 'This is the world children live in, one where pedophilia exists (yes, images suggesting pedophilia are part of this discussion) and children are exposed to sex as a recreation at an earlier age than ever before.Sadly, both true. But if they are to be exposed to sex as a recreation, let it not be with the implied blessing of their librarians, or teachers they are invited to trust..Not surprisingly, some of the limited prose is mockingly irreligious. Free speech? Of course. Nobody is suggesting banning these books. But the Government of Alberta is wondering how Albertans would feel about removing them from Alberta schools.In fact, it does make you wonder how they got there in the first place. Who thought this was a good idea? Were these selections made by people with an evangelistic zeal for sexual licence among teenagers? It looks that way. Last year, Premier Danielle Smith took an important step in protecting Alberta's children when she banned sex-change operations for young people under the age of 18.Now, the Government of Alberta is signalling again that it cares about the mental health of young people. In seeking public input into the matter of pornography in school libraries, it is proceeding sensibly. In the survey to be found here, it is encouraging Albertans to share their opinions.As do I.
