(MONTGOMERY, AL) — Read Freely Alabama, Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition, PEN America, EveryLibrary, Authors Against Book Bans, National Coalition Against Censorship, American Booksellers for Free Expression, and PFLAG National have expressed alarm at the passing of an anti-trans, anti-free expression administrative code change by the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS).
The change to APLS Administrative Code, as written, mandates public libraries to relocate or fully remove “any materials regarding transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders” on the basis that they are “inappropriate” for children and teens. This broad language will likely result in any books with trans representation–regardless of their age-relevance–moved to adult sections of public libraries in Alabama.
The language in the code change does not define “gender ideology,” a vague, undefined term often used as an anti-LGBTQ+ dogwhistle. A public campaign in favor of the policy has been pushed by pro-censorship advocacy groups, including Moms For Liberty, Eagle Forum, and Clean Up Alabama, some of which have previously been involved in other anti-LGBTQ+ library censorship efforts in the state.
APLS Chairman Wahl, who also serves as the Alabama Republican Party Chairman, has claimed to “abhor the idea of using the power of government to ban a book or to ban free speech,” but the code does just that, violating youth patrons’ First Amendment rights to access information and the rights of parents whose children’s access to information will be restricted. The policy steamrolls local decision-making processes on library collections by introducing additional state-mandated requirements on what books are available to certain library users. The APLS Board has also failed to account for the financial and labor burden on libraries who must reorganize their collections in order to accommodate this policy.
Read Freely Alabama’s Senior Leadership said, “The new ‘gender ideology’ amendment highlights the APLS Board’s continued pattern of disregard for the First Amendment and parental rights, and is a deliberate attempt to target Alabamians they do not think should exist in the public sphere. Read Freely Alabama remains committed to fighting this unconstitutional amendment.”
Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition said, “This code change ignores the lived realities of trans and gender-nonconforming youth, which is that mental and physical health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth are higher when they have access to materials that validate them and significantly lower when their identities are rejected or suppressed. Anti-trans policies such as this are actively contributing to these negative outcomes, especially for youth–a direct contradiction of the purported goal to ‘protect’ children.”
Dr. Megan Madison, co-author of the First Conversations series, said, “This proposed amendment is a blatant violation of the human rights of transgender people and of all of our freedom to read. Every child deserves access to books that reflect their own lives and the lives of people who are different from them. Research shows that diverse books not only improve literacy outcomes, but help all children develop the skills they need to feel good about who they are and grow into caring community members who know how to treat everyone with respect and dignity.”
Susan Kuklin, author of Beyond Magenta: Trans and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out, said, “I wrote Beyond Magenta: Trans and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out when I learned that young people were being harassed, beaten, thrown out of their homes, and (some) even killed. I wondered who these young people were and what made their personal transition so threatening that a stranger would turn to such extreme violence. I thought it important for people to understand and be in an informed position to consider the complexity of gender identity. The participants in my book chose to go public about their feelings and choices for three reasons: to educate, to define themselves in their own terms, and to let others in their position know that they are not alone. Life and reality can be complicated. Teenagers understand this already. For them to become knowledgeable adults and citizens, all aspects of life and reality should be open to their inquiries. They can handle it.”
EveryLibrary’s Executive Director John Chrastka said, “This is an extraordinary and unlawful intrusion by state officials into the constitutionally protected rights of readers. Its intent and effect are blatantly discriminatory, singling out transgender and broader LGBTQ+ identities for exclusion and signaling that those Alabamians are unworthy of recognition in their own public institutions. Public libraries exist to serve all readers without fear or favor. This rule betrays that basic purpose.”
Pastor Daniel Vanek of Tuscaloosa United Church of Christ said, “While the Apostle Paul warned against provoking children to anger or harm, he never advocated for hiding the reality of human diversity from them; true protection involves equipping children with understanding, not enforcing ignorance. Banning trans-affirming books is a response born of fear, whereas providing access to stories that reflect the full beautiful diversity of God’s creation is a faithful fulfillment of the command to love our neighbors by striving to understand them.”
PEN America’s Freedom to Read Senior Program Manager Sabrina Baêta said, “This code change is an attack on young people’s First Amendment rights. By adopting this code change, the APLS Board is demonstrating complete indifference to the very purpose of libraries: free inquiry. Young people, including trans youth, should have access to books that represent themselves and the world around them. Reclassifying books for young people to adult sections ultimately leaves young readers empty-handed without access to critical stories, histories, and representations.”
This code change builds on years of attacks on public libraries in the state. In 2024, an initial ideologically-motivated code change imposed further restrictions on what books minors can access in Alabama public libraries by mandating policies to “ensure library sections designated for minors under the age of 18 remain free of material containing obscenity, sexually explicit, or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth.” The policy followed a 2023 letter from Governor Kay Ivey who directed APLS to address the issue, she claimed, of “exposure of children and youth to inappropriate, sexually suggestive materials” in Alabama libraries. Alabama has repeatedly seen anti-library legislation filed and numerous public libraries targeted for the content of books within their collections.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057