Judge blocks Arkansas plan to charge librarians & store owners with a crime over “harmful” books

A federal judge has put a hold on an Arkansas law that would criminally charge booksellers and librarians who provide “harmful materials” to children. The law targets books that include LGBTQ+ characters or themes.

The law, signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), was due to take effect on August 1. The former White House press secretary during the Trump administration and daughter of former far-right politician Mike Huckabee, Sanders has a history of making inflammatory anti-LGBTQ+ claims that aren’t true.

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The Waltons felt they “must send a message of acceptance to the LGBTQ community that says ‘You belong here'” after their home state passed an egregious anti-trans bill.

The law also required a new process for people to challenge books and request they be moved to areas children cannot access. The judge’s preliminary injunction puts a halt on the entire law.

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A coalition of several public libraries, the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, and the Central Arkansas Library System challenged the law. They were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“The question we had to ask was — do Arkansans still legally have access to reading materials? Luckily, the judicial system has once again defended our highly valued liberties,” Holly Dickson, the executive director of the ACLU in Arkansas, said in a statement.

Sanders and Arkansas state legislators have been actively persecuting the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this year, the state implemented a new law banning transgender students at public schools from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. A federal judge struck down a state law prohibiting gender-affirming healthcare for minors earlier this year.

Another law passed in Arkansas reclassified drag shows as “adult-oriented entertainment” and outlawed performances on public property or “where a minor can view” them. Similar laws in Tennessee and Florida have either been struck down or put on hold.