Love — and lust — is in the air at the Anchorage library’s “Teen Underground.” The Loussac Library’s teen retreat room has all kinds of graphic porn for teens, some of it depicting — in detail — gay sex:
“…hot imaginary boy lowers me down onto it … sweat glistening on his hairless muscled chest … but he wouldn’t just screw me … no, my future husband … makes love to me slow and gentle in that hayloft. With my ankles locked around his neck … I … hold on for dear life as he expertly brings us to the most mind-blowing simultaneous climax in the history of gay sex,” is on Page 3 of a book on the shelf for teens ages 12-18.
“… the first time is going to hurt like a motherfucker … I’ll probably shoot my load within the first thirty seconds of penetration,” is in “Social Intercourse,” a novel in the teen section.
That book is a debut gay novel marketed for young adults by the publisher. (The author’s second book for even younger kids is “Middle School’s A Drag: You Better Werk!” about a middle schooler who starts a talent agency that features a 13-year-old drag queen. It’s located in the Sitka Public Library’s juvenile section.)
Denali Tshibaka, a teen member of the Library Advisory Board, has done a complete tour of books being offered to teens in the Teen Underground, and gave a report to the board in December, in which she concluded the library could do better.
Denali read the graphic passages aloud at the December meeting of the Library Advisory Board, and had some suggestions for improving selection and availability of soft and/or hard porn in the library. She suggested that the library consider including actual literature for teens, such as abridged versions of the classics. She suggested moving the LGBTQ books into their own section, so that young teens, such as 12-year-olds, would not be encountering graphic sex in novels throughout the stacks. She alternately suggested the teen section could be limited to 15- or 16-year-olds and above, and creating a pre-teen section aimed at younger readers.
Denali, who explained that she is sensitive to censorship and the First Amendment, offered that the LGBTQ literature could be separately shelved. She also challenged the library to provide balance:
“Currently, most Teen Underground Displays represent one perspective,” she said. She argued for equal perspectives; in other words, if there are LGBTQ books on display, then heterosexual books should also be on display, and if there are socialist books on display, capitalist books should also be on display.
Denali Tshibaka’s presentation is at this link.
Denali also recommended the display cart on the second floor of the library be moved away from where children can see it as they go to the youth section of the library, because books of all types — including graphic sexual novels — are waiting at eye level for children. The library could stand to be a bit more sensitive to protecting young children and assuring parents that the library is a safe place, she said.
Her presentation raised the ire of the LGBTQ community, with Assemblyman Chris Constant working to foment opposition to her recommendations, using his close ties with a leftist gay-identity-obsessed blog to oppose the idea that there needs to be better oversight for books placed in front of children in a publicly funded library. Some on the library board pushed back, saying there is already a vetting process in place.
“In today’s high speed and over scheduled world, teens in particular find themselves in need of space which allows them the freedom to socialize with their peers in a non-judgmental environment. Since opening its doors in 2011, the Teen Underground has served as a refuge for teens 12-18, acting as a safe place to work on homework, attend teen programs, utilize Chromebooks , access free Wi-fi, use board games, read, and socialize with friends in a safe environment. Teens from all over Anchorage utilize the space and benefit from its existence,” the Loussac Library says in its description, adding that the teen services librarian is responsible for managing the space.
