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.
With the Tshibaka name attached to this event, it’s hard not to think that this is politically motivated. No one is forcing any teens to read these books, and this kind of attempt at censorship, where someone or someones want to impose their personal values on everyone, has been going on in libraries for decades. Doesn’t sound like freedom to me; sounds more like trying to roll back the 1st Amendment.
Maybe it’s time to get a REAL librarian back in charge of the system, someone who know what s/he is doing.
Seriously? Did you watch/ listen to the presentation? You are going to base your opinion upon her last name? She has no intent of censorship.
If it looks like censorship, walks like censorship, and quacks like censorship, it’s probably a duck, but this still looks, walks and talks like censorship. Is Denali Tshibaka merely making a review of library materials or is she pushing an agendum?
And, yes, the name does raise some orange flags.
You mean a LIBERAL Librarian director. alaska has already tried the liberal perspective and everything is falling apart. Just look around. Its time to humble ourselves and turn back to God. Our own way leads us to more disorder and disunity. Reading between the lines this genre is too much even for you.you wouldn’t allow your 9-15 y.o read it even you wouldn’t want your child stumbling across such material. So why would you allow another parent’s child stumbling acoss it. Even titlewave store owner or manager doesn’t sell such young adult material in the kid chapter book section.
Amen! We need to return to God and those books have no place in polite society.
*It’s
ANY allowance for pornography wether visual,or written in a public facility and with tax money is an affront to the community and the other library patrons. Sounds like YOU are the one politicizing a normal and expected reaction on the part of those wishing to protect juveniles.
I wish to protect juveniles from the ideologies of those who wish to inculcate them on young, impressionable minds. As I pointed out, no one is forcing young people to read or view these materials, but there are many who want to decide what young people can and can’t access.
Being young does not restrict one’s civil rights. America was founded on freedom of expression and freedom to live one’s life as each of us sees fit, so long as it doesn’t impinge on the rights of others.
Stop impinging. It’s unAmerican.
The only reason for porn in the library is to give teens and adults free titillation. Buy your own porn and leave it out of my child’s eyesight, thank you. Nobody is taking away your rights to garbage; you are free to get your own if that’s your perversion of choice.
Can you imagine knowing we all must face our creator one day and the creators son died for sin so we can get back home. Let the devil in and do evil deeds it simple and easy. Let the Bible in and see what your made and of, it takes skill and strength to get back home ALL. We are to love each other as Jesus loves us Jesus gave us this commandment. Citizens integrity, oath takers integrity, integrity will have us all act right for the sake of righteousness.
Is this the same creator who knows all, sees all, and is omniscient, or the one who gave us free choice, a thinking mind, the ability to commiserate with (others or not), and sent the angel Lucifer into the darkness so he could muddle our minds and give the creator an excuse to condemn us to hell?
And you’re worried about books in a library building?
One emotion tells me that we need better vetting of these books, but the practical side of me understands that the enormous amount of very graphic porn available free to anyone on the internet makes book vetting seem useless.
Maybe what’s needed is an adult section with a curtain separating it off, like at the adult section at a video store.
What video store? Those days are long gone.
Get the Bible under your belt. It’s the only book needed your time on earth is not the end of it all. Our last breath here on earth leads us to the next part of it all just watch. Integrity on earth is your credit card for what’s next oath breakers look at your madness.
But….but….but there’s “no agenda!”.
Yah, right.
I am very glad seeing more conservatives are returning to the library. This teen library has existed as is last 8 to maybe since 2012. An entire generation of teens come and gone graduating h.s. Thankfully! I think these books aren’t read, and this section is browsed infrequently and by few users; as most teens don’t read and struggle reading a book. I hope this curious article doesn’t give any undeserved publicity to a public issue that can be removed quietly before curious onlookers take a trip to the library. I disagree that there be separate section. 90% of the teen library should be removed. If someone desires such genre they can privately purchase for personal use. Our community’s youth have no time dinking around with such entertainment reads while reading scores are below 45%
Safe space? That’s about as far from a safe space for our kids as you can get. This kind of rotten perversion has got to go!
Grooming food for the predators
Our tax dollars at work
Great comprehensive presentation. Smart gal. So sad that people even write such books targeting youth.
I wonder if Chris Tuck knows about this? Maybe when he is finished with his dog and pony show designed to cleanse society of the filthy stain that is the Oath Keepers along with that scandalous rascal, David Eastman, he could cast his eyes about for his next crusade?
Come on Chris you can do this too, having assumed the mantle of McCarthyism you need to go long here. Looking forward to your next hit job! I would love to see you convene a panel to lecture us about the evils of wayward Librarians!
McCarthyism, hmmm, “Have you now or have you ever been a person who read a questionable (my term, not yours) book in the public library, or do you know anyone who may have done so? etc. etc.”
Well…at least no one was fire extinguished, pole axed, pummeled, threatened with his own, agency firearm, or en-noosened by the rabble who routinely charge the library screaming “FREEDOM!”
Homo, dude chill out. And yes Homo, I’ve read quite a few books over my many years. What’s your point? Oh, you think Library’s are for Smut and jerk-off porn and the harboring of the mentally ill? We’re not talking Tom Jones or Canterbury Tales here with these books are we Homo? Little more explicit and well, porn. But you can go ahead and cry “FREEDOM”.
Tom and Canterbury have both spent considerable time in the penalty box because they were considered “pornography” or “smut” or “inappropriate” etc., etc. For the most part Billy Shakes has escaped. I think that’s because the word never got out that the generally recognized, greatest English language writer wrote plays mostly about sex and violence. (Don’t get me started on opera.)
But I’m confused. Do you think I should storm the library with my Elizabethan pole ax while yelling FREEDOM?
Anchorage is sick. Terminally so.
The Loussac needs to be shut down. All sorts of immorality is broadcast from this hellish pit under the guise of a “community/family oriented library” it is not, far from it. Look at the type of clientele it attracts, people shooting up drugs, street people passed out, oh and the most recent, a random stabbing! Let’s not forget “drag queen story time for kids”. This is NOT a community library! It is a library set up by depraved, immoral officials, and their ultimate goal? Dam if I know but I’d never send my children there! All I know is for the health and safety of everyone it needs an immediate change or be shut down.
My goodness! The public library has become the den of iniquity of the city, with its potted plants and potted patrons and revolutionary literature and salacious manuscripts and seditious personnel, depraved and immoral, bent on vitiating the youth of our fair city!
Sounds like freedom to me, but perhaps the city gendarmes would do well to pay a bit more attention to the threatening types who hang out there. And no, I’m not referring to the censorship advocates. They’re more dangerous than the others. They need to be watched. They threaten the whole reason, which is free exchange of ideas, for the library and our country.
There is not one good valid reason to have trash like this in a public library. This is nothing more than grooming our children for sexual abuse and sexual predators. Thank God my grandchildren have never been to the public library!
They need to add a bath house to the library, and maybe a peep show.
These books should be kept in the rear of the library. Near the back door.
The best protection we have from our children being groomed by perverts is that our education system is so bad that almost none of the kids can actually read. If the alphabet soup crowd want to proselytize about the joys of their lifestyle choices, they’ll need a lot of pictures.
Art Chance, always a class act.
This person who said there should be heterosexual books next to lgbtq books definitely does not know what they are talking about, because there IS heterosexual books. Literally the headline picture had “The Fault in Our Stars” a book about a cis, HETERO teenage girl with cancer who falls in love with a cis, HETERO teenage boy.
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