No (Lesbian) Sex In The Stacks, Please

lumbingmi

lumbingmi

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Arkansas dad sues library over lesbian sex guide; local author Felice Newman responds

Violet Blue, Special to SF Gate
Thursday, May 3, 2007

It probably started out like any other serene, sunny, safely heterosexual day in the Bentonville Public Library. But the lives of some Bentonville, Ark., residents changed forever on that fateful day, after a wrong turn down the dark back alley of a card catalog led to a nefarious lesbian sex guide that would steal their innocence, stain them with the gay agenda and probably totally show them where the G-spot was. We can only begin to imagine the harrowing ordeal Earl Adams and his 14- and 16-year-old sons, Kyle and Ryan, went through after the boys discovered "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book" -- an ordeal fraught with anatomical drawings and lesbian relationship advice at the hands, nay, lubed fists, of local lesbian author Felice Newman. Unfortunately, it's an ordeal that resulted in the book's removal and a threatened lawsuit for obscenity.

Two weeks ago, "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book" was removed from the Bentonville library shelves at the e-mail request of Earl Adams, after his sons allegedly had found the sex guide while browsing for "military academy" reading materials. It no doubt took the boys hours of page-turning trauma in the stacks to fully register their horror -- and we can only guess that once they learned about female ejaculation, the damage was done.


Being a concerned father who would in no way want his adolescent sons exposed to any shred of accurate sex information outside of the abstinence curriculum in public schools, or examples of lesbianism that conflict with what his sons will later pay to see in strip clubs across town, Adams initially e-mailed a complaint to Library Director Cindy Suter. She responded by relocating the book to a less accessible spot, perhaps in the football-field-size NSFC (Not Safe for Christians) section.

But for Adams, the threat posed by the safer-sex sections in "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book" evidently plagued him night and day. When he tucked his sons in at night, visions of happy lesbians with strap-ons danced in their heads, he was sure of it. Adams sent a deliciously retro letter and fax to Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin, threatening a lawsuit if the book were not removed, a book Adams said was "patently offensive and lacks any artistic, literary or scientific value" (neatly copying and pasting from the Wikipedia entry on the Miller test, minus the inconvenient "political value" part).


For some inexplicable reason, Adams could not stop thinking about the lesbian sex book and the deep personal tension it caused him -- release, he knew, could only be found with total elimination of the book. Oh, and a $10,000 settlement per child, the maximum allowed under the Arkansas obscenity law.

Adams had stated in a previous complaint e-mail to McCaslin, "My sons were greatly disturbed by viewing this material and this matter has caused many sleepless nights in our house." After the Library Advisory Board voted unanimously April 3 to remove the book from circulation, Adams stated, "God was speaking to my heart that day and helped me find the words that proved successful in removing this book from the shelf."

One could argue that shelving "Whole Lesbian" in the West Point section could happen to anyone. Or that separating the sex and military shelves with a couple of copies of Boys' Life might give someone the wrong idea. And that anything that makes young men fantasize about lesbian sex is surely a threat to the very fabric of society. Of course, no one would know these things better than Felice Newman, author of "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book," co-founder of local, quarter-century-old, woman-run, human sexuality/gender studies/human rights publisher Cleis Press, and Bay Area resident. I got a minute to get her comments about the lawsuit and whether trading her handsome flattop for a flowery dress might get her book back in the good graces of Bentonville's heterosexual agenda.

Violet Blue: Did you know your book was in public libraries?

Felice Newman: Definitely. Library Journal recommended "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book" for all collections. Many public and university libraries have ordered the book.

VB: How do you think it ended up in the military section? Don't ask, don't tell? Or is there a section on uniforms in the book?

FN: Perhaps the book ended up in the military section because the boys hid it there. Or perhaps, having found the book in its proper section, the boys were reading it in the military section, where they had told their father they would be researching military academies. Someone catches them smack in the middle of the fistf-ing chapter and they make up the story as an alibi.

VB: According to Adams, his two sons, ages 14 and 16, were "greatly disturbed" by their discovery and apparently underwent "many sleepless nights" as a result. Do you want to comment on these statements?

FN: I imagine they went through a change of bed linens as well. Do you think the court will award them damages for a nice set of military-themed boys' bedsheets from Wal-Mart?

VB: What could they have learned from the book? Safer-sex techniques for lesbians?

FN: The first five or so chapters are really a general guide to women's sexuality. So I hope I've helped those lads find their way around a vagina and clitoris and G-spot and anus and know what to do with them.

VB: Adams is also accusing you of "pushing an immoral social agenda" in your book. So what are the juicy highlights of that agenda? Can you pencil us in?

FN: Everyone should enjoy ample pleasure, frequent and copious orgasms. Every person should know how she or he best likes to get off and should be able to tell partners in great detail just how to make that happen. Everyone deserves to feel proud of his or her fantasy life. Every woman should experience my fist buried deep inside her ... er ... oh my, I'm getting carried away ...

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No (Lesbian) Sex In The Stacks, Please / Arkansas dad sues library over lesbian sex guide; local author Felice Newman responds
 
Jeez... this is stupid!

The book should be left in the library.

After all, the library is a source of information... and Americans have a right to information.

The comment about the boys sneaking or wandering into the wrong section makes sense. I remember doing that when I was a teenager. I went to the library with my mom one day and told her that I was going to check out some books from the kids section as well as the science books. I left and went upstairs to look up the location of the sex books. Of course, I would take the book to the science section and then stand there skimming through the book getting excited and having fun. As soon as I saw my mom, I would simply put the book back on the shelf and calmly pull out another book as if I was going from book to book. Of course, she never suspected a thing.

It's like every other issue with kids and bad things. Guns? Blame it on video games or movies. Sex? Blame it on porno or sex books. Swearing? Blame it on movies.

No... it should all be blamed on the kids and the supervision of their parents. It was the parents that allowed them to get the games. It was the parents that didn't see them get guns. It was the parents that let them watch what they want on television. It was the parents who allowed their kids to roam outside of the kids section of the library.
 
Not where kids are around. I have a very dearest friends who are lesbian couple, and one of her son that is very straight. They wouldn't give a slightest about gay issue or anything, and even not portrait of words or anything to influence her child. I, myself, have 2 daughters, the same way. I do not dare to teach my kids but themselves how to live their lives of their choice when they get older. Like the book on the shelves in the library like this, should remove, bec many kids. No, I, personally do not approve for them to know in same sex issues. I don't do bigotry attitude by saying " I have a right what I want to, and show kids they can do that" attitude, which I strongly disagree.
 
christlove, I personally feel your post is very contradictory and offensive. Can you really say all of that stuff to your good gay friends?

The library should not have limitations or one sided perspectives where a healthy, balanced sex education is concerned. IMO too many people grow up with dysfunctional ideas about sex.

I plan on giving my kids access to a well rounded, age appropriate sex education, and if they do turn out to be gay or lesbian... I know that will be due to genes not a bunch of library books, and I will be as pleased!
 
Liza said:
christlove, I personally feel your post is very contradictory and offensive. Can you really say all of that stuff to your good gay friends?

The library should not have limitations or one sided perspectives where a healthy, balanced sex education is concerned. IMO too many people grow up with dysfunctional ideas about sex.
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No, many gays would agree that should not be influental on children.and do agree should not be left on library shelves. Parents are responsible of loving care and someway, shoould have appropriate way of teaching where most parents feeling uncomfortable by sharing about birds and the bees. Children themselves need to express their feeling of why they feel for whoever. But sadly, when parents find out their kid is gay, been kicked out of the house or taking to shock treatment or stuff like and even extreme christian enviroment tormented their kid or leading kid feel self condemning and getting the wrong idea of so call " God hate gays", that is inappropriate way. Must have the balance.
 
Understandably, parents want to have control on children's access to materials in libraries. Isn't that why children must always be accompanied by parents on these trips? Yet the article mentions teenagers over 14, old enough to hear stuff from their friends on the subject.... roadkill, I'd say.

And do you have something to support your statement about "many gays agreeing" that (which one you are talking about?) should not be influential on children? Are you referring to racy gay sex guidebooks or just all sex guidebooks in general including heterosexual acts?

If a sex guide was singled out for "moral" outrage because it has lesbian in it, rather than having hetero stuff in it... amazingly though I doubt these parents would be as outraged. That is why the whole thing is very appalling about these parents' reactions... they are reacting out of homophobia rather than a true moral outrage.
 
Liza said:
Understandably, parents want to have control on children's access to materials in libraries. Isn't that why children must always be accompanied by parents on these trips? Yet the article mentions teenagers over 14, old enough to hear stuff from their friends on the subject.... roadkill, I'd say.

And do you have something to support your statement about "many gays agreeing" that (which one you are talking about?) should not be influential on children? Are you referring to racy gay sex guidebooks or just all sex guidebooks in general including heterosexual acts?

If a sex guide was singled out for "moral" outrage because it has lesbian in it, rather than having hetero stuff in it... amazingly though I doubt these parents would be as outraged. That is why the whole thing is very appalling about these parents' reactions... they are reacting out of homophobia rather than a true moral outrage.
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homophobia is a major problem. But really, what is wrong with parents teaching their own kids. Like the old days. Now in days, is other way around. Now in days is so much mess and out of control, not just homophobia, its general. Sadly, now in days, parents have no time for their own kids and technologies taking them to much time which where families have no time for each other and no enjoyment for each other. As for me personally, there is alot of gays of their views I don't agree. Bec I'm more as of moderate than way off to the right or way off to the left. I'm not in the extremist level.
 
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