State Funding for the Fairhope Library Remains Stuck Amid Book Controversy: A Cultural Conflict in the Bookshelves

Who gets to select what young people can read and what the state deems "sexually explicit" is the main issue in this continuous dispute, which is less about pages and more about power.

Withheld Funding for Book Placement

John Wahl, the chairman of the Alabama State Library Board and the head of the Alabama Republican Party, declared this week that Fairhope Public Library's funding would not be restored anytime soon. He attributed this to the board's alleged noncompliance with a new state code pertaining to materials in youth sections.

Wahl claims that since the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) law was amended this summer to tighten regulations regarding allegedly "sexually explicit" content, Fairhope has been given "clear and precise guidance." Wahl stressed that compliance is non-negotiable and that there are no exceptions or loopholes.

However, it is still unclear exactly what constitutes explicit.

Wahl made a public censure, but he did not identify which titles the board has refused to relocate or what content is off limits. Rather, he asked the Fairhope board to "listen to the people of Fairhope" and take objectionable items from the shelves of adolescent and teen programs.

Two Books, One Serious Argument

The Fairhope Library Board decided not to move two books that were being investigated at their meeting on Monday:

Patricia McCormick's 2006 book Sold, which explores child sex trafficking in India

The plot of Tiffany D. Jackson's Grown (2020) revolves around a celebrity's grooming and exploitation of a teenage girl.

Although both books deal with challenging topics, board members believe neither one satisfies the legal definition of obscenity, neither by federal standards nor by Fairhope's own community standards.

Randal Wright, the newly appointed board chair
, remarked, "These are heartbreaking, dramatic stories," adding that Sold in particular is "so well-written" and has received multiple accolades. Indeed, events do occur. However, it is neither graphic nor obscene. It belongs in the division for teenagers.

Wright stressed that before making its choice, the board thoroughly examined the novels in their whole, not just in fragments. Legal standards of obscenity, which she quoted, stipulate that content must either appeal to "prurient inclinations" or have the capacity to stimulate the reader sexually. Simply put, "These books do not do that," she stated.

State Standards or Community Standards?

The board's strategy highlights a more profound philosophical disagreement: Who establishes "community standards"?

According to reports, Wahl himself admitted that different towns can have different ways of arranging the same book at a Zoom conference with library executives last week. According to him, "no communal standards are different."

Wright's answer? “Exactly. In my opinion, the issues facing our community differ from those he faces. It is subjective, which is the issue.

What is Up Next for the Library at Fairhope?

In the upcoming weeks, the board intends to examine 13 additional titles to see if any need to be moved. The director of the library has already given his approval to move five books from the children's department to the adult section; this move may be interpreted as a show of good faith or, depending on your point of view, as silent compliance.

However, the financial freeze is still in place.
Furthermore, Fairhope's library will continue to be embroiled in a contentious debate concerning censorship, autonomy, and the evolving role of public libraries in a divided America until a compromise—or a more definitive court decision—is reached.