BOISE, Idaho – A new book ban goes into effect in Idaho on July 1.
House Bill 710, a key political win for the Idaho Family Policy Center (IFPC), is targeted at books with Black, feminist or LGBTQ+ themes. It allows any person affiliated with a student at a public or private school to sue its library for carrying a book with “obscene materials.”
The policy defines obscene materials as any literature containing nudity or homosexuality.
While the Bible contains both of these concepts in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, it does not seem that Christian and Jewish texts were the intended target of the ban, but rather books written by queer or Black authors.
IFPC voiced its opposition to The Handmaid’s Tale, the popular dystopian novel criticizing fascism and misogyny, on June 7 after it was removed from the Idaho Fine Arts Academy school library.
Governor Brad Little (R) signed the policy in April, saying that the bill would keep children from reading harmful materials.
“I share the…desire to keep truly inappropriate library materials out of the hands of minors,” Little said.
The Idaho Library Association is against the bill, and says it is harmful to young people, librarians and LGBTQ+ people.
“Efforts to censor material in libraries are on the rise in Idaho and around the country. These efforts seek to limit the viewpoints available to minors by suppressing and erasing already marginalized voices. They are not supported by a majority of voters,” the library association’s website states.
Book bans have increased in popularity amongst Republican legislators nationally, with the American Library Association tracking a 65% increase in book bans throughout the US in 2023. About half of those bans concerned content featuring non-white or LGBTQ+ people.
The Idaho Democratic Party slammed the implementation of the law on Friday, saying that it will hold several rallies outside Gem State libraries on Monday to protest the move.
“We are standing up to protect our libraries from the book banners, support our librarians, and ensure that our children have access to a broad range of books that reflect diverse perspectives,” party chair Lauren Necochea said.
Several bills aimed at eliminating LGBTQ+ identity in schools were passed by the Idaho legislature during the 2024 legislative session which ended in mid-April.
Idaho’s education system ranked 47th out of 50 states in a January analysis of state education levels conducted by Scholaroo.
