On August 30th, the Carolina Journal published the following op-ed by Laura Macklem, NC Values Press Director, entitled “End the free pass for schools, libraries on exposing children to graphic content”:
North Carolina’s child obscenity laws make it illegal to disseminate obscene materials to minors. However, the law shields schools and libraries, making them exempt from the prohibition on obscenity. It’s because of these exceptions that activist librarians have been able to stash graphic pornography with erotic content on shelves in youth sections.
There’s been a statewide pushback against these books, leading some organizations, like Red Wine and Blue and Move On, to fill mini-vans and buses with material they claim has been challenged and drive to various locations for children to preview. They do this also to garner public support for allowing the content to be made more available.
Red Wine and Blue is a women’s activist organization, promoting abortion and transgender ideology, which has mobilized to keep obscene, erotic, and gender-confusing books in schools. The group does pop-up events with their Banned Book Mobiles, toting around books which have allegedly been banned. Their fight to keep obscene and gender-confusing materials in schools has been fierce. They use bombastic rhetoric, labeling parents as “haters” and “extremists.”
A picture on Red Wine and Blue’s Instagram shows a young boy engrossed in “A Day in June.” The controversial book portrays “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” a group founded by drag queens dressed as nuns. The drag group holds “Hunky Jesus” and “Foxy Mary” contests, and even sponsors “condom masses” with performers taking a “Condom Savior Vow.”
They’ve put yogurt representing semen in a challis and strapped a man playing Jesus to a cross while another man gyrated on the cross, doing pole dance. “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” also had a drag queen “Jesus” giving a strip tease with a sign, “She Has Risen” displayed. The group was founded on Easter Day in 1979, a clear blasphemous shot at Christians. Instead of labeling these reprehensible activities as hate and bigotry, Red Wine and Blue travels the country promoting this vulgar, anti-Christian group to children by pushing this book.
While the specific books advertised for their book mobiles on their website do not violate North Carolina’s obscenity statute, a book they highlighted in their promotional video for these events does.
The book “It’s Perfectly Normal,” showing sexual acts and nudity, was shown in their promotional Banned Bookmobile video, indicating the book is offered at their pop-up events. According to North Carolina’s obscenity statute, it’s against the law for individuals or organizations to disseminate books to children showing sexual acts. If Red Wine and Blue provides this or any other legally obscene book to children at their events, they would be violating the law.
Two other banned-book mobiles by Move On and the Books Unbanned Project visit states to provide commonly challenged books, including those with graphic sex pictures and erotic copy, which they distribute to minors. Move On offers “Gender Queer,” and Books Unbanned distributes thousands of copies of “All Boys Aren’t Blue.” Both have made stops in North Carolina.
Providing children access to erotic books which intentionally sexualize them and confuse their gender is a tool commonly used by activist school boards as well. In Wake County, the school board voted to ban parental challenges of books for two years after a book is brought to a review committee. Only two members of the board, Cheryl Caulfield and Wing Ng, dissented. Both Caulfield and Ng pushed back, otherwise the ban on parental book challenges would have been four years or more.
As a society, there is widespread agreement that not all material is suitable for children, as evidenced by rating systems and age recommendations on movies and music. Sites like Plugged In and Common Sense Media exist to give parents the tools to determine if content is appropriate for their children. A North Carolina organization, Pavement Education Project, exposes books full of indoctrination and obscene content in our public schools. The conservative NC Values Coalition has advocated for legislation and held Mama Bear Workshops for parents to stop pornographic books and materials in our schools that push gender ideology.
According to a paper called the Impact of Pornography on Children by the American College of Pediatrics, exposure to pornography leads to anxiety, depression, shock, embarrassment, and fear, and puts children at risk for maladaptive behaviors and sexual assault. But Red Wine and Blue’s narrative is children must not be denied the challenged books, so they can become a “21st Century Child.” No concern is shown for the devastating mental health and emotional costs.
Many of the books commonly challenged corrupt innocence and confuse children about their gender, all to fit their idea of equity and to raise more activists for their cause. Children are being used and exploited by the movement to get erotic and gender-confusing material in front of children. One advocate of obscene books addressed a crowd praising these books by donning a “Teach the Babies” shirt. At least she’s being honest. This movement targets children before they can talk with activist board books on gender, then in preschool they continue with books like “Red” encouraging gender dysphoria.
The only extremists in this debate are those who advocate exposing children to pornography and gender-confusing messages, both of which are grooming tactics. North Carolina needs to remove the exemptions to its child obscenity laws so that no child can be legally victimized with sexually graphic material — end of story.
Laura Macklem is the press and political director for NC Values.
