The Alberta government has just announced strict new rules for school libraries, banning books that include “sex acts” and materials deemed inappropriate for students — even when those materials reflect the lived experiences of queer youth and teach consent, respect, and healthy relationships.

According to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, “graphic depictions of sex acts” have no place in schools. Yet the Bible, still available in many Alberta school libraries, contains numerous explicit descriptions of sexual violence, including rape, incest, child abuse, and graphic punishments.

If the government’s concern is truly about protecting children from “inappropriate” material, then the Bible — by their own standard — cannot remain on shelves.

We started this petition to point out the hypocrisy of banning books that support and validate LGBTQ2S+ youth while ignoring the violent and sexual content in religious texts. If the rules are applied equally, the Bible must be reviewed and removed under the same guidelines.

We know banning books doesn’t protect students — it only denies them knowledge and silences their stories. But if Alberta insists on censoring literature, it must do so consistently.

Help us keep the pressure on the Alberta government to either end its discriminatory censorship or apply its policies fairly. Sign and share the petition today — and remind your MLA that students deserve education, not ideology.