Libraries are a fundamental institution of democracy. When we limit what books are allowed in public libraries we limit the individual’s right to make their own decisions about what to think and believe. We also do a disservice to minority communities and lower class citizens who are most benefited by public libraries and the information they contain.

Magic Valley Parents 4 Safe Libraries are threatening to push for book bans in Magic Valley Schools and Public Libraries. They claim that the books they are pushing to ban contain “K-12 Explicit Sex Ed, LGBT Sex Ed, Transgender fluidity, suicide, self harm, witchcraft, and critical race theory” which makes our local libraries “unsafe” for kids. While parents should have the right to guide their children’s reading, a small group of parents should not make those decisions for other parents’ children. Furthermore, limiting young people’s access to books does not protect them from life’s challenging issues. It only prevents them from accessing resources to help understand these issues.

Young people deserve to see themselves represented in books. They deserve to see issues they can relate to and books that help them process their emotions in a healthy way, allowing them to think critically. Moreover, these bans will not just affect young people. Everyone deserves equal access to educational resources regardless of class, race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other categorization. Everyone deserves to have the freedom to make decisions about what they read.