Close Menu
Entertainment Industry Reporter
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Entertainment Industry Reporter
    • Home
    • Film
    • Television
    • Box Office
    • Reality TV
    • Music
    • Horror
    • Politics
    • Books
    • Technology
    • Popular Music Videos
    • Cover Story
    • Contact
      • About
      • Amazon Disclaimer
      • DMCA / Copyright Disclaimer
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms and Conditions
    Entertainment Industry Reporter
    You are at:Home»Books»York County Library (SC) Proposes Restrictions on Trans, Gender Books for Those Under 18
    Books

    York County Library (SC) Proposes Restrictions on Trans, Gender Books for Those Under 18

    By AdminJune 19, 2025
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    York County Library (SC) Proposes Restrictions on Trans, Gender Books for Those Under 18


    Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She’s the editor/author of (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

    View All posts by Kelly Jensen

    Taking a page from a library system to its west, the York County Library in South Carolina is preparing to update their collection policies and ban trans and gender themed books from children’s and teen collections. The policy, proposed June 9 during the library board’s policy committee meeting, copies and pastes the policy imposed by Greenville Public Libraries.

    York County Library would not outright ban books for young readers on topics related to gender and trans people. They would, however, make them difficult to access by restricting their location to the adult collections. This systematic and intentional barrier is still a form of censorship, and it blatantly discriminates against queer, trans, and gender nonconforming people.

    Such policies are the antithesis of a free and welcoming public library, funded and accessible to all within a community.

    Proposed updates to the teen policy read as follows:

    from the linked proposed policy: "Existing titles labeled “YA” will be interfiled with titles labeled “Teen.”
The Hughes Main Library provides a browsing Teen nonfiction collection of materials
suitable for this age group. Branch libraries may also provide some Teen nonfiction
materials.
Materials that contain the following will not be included in the Teen Collection:
1. graphic depictions or descriptions of rape or pedophilia
2. graphic sexual depictions or descriptions
For the purposes of this policy, material is considered graphic if a person applying
contemporary community standards relating to the depiction or description of sexual
conduct would find that the portion of material appeals to the prurient interest, and/or the
material can be considered gratuitous sex because it involves descriptions or depictions of
carnal detail of a sexual act or encounter.
Materials excluded by the above criteria will be included in the Adult Collection.
The Library System recognizes that parents/legal guardians have a fundamental right to be
involved in all aspects of their minor children’s lives, especially in matters as life changing
as gender identification.
Therefore, materials targeting audiences aged 13-17 with characters who have transitioned
or are in the process of transitioning from a gender that corresponds to their biological sex
to a different gender will be located in the Adult Collection.
This includes materials with illustrations, themes, or storylines that celebrate, portray, or
affirm gender transitioning, whether changes are social (names, pronouns) or physical."from the linked proposed policy: "Existing titles labeled “YA” will be interfiled with titles labeled “Teen.”
The Hughes Main Library provides a browsing Teen nonfiction collection of materials
suitable for this age group. Branch libraries may also provide some Teen nonfiction
materials.
Materials that contain the following will not be included in the Teen Collection:
1. graphic depictions or descriptions of rape or pedophilia
2. graphic sexual depictions or descriptions
For the purposes of this policy, material is considered graphic if a person applying
contemporary community standards relating to the depiction or description of sexual
conduct would find that the portion of material appeals to the prurient interest, and/or the
material can be considered gratuitous sex because it involves descriptions or depictions of
carnal detail of a sexual act or encounter.
Materials excluded by the above criteria will be included in the Adult Collection.
The Library System recognizes that parents/legal guardians have a fundamental right to be
involved in all aspects of their minor children’s lives, especially in matters as life changing
as gender identification.
Therefore, materials targeting audiences aged 13-17 with characters who have transitioned
or are in the process of transitioning from a gender that corresponds to their biological sex
to a different gender will be located in the Adult Collection.
This includes materials with illustrations, themes, or storylines that celebrate, portray, or
affirm gender transitioning, whether changes are social (names, pronouns) or physical."

    Proposed updated to the children’s policy read as follows:

    Literary Activism

    News you can use plus tips and tools for the fight against censorship and other bookish activism!

    Screen shot of proposed York County Library policy. It reads as follows: "The Library recognizes parents/legal guardians are the primary source of education for their
children, and that they have a fundamental right and responsibility to direct the upbringing
and education of children under their care including issues of moral, social, physical, civic,
and spiritual development.
To that end, materials targeting audiences aged 0-12 in which the illustrations, themes, or
story lines affirm, portray, or discuss changing the appearance of a minor’s gender in ways
inconsistent with the minor’s biological sex, will be located in the Parenting and Early
Childhood (PEC) collection, including: •
• Social transitioning: Pronouns or dress inconsistent with biological sex for the
purpose of affirming gender transitioning.
• Medical or surgical procedures: Puberty blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, or
surgical procedures for the purpose of affirming gender transitioning.

• Gender fluidity: The possibility of changing genders at will or being no gender at all
for the purpose of affirming gender transitioning.
Materials that contain the following will not be included in the Juvenile Collection:
Explicit descriptions or depictions of sexual acts including vaginal, anal, oral,
masturbation, incest or pedophilia.
For the purposes of this policy, material is considered graphic if a person applying
contemporary community standards relating to the depiction or description of sexual
conduct would find that the portion of material appeals to the prurient interest, and/or
the material can be considered gratuitous sex because it involves descriptions or
depictions of carnal detail of a sexual act or encounter.
Materials excluded by the above criteria will be included in the Parenting and Early
Childhood (PEC) Collection."Screen shot of proposed York County Library policy. It reads as follows: "The Library recognizes parents/legal guardians are the primary source of education for their
children, and that they have a fundamental right and responsibility to direct the upbringing
and education of children under their care including issues of moral, social, physical, civic,
and spiritual development.
To that end, materials targeting audiences aged 0-12 in which the illustrations, themes, or
story lines affirm, portray, or discuss changing the appearance of a minor’s gender in ways
inconsistent with the minor’s biological sex, will be located in the Parenting and Early
Childhood (PEC) collection, including: •
• Social transitioning: Pronouns or dress inconsistent with biological sex for the
purpose of affirming gender transitioning.
• Medical or surgical procedures: Puberty blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, or
surgical procedures for the purpose of affirming gender transitioning.

• Gender fluidity: The possibility of changing genders at will or being no gender at all
for the purpose of affirming gender transitioning.
Materials that contain the following will not be included in the Juvenile Collection:
Explicit descriptions or depictions of sexual acts including vaginal, anal, oral,
masturbation, incest or pedophilia.
For the purposes of this policy, material is considered graphic if a person applying
contemporary community standards relating to the depiction or description of sexual
conduct would find that the portion of material appeals to the prurient interest, and/or
the material can be considered gratuitous sex because it involves descriptions or
depictions of carnal detail of a sexual act or encounter.
Materials excluded by the above criteria will be included in the Parenting and Early
Childhood (PEC) Collection."

    Dennis Getter, chair of the library board’s policy committee, thought that the discriminatory policy in Greenville made for an excellent template for York County, calling it “wonderful.” He also suggested during the meeting that the library consider implementing Utah Parents United/Mary in the Library/No Left Turn for Education’s RatedBooks ratings for materials. The ratings system is not one created, maintained, nor implemented by professional library workers or educators but instead, by members of the “parental rights” movement. It undermines the work, knowledge, and expertise of the very professional librarians employed by York County.

    Greenville County Libraries were sued in late March by four parents of minors, supported by both the South Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the federal American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over their discriminatory policy. Another library in South Carolina, Pickens Public Library, attempted to pass a similar anti-trans and anti-gender policy for its collections accessible to those under the age of 18 in late March as well. They were warned by the ACLU ahead of their vote that such a policy would put them at risk for a similar lawsuit. Leaders for Pickens County Public Library elected not to pursue the policy.

    York County Library knows what’s being proposed is dangerous. They were told this in May 2023–more than two years ago–when a representative from South Carolina’s ACLU spoke at a board meeting during public comment.

    “Book banners are copying and pasting foolish ideas from one county to the next, but libraries are still for everyone, and so is the Constitution,” said Paul Bowers, Communications Director of the ACLU of South Carolina. “We already informed Greenville County via a federal lawsuit that identically worded policies discriminating against LGBTQ library patrons are discriminatory and unconstitutional. Now some leaders in York County want to go down the same road. We strongly encourage them to reconsider.”

    Last year, York County Library made headlines for a proposal that would have ended purchasing materials for the collection published for readers under the age of 18. It came as a response to the state budget proviso, which required that public libraries ensure none of their youth materials contained “sexual content.” What unraveled was a mess of board policies, including no record keeping of meetings that left the community in the dark about their library.

    Changes to the York County Library Board over the last few years have included shrinking the number of representatives who could be appointed. Six of the seven board members are affiliated with York County’s republican party.

    “We are deeply disappointed by the YCL Policy Committee’s recent discussion to relocate age-appropriate diverse and inclusive books from the children and young adult sections. Our libraries should reflect the full diversity of York County, and that includes offering books that represent all of our community’s families and identities,” said Support York County Libraries, a grassroots local group working to push back against attacks on intellectual freedom in the library. “Decisions about how books are shelved should be made by trained, professional librarians—not politicians or policy committees. Librarians have the expertise to curate collections that serve the educational and developmental needs of all readers.”

    The proposed changes to the York County Library collection policy put them firmly in the position of potential litigation, especially as their language is copied and pasted from Greenville’s. It makes clear that the goal of the library isn’t to serve the whole community, either. The goal is to lean into partisan politics at the expense of all young people living in the community–with LGBTQ+ young people being told explicitly that they do not belong.

    “This proposal is not only discriminatory, but it also puts our county at serious legal and financial risk. We urge the board to uphold the values of inclusion, intellectual freedom, and fiscal responsibility by rejecting this harmful and short-sighted suggestion,” Support York County Libraries added.

    Per The Herald, costs for any litigation arising from such a proposal would come from York County Library’s insurance, meaning it would be footed by taxpayers in one way or another.

    Support York County Libraries has put together a petition demanding that the board reject this new policy that anyone can sign. You can follow their work and get involved through their website.

    The York County Library policy committee will meet again this coming Tuesday, June 24. It will be at 1 p.m. at the Lake Wylie branch. Consider reaching out to the York County Board via email and keeping an eye on their webpage for updates on meeting times and locations.





    Original Source Link

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp

    Related Posts

    Interview with Kimberley Troutte, Author of The Intel (The Infiltrix Book 3)

    What Does Publishing Have to Say About the PBS and NPR Defunding?

    Piazza’s #Tradwife Murder Mystery Gives New Meaning to “Domestic” Thriller

    Interview with Denise Hunter, Author of The Summer of You and Me

    A $100K Prize to Find The Next Big Story

    Bookaholic Podcast — From Fairytales to Reality: A Young Writer’s Dream

    Popular Posts

    THE GABI THAT GIRMA WORE

    General Hospital reunion 40 years in the making brings Blackie and Jackie together

    Alexis Bellino’s Divorce Settlement Details Revealed

    Master & Dynamic debuts MW09 earbuds with upgraded sound, ANC and battery life

    Deadpool & Wolverine Has Record-Breaking Opening Weekend

    What Did Jackie Goldschneider’s Text About Dolores Catania Say?

    ON STAGE Will Premiere at Specially-Built Venue in London

    Categories
    • Books (1,503)
    • Box Office (927)
    • Cover Story (18)
    • Events (11)
    • Featured (26)
    • Film (1,523)
    • Horror (1,510)
    • Lifestyle (5)
    • Music (1,573)
    • Politics (645)
    • Popular Music Videos (943)
    • Reality TV (965)
    • Technology (1,517)
    • Television (1,266)
    • Uncategorized (1)
    Archives
    Useful Links
    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA / Copyright Disclaimer
    • Amazon Disclaimer
    • Terms and Conditions
    Categories
    • Books (1,503)
    • Box Office (927)
    • Cover Story (18)
    • Events (11)
    • Featured (26)
    • Film (1,523)
    • Horror (1,510)
    • Lifestyle (5)
    • Music (1,573)
    • Politics (645)
    • Popular Music Videos (943)
    • Reality TV (965)
    • Technology (1,517)
    • Television (1,266)
    • Uncategorized (1)
    Popular Posts

    Watch the Official Trailer for A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

    The 50 Best Shows on Disney+ Right Now (October 2024)

    Cat Person review – sorry, I’m allergic

    ‘The Last of Us’ Co-Creator Neil Druckmann Exits HBO Series

    © 2025 Entertainment Industry Reporter. All rights reserved. All articles, images, product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. By using this site, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT