Legislation Aims To Finish Initiative Started Last Session: To Get Porn Out Of Tennessee School Libraries

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –

A pair of bills will be heard before the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee at noon on 3/7/2023, that set out to finish a task yet to be accomplished in the state of Tennessee. 

Sponsored by Representative Susan Lynn (R-D57-Mount Juliet), HB0841 / HB1090 as introduced, removes the educational justification of a person possessing obscene material if the person is at a school building, bus, school campus, grounds, recreational area, athletic field, or other property owned, used, or operated by a local education agency. – Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 9.

Federal obscenity exception statutes allow for materials that would technically qualify as obscene based on state obscenity laws, to be on the shelves and checked out to Tennessee school children in K-12 public schools. 

Sexually explicit books such as “The Bluest Eye” By Toni Morrison, and “Push” by Sapphire, both novels that depict graphically explicit incidents of child sexual abuse and rape, sit on the shelves of many Tennessee public school libraries. 

Other materials that can be found in some Tennessee School libraries are graphic novels depicting sex acts, as well as books that contain descriptions of hetero and homosexual activities. 

These are just some examples of materials that parents have been asking for school boards all over Tennessee to remove from the school libraries. Thus far, most school boards remain tone deaf to those pleas. 

In a work session of Williamson County School Board late last month, Eric Welch (D10) defended the presence of the obscene material as an opportunity to have a “controlled” exposure to traumatic events like rape and incest, because overcoming the trauma of those events can be “character building”, and it would be beneficial for public school students in Tennessee to read about it.

Later in that same meeting Jennifer Aprea (D5) made a similar argument, she said “Reading these traumatic experiences in the safety of your own home where you can experience them without experiencing the actual trauma of them can  develop empathy and build character…”

Many parents do not feel that it should be the job of a school board to decide whether their children should be exposed to traumatizing and sexually graphic material, and now, it looks like perhaps the Tennessee General Assembly may just do something about it. 

Last year, a bill sponsored by Representative Scott Cepicky (R-D64-Culleoka) had a simple goal of removing the educational justification from obscene materials, but was met with opposition due to the criminal consequences that could result for anyone who may proliferate the material, such as librarians. 

Despite considerable attention the issue garnered last session, the effort failed to materialize in the form of a bill and then a law that would do what it was designed to do: build a wall between Tennessee school children and the pornography they were being exposed to at school.    

This next week, a new opportunity to finally realize this goal has been resurrected.

Readers are encouraged to contact the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee and express support for the passage of this bill into law. 

Rep. Bud Hulsey (R-D2-Kingsport) rep.bud.hulsey@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-2886

Rep. John Gillespie (R-D97-Memphis) rep.john.gillespie@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-8201

Rep. Scotty Campbell (R-D3-Mountain City) rep.scotty.campbell@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-2050

Rep. Michele Carringer (R-D16-Knoxville) rep.michele.carringer@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-1721

Rep. Elaine Davis (R-D18-Knoxville) rep.elaine.davis@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-2287

Rep. Clay Doggett (R-D-70- Pulaski) rep.clay.doggett@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-7476

Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-D17-Sevierville) rep.andrew.farmer@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-4419

Rep. Monty Fritts (R-D32-Kingsport) rep.monty.fritts@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-7658

Rep. Ronnie Glynn (D-D67-Clarksville) rep.ronnie.glynn@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-2043

Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-D93-Memphis) rep.ga.hardaway@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-5625

Rep. Dan Howell (R-D22-Cleveland) rep.dan.howell@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-7799

Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-D90-Knoxville) rep.gloria.johnson@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-2031

Rep. William Lamberth (R-D44-Portland) rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-1980

Rep. Debra Moody (R-D81-Covington) rep.debra.moody@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-3774

Rep. Lowell Russell (R-D21-Vonore) rep.lowell.russell@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-3736

Rep. Paul Sherrell (R-D43-Sparta) rep.paul.sherrell@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-1963

Rep. Joe Towns, Jr. (D-D84-Memphis) rep.joe.towns@capitol.tn.gov 615-741-2189

About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member.  Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.