1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,040 This programme contains very strong language 2 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:44,760 I never imagined what's happening right now could ever happen. 3 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,600 It didn't dawn on us that we would come under attack. 4 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,760 Do you like people? 5 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,040 Have you a real love of books and learning? 6 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,760 You may well consider the vocation of a librarian. 7 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,040 We just... 8 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,240 ..never imagined we would be in the forefront. 9 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,280 We're not supposed to necessarily be seen and felt. 10 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:21,360 We're stewards of the space, stewards of the resources. 11 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,520 We're the stewards for the people. 12 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,520 Now I think we've moved into the vanguard. 13 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,720 We have to be out in front telling the story. 14 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:35,520 It's about us. 15 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,520 {\an8}Texas Republicans are launching an investigation 16 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,040 into what types of books school districts have, 17 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,920 specifically ones that pertain to race and sexuality. 18 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:41,120 In a letter to the Texas Education Agency, 19 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,800 lawmakers pointed to Texas districts that recently removed books 20 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,080 from classrooms after parent complaints. 21 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,520 Republican State Representative Matt Krause of Fort Worth 22 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,160 sent this list of 850 books 23 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,760 to a number of public school districts. 24 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,040 There is no information on who helped Representative Krause 25 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:00,760 compile the list. 26 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:07,520 We were right there in the crosshairs of this rising call, 27 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:12,960 so we felt like everything that we did was being watched. 28 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,040 It's not just 850 books which we've all fixated on. 29 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,280 He says and "any other books". 30 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,280 I'm just immediately angry because it's so obvious 31 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:46,040 that he is targeting LGBTQ titles and authors of colour, 32 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,520 and books about race, and books about sex education. 33 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,920 He is asking districts to remove these and any other books 34 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,400 that might embarrass or shame someone... 35 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,840 ..due to sex or race. 36 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:07,040 What struck me was, one, there was a list of 850 books. 37 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,400 He wanted to know if school districts had them, 38 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,520 how much money had been spent on them. 39 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,680 - REPORTER: - The list includes titles like a book on the history 40 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,680 of the KKK, and another about desegregation in schools. 41 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,280 There are also books about gender identity, 42 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:26,920 the LGBTQ community and the history of Roe v Wade. 43 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:28,600 I didn't even think, 44 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,160 you know, most school districts would entertain this. 45 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,520 I remember looking at it, thinking... 46 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,800 ..they're singling us out again. 47 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,520 A couple of days later, our governor doubled down 48 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,760 and sent a letter to the Texas Association of School Boards 49 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,920 asking them to do something about "pornography" in our libraries. 50 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,360 I'm calling for the immediate removal 51 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,040 of this very graphic, pornographic material 52 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,840 from our libraries and our schools, and want to establish standards 53 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:02,520 so that parents have the assurance that their children 54 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,080 will not be exposed to it. 55 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,040 I remember seeing Governor Abbott's letter 56 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,040 and my district was mentioned specifically. 57 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,040 That was the first moment that I realised school librarians 58 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,280 could be criminalised for selecting books 59 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:23,880 and making them available on the shelf. 60 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:34,520 All books, Ulysses. 61 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,920 - I wonder what they say in all those books. - Are they saying... 62 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,360 Politicians are playing a very dangerous game 63 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,480 when they try to make school libraries 64 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,040 battlegrounds for their political war, 65 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:54,280 because the only people that that is going to hurt are our kids. 66 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,840 This space, these resources, 67 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:07,480 that are supposed to be this magical entry point to... 68 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,960 ..the world, to stories, to ideas. 69 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:14,600 There it is. 70 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:16,280 See it? 71 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,040 Something they're seeing in there. 72 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,040 What is it, Lionel? 73 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,440 There's an A. Yep, that's an A right there. 74 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,160 I sure would like to know what they're saying in there, though. 75 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:31,520 Every letter is different from... 76 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:55,720 {\an8}Well, ladies and gentlemen, here we are at Granbury High School. 77 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,440 You know, it's always exciting, the first day of school. 78 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,040 kids are dressed up, parents are excited, 79 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:05,040 especially new moms and dads taking that walk for the first time 80 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,840 with those five-year-olds into kindergarten. It's a great feeling. 81 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,760 And when they come to me, I... 82 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,120 I need to have a conversation with you. 83 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,040 We were called into a meeting and told 84 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:42,360 anything that is sexually explicit that could meet the penal code, 85 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,240 you are responsible for in your library. 86 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,520 And I pepped up, I said, "Just the Krause list?", 87 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:13,360 and got the evil eye. 88 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,440 We spent the rest of the afternoon in that meeting going through our 89 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,760 catalogues and trying to figure out what we have and what we don't have. 90 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,320 {\an8}I was sitting in the library reading, and these men 91 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,000 came in with this big cart, and they went up to librarians 92 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,200 and they started saying, "Where are the books? 93 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,280 "We need to get these things out of here." 94 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,040 We were just told, "Get rid of them. Get rid of them. 95 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,040 "Deal with it. Get rid of them." 96 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,880 Getting them off the shelves, putting them on carts, 97 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:57,320 putting them wherever, 98 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,520 going through books and just chucking them. 99 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:02,760 They had no room downtown. 100 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,040 The offices were full of books. 101 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,840 The high school was full of books. 102 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:11,920 When you have to go through 10,000 books, 103 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,280 what are you going to do? 104 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,520 To me, as a librarian, that was trauma. 105 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:22,520 I went to the campus of a librarian I particularly feared for 106 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:24,840 and she took me into a closet. 107 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:29,360 Was very careful to let me know, "What I'm about to show you 108 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,280 "is behind three locks, so I feel like it's safe." 109 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,280 The librarian unlocks each of those and we get to the cabinets 110 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:37,960 and open the cabinets. 111 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,440 It's shelves and shelves of books. 112 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:44,840 Harmless books. 113 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,040 I just started putting them on the carts and I said, "No." 114 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,520 Every book that was on that shelf felt like a student 115 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,760 that we were saying, "We've got to put you behind three locks. 116 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,520 "We've got to hide you back here in the dark." 117 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:03,480 Now we'll come to order. 118 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,520 Mr Reed Harris, you wrote a book, and at the time you wrote this book, 119 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:11,040 did you feel that marriage should be cast out 120 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:16,080 of our civilisation as antiquated and stupid religious phenomena? 121 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,360 You put an implication on it and you feature this particular point 122 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:22,120 out of the book, which of course is quite out of context, 123 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:25,280 does not give a proper impression of the book as a whole. 124 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,800 The American public doesn't get an honest impression of even that book. 125 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,680 Well, then, let's continue to read your own writing. 126 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:35,520 If we would go back in history to McCarthyism, 127 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,560 it felt like that happened to them, 128 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:40,240 it wouldn't happen to us, it wouldn't happen now. 129 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,040 Our hearts swell with pride... 130 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,680 ..because those who went before you worked... 131 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:48,880 ..to give to us today standing here... 132 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:51,360 ..this pride. 133 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,280 Don't join the book burners. 134 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,600 Don't think you're going to conceal faults 135 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,480 by concealing evidence that they ever existed. 136 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,040 Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book. 137 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:06,920 We do have a code of ethics... 138 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,280 ..around intellectual freedom... 139 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,760 ..around privacy, around representation 140 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,520 and access to information 141 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:20,120 and a diversity of perspectives and issues. 142 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,880 Those are all part of our code. 143 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:27,480 I couldn't remove a book because it has ideas we don't like. 144 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,520 Can't we look at this from a practical point of view? 145 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,360 Take my word for it, it's not unreasonable 146 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,440 to ask you to take out just this one book. 147 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,040 If you can control the library, you can control the community 148 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,920 because if you can control the flow of information, 149 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,240 if you can control the ideas, you've got it. You've got everything. 150 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,200 Of course you're coming after school librarians first. 151 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:55,040 Of course you are. 152 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:15,480 That was my office. 153 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:19,840 Erm, where is it? 154 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,840 These are two books that I was asked to be removed 155 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:29,680 and I would not remove them. 156 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:33,440 Now, they asked us to put these behind the counter 157 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:37,480 so that they weren't available unless you knew they were here. 158 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,520 Now they've separated all of the pluses from the regular books. 159 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,600 The LGBTQ books. 160 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,240 They were all integrated before, but now they have separated them. 161 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,520 But also, we went out of our way to get Christian books 162 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,520 just for this group, when they started making problems, 163 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,280 so we got two series down here just so that their children, 164 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,960 who were more Christian-based, could have their books, too. 165 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,280 I have to show you our children's library. 166 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,320 You know, that's where our porn lives! 167 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:10,680 SHE LAUGHS 168 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,440 A Day In The Life Of Marlon Bundo. Have you seen that one? 169 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,760 It's a story about a bunny rabbit. 170 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,920 He meets another male bunny. 171 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:25,040 So, the bunnies end up getting married. 172 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:28,160 They don't know that's here. 173 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,040 Because they're just looking on their list. 174 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,040 So, yes, there are books here 175 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,120 that they may not like, but they're here. 176 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:45,520 This is the actual rules of the Llano County Library. 177 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,760 "In no case should any book be excluded 178 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:49,680 "because of race or nationality, 179 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:52,280 "or the political or religious views of the writer." 180 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,840 I followed these rules and I got fired for it. 181 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,520 That's me when I was in the US Army. 182 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:10,040 When we take our oath to protect the country, it doesn't stop there. 183 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,640 You protect the Constitution of the United States 184 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:19,520 from attacks, both external and internal. 185 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,040 Did you know this book existed? 186 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:30,040 Everybody's afraid to say what these people are acting like, 187 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:34,360 but if you read history, you know what they are acting like. 188 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:40,320 It says, "No to decadence and moral corruption, 189 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,920 "yes to decency and morality and family and state. 190 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:48,920 "You do well to commit to the flames the evil spirit of the past. 191 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,400 "This is a strong, great and symbolic deed." 192 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,760 A lot of the books that he burned were not just the Jewish authors, 193 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,040 they were the LGBTQ . 194 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,920 They were those authors that they burned. 195 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,000 Start throwing it in there! Start throwing it in there! 196 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,680 Start throwing it in there! Start throwing it in there! 197 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:35,680 Burn it! Burn it! Burn it! 198 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:37,680 HORN BLARES 199 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,400 - Hallelujah! - Woo! 200 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,040 - ALL: - I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, 201 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,280 one state under God, 202 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,280 one and indivisible. 203 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:25,040 I do want to clarify a couple of points on behalf of the district. 204 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:26,960 As you know, 205 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,040 Texas education is the responsibility of the state, 206 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,520 which essentially makes Governor Abbott our CEO. 207 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:36,960 I want to start this out simple. 208 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,240 The job of the Superintendent and the school board 209 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,640 is to not only protect the students in this district, 210 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,440 but to make them feel like they have a place in this community. 211 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,760 But I've got to tell you, from what I've seen so far, 212 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:48,280 you are failing at your job. 213 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:49,920 DOORBELL 214 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,040 Hiya, guys. Come on in. 215 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,800 We've all read Fahrenheit our freshman year, 216 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,280 and we talk about the scariness of book banning. 217 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,760 Literally on the windows of our library, 218 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:10,520 our library has a big windowed wall, there are freshman students' 219 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,200 drawings about Fahrenheit 451. 220 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,360 Look, these are all novels... 221 00:17:18,360 --> 00:17:21,160 ..all about people that never existed. 222 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,520 The people that read them, it makes them unhappy with their own lives, 223 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,200 makes them want to live in other ways that can never really be. 224 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,760 So we must burn the books, Montag. 225 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:35,960 All the books. 226 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:40,520 And seeing that and knowing what is going on within that library, 227 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,280 it feels like... 228 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,840 It's blatant that there's a facade here. 229 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,040 We have books in the library that are pretty heavy 230 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:51,040 and have sexual assault, like A Clockwork Orange, even, 231 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,640 and that wasn't pulled, so... 232 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,520 Had I not picked this book up, 233 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:00,080 I don't think I would be sitting here now. 234 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,320 If it's a cis, straight, white male or female, well, it's no issue, 235 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:07,920 but as soon as you've got any kind of diversity, red flag. 236 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,680 A gay person, a brown person, cut it out. 237 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,240 LAUGHTER 238 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,240 Yeah. 239 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:15,360 An analysis of the 850-book list 240 00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:18,040 form the following likely reasons for inclusion. 241 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,520 60% because of LGBTQ . 242 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:22,760 8% because of race and racism. 243 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,040 13% because of sexual education - 244 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,760 something that is not taught in all Texas schools. 245 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,760 Stop the censorship in our district. 246 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,120 Wake up to the reality that we are all different 247 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:35,120 and we should all embrace each other with love, not blatant hate. 248 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:38,760 I'm simply going to say that no government, and public school 249 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,680 is an extension of government, has ever banned books 250 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:43,760 and banned information from its public, 251 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,080 and been remembered in history as the good guys. 252 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,040 Let's not misrepresent things. We're not taking Shakespeare 253 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,920 or Hemingway off the shelves, and we're not going and grabbing 254 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,280 every socially, culturally or religiously diverse book 255 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,520 and pulling them. That's absurd. 256 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:00,520 And the people that are saying that are gaslighters, 257 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:03,120 and it's designed to incite division. 258 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:08,600 Can you help me? 259 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,600 I might need somebody else to help me. I need to pass these out. 260 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:13,440 Maybe somebody else to help Karen. 261 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,400 You can give them to the board. Definitely she needs help. 262 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,480 I've brought you some excerpts of books. 263 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,120 I pray you really are able to stop this kind of content 264 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:22,680 from going in this school. 265 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,800 These people put sexually explicit content into your libraries. 266 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:35,520 Get ready for truth and transparency from an ocean of liberal tears. 267 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,560 Let's talk about Superintendent Dr Jeremy Glenn 268 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,440 and the smut and porn in the library books. 269 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,280 And it's not just his position. It's the position of the school board, 270 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,560 it's the position of this community at large. 271 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:53,680 Bottom line, this is about removing pornographic, 272 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,960 sexually explicit and vulgar materials from school libraries. 273 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,520 I want you to know this. Tonight I'm going to go home 274 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:03,520 and I'm going to get a great night's sleep because, unlike you, 275 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,840 I've actually read what's in those books, 276 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:08,680 and I'm proud that they've been removed from our shelves 277 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,040 and we've made the right decision for kids. 278 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:12,880 APPLAUSE 279 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,600 I taught for about five years. 280 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,640 I've taught in a private school setting, 281 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,280 and I've taught sixth grade social studies, 282 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,040 I've taught third grade general education, 283 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,640 so all the core classes. 284 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:32,040 My concern was that there might have been stuff 285 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,040 that they just didn't know was there, 286 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:36,920 that they just weren't aware, because they didn't know... 287 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:38,600 They didn't know where to look. 288 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,920 And, at first, I didn't know where to look. 289 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:45,760 I had gone to a Moms for Liberty event 290 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:48,920 where we had a preview to a documentary. 291 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,280 You are teaching children adult-child sex, 292 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,520 you're teaching transgender issues, 293 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:58,040 and children are mouldable and influenced by that. 294 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:02,280 In my humble opinion, it will be worse before it gets better. 295 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:10,040 My kids go to the schools here, 296 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,520 my family's kids go to the schools here, 297 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:14,840 my friends' kids go to the schools here. 298 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,040 It was disheartening to think that was actually happening 299 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:19,680 in my hometown. 300 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:47,040 We first really encountered the Moms for Liberty organisations 301 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:51,560 during Covid, as they really pushed to open schools 302 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:53,200 and unmask children, 303 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:57,200 and that's when we started to hear about their parental rights. 304 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,040 Some of us moms out here have really struggled... 305 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,760 Have children that have really struggled with wearing a mask. 306 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:06,760 Then, when that crisis was over, 307 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,000 they turned to the books. 308 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,680 The things that Moms for Liberty is fighting against 309 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,680 is pornography in school, teaching young children 310 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,880 {\an8}scientific ideologies that have... Non-scientific ideologies. 311 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:43,760 And it just spread. 312 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,280 We could almost see a preview of what was to come 313 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:50,960 and this playbook emerged. 314 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,120 We were afraid. We were told not to tweet, 315 00:22:56,120 --> 00:22:58,520 we were told not to put things on Facebook. 316 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:00,280 They came after me 317 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,920 {\an8}and they came after our library, they came after our library board. 318 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,520 {\an8}We were called evil specialist instead of media specialist. 319 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,760 I know they're going to fire me, I know they're making a case 320 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,520 to fire me, I know it's coming, but I'm not going to shut up. 321 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,280 I'm just not going to do it. 322 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,520 You continue to speak out, you will be on the chopping block, 323 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:23,040 you will lose your job. 324 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,760 {\an8}"We have guns. When can we start killing liberals?" 325 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:27,480 {\an8}When could they start hunting us. 326 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,920 Hold the line against the LGBT mafia 327 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,720 and their damn paedo fans! 328 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,480 {\an8}We had to bring in law enforcement to meetings. 329 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,760 {\an8}This white truck pulled up behind us 330 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,760 {\an8}and the guy rolled down his window and he yelled at me, 331 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,000 {\an8}he said, "We're coming after you next." 332 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,280 We're going to keep coming so hard, the only thing these woke-tards 333 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:48,840 have got to figure out is whether 334 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:50,840 it's on their face, back, butt or thighs. 335 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,240 Woo! 336 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,200 A Florida school district has pulled 176 books 337 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,840 from its libraries to comply with the new state education reform law 338 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,040 championed by Governor Ron DeSantis. 339 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,360 We are going to make sure that parents have a seat at the table 340 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:11,080 and that we protect... erm, protect their rights. 341 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,960 Under Florida's HB 1467 Law, 342 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,680 school books have to be free of pornography 343 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:18,920 or certain race-based teachings. 344 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:21,760 Violating parts of the law could lead teachers 345 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,760 to be charged with a felony. 346 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,760 Librarians are pulling books without anyone challenging them. 347 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:38,160 The teachers in Manatee County were told, "By Friday at 3pm, 348 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:41,120 "you will either cover with paper, 349 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:44,200 "turn them to the walls, or take your books home." 350 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,800 They thought they were erring on the side of caution. 351 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,240 But the kids were so upset, they actually 352 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,160 texted their parents and said, "Everyone's crying, 353 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,160 "everyone's upset. We need our books. We want our books." 354 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,600 They wrote emails to the principal, 355 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,840 saying, "Please, don't take away our books." 356 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,240 Part of what I see as my calling is taking care of children. 357 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,600 Elizabeth Ann Seton was the patron saint of teachers. 358 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:22,080 I do not believe that Scripture is there 359 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:26,840 for us to use as a weapon, or to make our political points. 360 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,000 Please do some research as to our founding fathers. 361 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,280 Their biggest fear was that we'd become a theocracy. 362 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,480 They did not want to be governed by a king, 363 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:41,760 and they did not want to be governed by a god. 364 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:44,400 They wanted freedom. 365 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,120 Librarians have heard from hundreds of kids 366 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:52,320 that books have saved their lives. 367 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:56,360 That's why, to me, I see this as the civil rights fight of our time. 368 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,080 And they're not banning just any books. 369 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,200 They're banning the best books. 370 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,000 We reject woke ideology. 371 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,000 CHEERING 372 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,520 We fight the woke in the legislature. 373 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,640 We fight the woke in the schools. 374 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,920 We fight the woke in the corporations. 375 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,480 We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob. 376 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,360 - Florida is where woke goes to die. - CHEERING 377 00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:56,040 We've got, down here, 378 00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:00,360 The Librarian Of Auschwitz some people are challenging. 379 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:03,560 Or Flamer, which is actually a really good one. 380 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,400 And, of course, Handmaid's Tale. 381 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:11,520 I had been at the school for nine years. 382 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:16,800 It had been a dream job for the first seven of those nine years. 383 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:18,840 The governor says this is child pornography. 384 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:25,120 In June, one of the Moms For Liberty in our area had posted a video about 385 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:28,160 the second book in the A Court Of Thorns and Roses series, 386 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:32,360 and she tagged all of the schools that had the book in their library. 387 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:36,440 So then the district decided to just quietly pull the books 388 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:38,800 from the shelves and delete them. 389 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,440 And I happened to notice a few days later, when I went up to work. 390 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:46,600 I was very concerned that this was kind of getting out of hand. 391 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:48,680 So I went to the school board meeting. 392 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,200 Hi. Good evening. My name is Julie Miller, 393 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:55,760 my address is on file, and I am a high school librarian. 394 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,880 I know, we're kind of seen as the bad guy. 395 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:05,080 Um, so I just wanted to give you guys just a moment of 396 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:10,480 hearing straight from one of us who are boots-on-the-ground to let you 397 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,080 know, like, a little bit about us. 398 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,360 I am a Baptist minister's wife, 399 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:19,520 and daughter of a minister, as well. 400 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:24,520 It was at that same meeting where Bruce Friedman showed up. 401 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:28,400 - ARCHIVE: - This year, at least 102 books have been banned 402 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,240 in Clay County, Florida. 403 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,360 They were removed from school libraries, 404 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:36,320 thanks in large part to this single conservative activist. 405 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,960 I represent No Left Turn in Education, 406 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,800 that's the Florida chapter. I also run the New York chapter. 407 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:43,840 Also a member of Moms For Liberty. 408 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:48,760 I spent, like, 45 minutes after that meeting talking to him, 409 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,320 and it was a, you know, pleasant... 410 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,840 ..weird, but pleasant conversation. 411 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:56,120 Um, and the next thing I know 412 00:28:56,120 --> 00:29:00,080 is Bruce essentially said in an article, 413 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,920 "I'm going to clean up the libraries in Clay County. 414 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:04,560 "Anyone who gets in my way, 415 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,160 "I'm going to run over them like a dead body." 416 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,880 And it was just like, "First of all, who runs over a dead body? 417 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:11,160 "Like, what does that even mean?" 418 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,080 But very, like, triggering language. 419 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,160 And then he started writing my name on challenge forms. 420 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,200 "Talk to Julie Miller. 421 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:26,800 "Julie Miller has this one. Surprise, surprise. 422 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:28,520 "Disgusting." 423 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,520 It was like, "What is going on?!" 424 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,400 MUSICIANS PLAY UPBEAT MUSIC 425 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:45,680 Julie was very helpful 426 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:47,400 in research of 427 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:52,480 the books that have been banned, the books that have been removed. 428 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,120 - - Get ready 429 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:56,760 430 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,840 To attempt to take black history 431 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:04,160 and take a lot of our stories away from children 432 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:07,760 is one of the most evil things I think a person can do. 433 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,960 - ARCHIVE: - When it comes to the number of banned books 434 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,520 at schools, Florida leads the nation, and Clay County 435 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:15,800 is number one in the state. 436 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,080 {\an8}Clay County is one of the last 437 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:26,040 {\an8}"good ol' boy" frontiers in North Florida. 438 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,320 If you ride through Clay County, 439 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:33,800 most of the streets are named after slave owners. 440 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:37,320 And so that symbolism and that ideology, 441 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,120 it gives them opportunity 442 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:43,200 to be deep-seated in government positions, 443 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,640 superintendents, school boards, 444 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,640 city managers, all of that. 445 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:54,760 These are some of the books 446 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,200 Stamped. 447 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,960 - Anybody ever seen the movie, Color Purple? - Yes. 448 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,200 And, of course, 1619 Project. 449 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,680 Do you care whether books that are written by 450 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:14,360 African-Americans, or books like...? 451 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,480 This book was banned! 452 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,600 {\an8}As a kid, like, going to a predominantly white school, 453 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:23,800 {\an8}I was always questioning, 454 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,240 {\an8}questioning who I was, 455 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:28,880 {\an8}like, hair, skin colour. 456 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,440 I feel like this, New Kid, Hair Love, 457 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:34,520 I feel like that would have made me feel 458 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,120 a little bit more comfortable in my own skin. 459 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,360 What's dangerous with this book banning 460 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:45,000 is it's being led by people 461 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,040 who say they love God. 462 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,720 And I call for the fire of God, and the glory of God, 463 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,840 and the fear of the Lord to fall on Clay County, Florida, 464 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:56,360 in the name of Jesus. 465 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:58,800 SCATTERED APPLAUSE 466 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:00,480 Next, we have Jeffrey Dove. 467 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:11,600 I do not wish the fire of God to fall on you all. 468 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:17,160 That's not the God I serve. 469 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:18,480 I'm a lot of things. 470 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:20,440 I'm a pastor. I'm a father. 471 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,680 And most of all, I'm a strong black man. 472 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,160 But when you start talking about removing African-American authors 473 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:28,760 and African-American history, 474 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:31,280 I got a problem with that, 475 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,080 because right now, we are an embarrassment... 476 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:37,640 ..in the state of Florida. 477 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:42,640 We got the list of, "These books are to be removed immediately, 478 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:44,440 "so says the Oversight Committee." 479 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:51,240 I wrote an email back and just asked, like, 480 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:54,880 "Could you please provide us with the reason 481 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:58,280 "why each of these books is being removed?" 482 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,280 Some months have went by. 483 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:04,000 I asked someone about Julie and how she was doing. 484 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,960 That one thing that I dreaded the most, had happened. 485 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,080 I lost my job. 486 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:13,760 I was removed from my library 487 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,960 for asking questions. 488 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,360 They're going to say it's because I was refusing to follow directives. 489 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,080 That's not the case at all. 490 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:26,440 It's really just because I kept pushing back. 491 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,760 I sat there for three hours. 492 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,600 I wasn't giving up, I wasn't budging. 493 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:40,320 I don't care how long it was. They were going to hear me that day. 494 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:43,720 All right, so before, actually, 495 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,880 we move into school board member comments, I did have a question from 496 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,680 the audience. Um, it's from... 497 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:52,920 Yeah, the reason I came back, because I saw 498 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:57,400 one of you all's media specialist in Clay County was removed. 499 00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:58,760 It's wrong. 500 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,240 Don't do... Don't do people like that 501 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:05,320 when they have a different view. 502 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,240 It's not fair. 503 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:11,960 If anybody has to be responsible for this cabal who are leading 504 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:15,960 the United States in books that are not on the shelf, 505 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:17,240 it's y'all. 506 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,160 Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame on you. 507 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:27,240 Moms For liberty are making a lot of ground. 508 00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:30,480 Very smart young ladies. 509 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:32,960 I call it wicked genius. 510 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:37,680 It's a genius that pertains to oppressing people. 511 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:42,440 It was like snuffing out a candle. 512 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:48,360 It just happened so, like, quietly, 513 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:51,440 and...it's like, "You're dismissed." 514 00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:55,120 And it's all politically motivated, right? 515 00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,840 But I met the young man outside, 516 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,840 and I said, "How you doing, brother?" 517 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:09,280 He says, "I hate librarians." 518 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:12,760 This can't be America. 519 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,000 No, this can't be America. 520 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:31,680 It feels like I'm living in a dystopian novel right now. 521 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:34,120 Like, if you would have asked me ten years ago 522 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,640 if I was going to have, like, security concerns 523 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:38,200 at a librarian conference, 524 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,080 I'd have been like, "You're nuts!" 525 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,760 This is the highest number of attempted book bans 526 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:49,720 since we began compiling these lists 20 years ago. 527 00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:51,400 And I hate that censorship 528 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,080 affects our professional lives, but it is a reality. 529 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:59,120 Sometimes librarians are relocated to other buildings or grade levels, 530 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,280 and sometimes librarians 531 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:04,320 are outright fired for defending intellectual freedom. 532 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:08,200 And then there are the cases where librarians feel 533 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,240 for their physical safety and for those of their families. 534 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:15,840 One librarian had her tyres slashed during a library board meeting. 535 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,800 We understand what's going on right now 536 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:23,080 on a very real and personal level for some of us. 537 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:26,120 Um, but I know that, as librarians, 538 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:31,760 we continue to remember and focus on our professionalism 539 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:33,240 and the work that we do. 540 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:36,440 We want to make sure that we are reinforcing to you 541 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:42,160 that even in the darkest of days, this is still what we do. 542 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,600 We want to talk about a book-banning controversy under way 543 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:51,280 in Island Trees, New York. 544 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,080 - ARCHIVE: - For six years, The Naked Ape, Slaughterhouse-Five, 545 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:57,720 and seven other books, labelled by the school board as anti-American 546 00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:01,120 or obscene, have been banned from Island Trees library shelves. 547 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:03,840 {\an8}Steven Pico, you were one of the students to bring action, 548 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:07,520 {\an8}- were you not? - We filed suit because we believe that every American, 549 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:08,720 {\an8}regardless of age, 550 00:37:08,720 --> 00:37:11,280 {\an8}has the right to be exposed to a diversity of viewpoints 551 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,520 {\an8}and gain a number of perspectives on life. 552 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:15,640 The Supreme Court today sharply curbed 553 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,040 the authority of local school boards to ban books from school libraries. 554 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:26,240 For laypeople, this is the Roe v Wade of libraries. 555 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:27,720 When the cross lists came back, 556 00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:30,600 when Granbury boxed up hundreds of books, 557 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:34,200 they were infringing on what Pico established. 558 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:37,760 A book cannot be removed because of a disagreement with 559 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:39,720 the ideas that are in the book. 560 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,320 We're highly trained in the selection of 561 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,880 age-appropriate material. Most of us have 562 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,560 library and information science master's degrees. 563 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:54,680 We learned legal precedent. We take courses on it. 564 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,800 The thing that truly concerns us is when an individual, 565 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:00,080 whether it be a parent or a non-parent, 566 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,280 or a single group within the society, 567 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:03,760 tries to determine what is correct 568 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:07,280 for not only that child, but other children, as well. 569 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:08,720 That is what we fight. 570 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:22,240 When I was growing up, we had one road here, 571 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:25,320 and if you were black, you lived on that one road. 572 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:31,360 In our parish, we have the highest concentration of, like, KKK, 573 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:33,840 Aryan Nation, those type of groups. 574 00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:40,480 I'm not going to say my parents are white Christian nationalists, 575 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:42,760 but when I started being targeted, 576 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:45,120 they didn't speak to me for a week. 577 00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:47,040 It's, uh...kind of a mess in here. 578 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:51,720 There we go. Turned it. 579 00:38:54,720 --> 00:38:56,560 All right. 580 00:38:56,560 --> 00:38:59,040 For 40 years, I've been wanting to build a cannon. 581 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,200 See, it rolls real easy. 582 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,280 It's called a Confederate mountain rifle. 583 00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:07,120 It's an exact replica of what you would have seen 584 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:08,520 back to the Civil War. 585 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:18,000 You know, I've done a lot of family history and research. 586 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,160 My ancestors listed slaves as property, 587 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:23,160 and I'm not proud of that. 588 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:24,880 It's uncomfortable. 589 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:26,560 But I think sometimes we have to be uncomfortable 590 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:27,960 and face that fact. 591 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:31,000 Why would you want to embarrass white kids, or...? 592 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:35,160 It's like she said, that's the past, 593 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:36,800 and we can't change that. 594 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:38,600 What you don't want to do 595 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:42,000 is teach your kids to hate their country. 596 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,720 Because then, when they grow up, we won't have a country. 597 00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:45,960 I love my country, 598 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:48,320 but I think we have to acknowledge that we're not perfect. 599 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:51,320 Don't teach only 600 00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:54,720 the bad, the bad, the bad, the bad, the bad, the bad. 601 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:00,200 - ARCHIVE: - While the rest of us were in lockdown, 602 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,800 Live Oak Middle School librarian Amanda Jones 603 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:05,240 and her students were travelling the world. 604 00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:07,360 I decided if they couldn't go out in the world, 605 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,040 I was going to bring the world to them. 606 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:13,520 She was awarded the 2021 National School Librarian of the Year. 607 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:16,280 And I hope to use it as a platform to advocate 608 00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:18,400 for school libraries across the country. 609 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:24,080 "Here is Amanda Jones at the Livingston Parish Library Board 610 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,400 "meeting on Tuesday, July 19th. 611 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,880 "Why is she fighting so hard to keep sexually erotic 612 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:31,360 "and pornographic material in the kids' section?" 613 00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:34,680 The reason why I got targeted and attacked is 614 00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:38,680 because I spoke at our public library board meeting, as a parent. 615 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,640 "If a middle school teacher is promoting pornography 616 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:44,200 "and erotic content to kids, 617 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,600 "I don't care what kind of pedigree she has." 618 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:50,640 And I've never promoted pornography and erotica to children. 619 00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:55,440 Our local representative came for a photo op 620 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:57,680 when I got National School Librarian of the Year. 621 00:40:57,680 --> 00:40:59,680 She was there for that photo op. 622 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:03,440 Two years later, she's perpetuating lies about me. 623 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:08,640 Jones was the subject of harsh memes, 624 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:10,560 comments and threats. 625 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,520 Police couldn't determine who was threatening her. 626 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:21,000 I have made it very well known that I travel with a weapon, 627 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:22,480 multiple weapons, 628 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:25,080 and we got security all around our home. 629 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:28,600 I have escape routes wherever I go, in my head, and I... 630 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:29,960 I get my groceries delivered. 631 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:32,000 I don't go in public in my community. 632 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:37,520 Because the things they say online are so horrible, 633 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:38,840 um, you know, 634 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,600 that I should be killed, and I'm... 635 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,000 I shouldn't be alive. 636 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,360 And that's sad. This is just my life now. 637 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,160 I don't think any of us imagined when we started out 638 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:54,840 that one day our lives might be at risk. 639 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,480 I reached out to a lawyer. 640 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,920 Just got some background information about our county DA. 641 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:03,400 And who in Texas would want to be 642 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:08,480 the first district attorney to try to prosecute a school librarian? 643 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:12,560 That was an existential moment for me. 644 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:14,920 Imagining my face on the "wanted" poster, 645 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,960 and my friends being taken away in handcuffs. 646 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:22,360 - You are obsolete, Mr Wordsworth. - A lie! 647 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:25,600 - No man is obsolete. - You're a librarian, 648 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:27,120 Mr Wordsworth! 649 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:29,760 I'm a human being! I exist! 650 00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:32,280 And if I speak one thought aloud, 651 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:35,800 that thought lives, even after I'm shovelled into my grave! 652 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:38,920 You waste our time, Mr Wordsworth, 653 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:40,800 and you're not worth the waste. 654 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:44,400 How do you find, ladies and gentlemen? 655 00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:50,240 - Obsolete. - Obsolete. - Obsolete. - Obsolete. 656 00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:51,680 I concur. 657 00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:10,080 When I was first attacked, back in 2021, 658 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:14,880 a student, who was not a library regular previously, 659 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:18,680 started showing up in the first couple of weeks of September, 660 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:22,320 every day, during lunchtime, and would just roam the stacks. 661 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,160 And I'd go out and I'd say, "Can I help you find anything?" 662 00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:30,800 And he would say, "No," and I would leave it at that. 663 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:32,840 I don't want to, you know, nag a kid. 664 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,480 After two weeks of this, every day, I see the kid emerge from 665 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:41,080 the stacks holding Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. 666 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,480 I read the book, myself, and loved it. 667 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:00,720 And I was kind of dumbfounded 668 00:44:00,720 --> 00:44:03,600 because it was not a wildly popular book. 669 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:05,400 It wasn't on many people's radar. 670 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:07,640 And of all the 20,000 books in the library, 671 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:09,200 he emerges with that one? 672 00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:11,280 I said, "How'd you learn about it?" 673 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:13,520 And he said, "My parents sent me... 674 00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:15,280 "My parents told me about it 675 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:18,720 "and said I should look for it in the library." 676 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:20,240 24 hours later... 677 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:23,520 ..that student's mother 678 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:26,160 was standing in front of the Board of Education... 679 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:29,440 Martha Hickson, our school librarian, remarked to my son 680 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:33,720 as he was checking out the books, quote, "I love that book." 681 00:44:33,720 --> 00:44:37,240 ..and calling me a pornographer, paedophile, and groomer of children. 682 00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:40,600 This amounts to an effort to groom our kids, 683 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:42,720 to make them more willing to participate 684 00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:45,520 in the heinous acts described in these books. 685 00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:49,080 It grooms them to accept the inappropriate advances of an adult. 686 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:52,720 My principal was in that room. 687 00:44:52,720 --> 00:44:56,400 The assistant superintendent was in that room. 688 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:58,720 But they sat there in silence. 689 00:44:58,720 --> 00:45:01,520 And here's the pain... really painful part. 690 00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:04,640 They have maintained that silence for three years. 691 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:20,480 Being a librarian, I started researching. 692 00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:26,200 I was watching Texas and Florida, both very carefully. 693 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,720 I felt like that's sort of the petri dish 694 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:33,680 of what could be coming up here. 695 00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:38,440 This started in Llano, Texas. 696 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:40,400 About a week later, 697 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:43,600 a woman in Virginia saw the Llano challenge 698 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:45,840 and picked up some of that language. 699 00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:49,640 Both of these books include paedophilia. 700 00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:53,360 - CROSSTALK - This... Do not interrupt my time! 701 00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:56,080 And then, about two weeks later, 702 00:45:56,080 --> 00:45:58,440 the same claim showed up at our board meeting, 703 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:00,960 and that suggested to me something was afoot. 704 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:04,000 And I said, "I don't think this is organic. 705 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:07,520 "I don't think this is spontaneous. 706 00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:09,440 "This is organised." 707 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:13,280 DRUMMING, CHATTER, WHISTLING 708 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:16,160 - ARCHIVE: - Moms For Liberty are having their town hall here tonight 709 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:17,360 on the Upper East Side. 710 00:46:18,440 --> 00:46:21,000 Welcome, New York. We are thrilled to be here. 711 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:23,120 Thank you so much for joining us tonight. 712 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:24,280 CHEERING, APPLAUSE 713 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:27,120 It seems like there's a lot of misconceptions out there about 714 00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:28,760 who we are and what we do. 715 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,480 We were founded in 2021 by Tiffany Justice and I. 716 00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:33,760 We're both former school board members. 717 00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:36,080 What is Moms For Liberty? The New Yorker calls them 718 00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:38,760 "the right-wing mothers fuelling the school board wars." 719 00:46:38,760 --> 00:46:40,920 No-one's going to fight for any issue like a parent. 720 00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:43,280 We're not in it for the money. There's no glory. 721 00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:44,400 We love our children, 722 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:47,360 and we're willing to do anything to protect their future. 723 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:49,440 What money?! 724 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:49,440 LAUGHTER 725 00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:52,360 Now, they'll tell you that their funding for these 726 00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:56,600 national conferences comes from selling their $15 T-shirts. 727 00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:01,360 You don't get Ron DeSantis to show up at your conference, 728 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:03,800 Donald Trump to show up at your conference, 729 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:06,040 just from selling T-shirts. 730 00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:09,440 But this grassroots group is registered as a 501(c). 731 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:11,960 They are not required to disclose their donors. 732 00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:15,480 But we do know that their PAC received a $50,000 donation 733 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:17,480 this year from Julie Fancelli, 734 00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:21,120 the largest single donor to the January 6th Stop the Steal rally 735 00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:23,360 that led to the Capitol insurrection. 736 00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:26,000 We asked Moms For Liberty who else is among their donors, 737 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:28,440 and they did not respond with any specific names. 738 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:32,600 What ideology are the children being indoctrinated into? 739 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:35,000 I think parents fears' are realised. 740 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,160 They're looking at these books where sexual discussions 741 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:41,240 are happening with their children at younger and younger ages. 742 00:47:41,240 --> 00:47:44,360 And Tango Makes Three has been challenged 743 00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:46,040 in at least 32 states. 744 00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:47,920 It's about two male penguins who care 745 00:47:47,920 --> 00:47:49,680 for an abandoned baby penguin. 746 00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:54,280 The book has been labelled a tool for so-called grooming. 747 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:56,760 {\an8}Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. 748 00:47:56,760 --> 00:47:57,880 {\an8}They drew pants. 749 00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:02,800 You're getting to the point of talking about 750 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,560 a period is sexually explicit. 751 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:08,920 Under the new law, Lord Of The Rings is considered to be inappropriate. 752 00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:12,960 There are some Facebook moms' group 753 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:17,560 that said that pandas symbolised something... 754 00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:22,000 The graphic novel of The Diary Of Anne Frank. 755 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:27,120 Yep, there's your nudity, right there. 756 00:48:29,240 --> 00:48:31,400 And Maus, 757 00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:36,520 which has to do with mouse nudity in a concentration camp. 758 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:39,640 When they go after the books, 759 00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:43,280 what they're really going after is those kids 760 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:44,960 that come into my library 761 00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:48,160 for a safe space, and I cannot abide that. 762 00:48:54,120 --> 00:48:56,240 Part of the ethics of our profession, 763 00:48:56,240 --> 00:49:01,360 to support the First Amendment, and to fight censorship. 764 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:03,200 That's what I've been trained to do. 765 00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:13,560 The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District 766 00:49:13,560 --> 00:49:15,040 Board of Education meeting on 767 00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:17,960 Tuesday, January 30th is now called to order. 768 00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:23,520 If I were a younger person, I may have left by now. 769 00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:28,760 But I believe firmly in what's right, 770 00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:32,400 and then I also believe firmly in my students. 771 00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:35,200 If I were to say to the Board, or someone at school, 772 00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:37,680 "You are a vile and disgusting C-word 773 00:49:37,680 --> 00:49:39,320 "and a danger to young people", 774 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:42,920 I could and should be escorted out of this building by the police. 775 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:45,040 This is the exact language that has been sent 776 00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:47,280 to our school librarian by a group 777 00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:49,480 led by the spouse of someone on the board. 778 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:51,080 If you want to get rid of 779 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:53,160 and censor books, you are no different 780 00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:55,120 than fascist, for every 781 00:49:55,120 --> 00:49:58,720 fascist movement began the same exact way. 782 00:49:58,720 --> 00:50:01,520 If you're here to ban books with gay characters, 783 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:04,040 you might as well be here to start the Fourth Reich. 784 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:05,400 CHEERING AND APPLAUSE 785 00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:07,880 - Board, do you want him out for cursing? - Yes! - Yeah! - Yeah! 786 00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:10,120 You guys cursed at my fucking children 787 00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:13,040 at your fucking book banning meeting. You guys cursed... 788 00:50:14,240 --> 00:50:16,960 - Out! - Out! - Out! 789 00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:18,360 Thank you, Board! 790 00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:38,720 The book itself, Queerfully And Wonderfully Made... 791 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:42,640 ..that's going against the scripture. 792 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:44,880 It's, "Fearfully and wonderfully made", 793 00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:46,280 and that's what we are. 794 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:50,720 I can go through the whole chapter of that, of the Bible. 795 00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:55,520 This book is considered nonfiction, and it is including Christianity. 796 00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:57,200 The Bible doesn't support this, 797 00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,600 so that already debunks the nonfiction status of this book. 798 00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:03,040 So we're talking about pornography here. 799 00:51:03,040 --> 00:51:05,480 I was born and raised in Holden. I am also 800 00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:07,760 transfeminine, and I am a queer person. 801 00:51:09,160 --> 00:51:10,720 I don't think y'all understand 802 00:51:10,720 --> 00:51:13,200 what it's like to grow up in an environment like this, 803 00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:14,600 where even your family members 804 00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:18,120 are constantly telling you that you're going to burn in hell. 805 00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:22,200 Books like this say, "Hey, you are loved. 806 00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:27,520 "There is a community that will be there for you." 807 00:51:27,520 --> 00:51:30,080 Sorry, my anxiety is running very high because I can tell 808 00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:32,880 that y'all very much misunderstand us. 809 00:51:32,880 --> 00:51:35,280 - This is much... This require... - STUTTERING 810 00:51:37,040 --> 00:51:38,200 Thank you. 811 00:51:50,240 --> 00:51:52,400 Hello. My name is Amanda Jones. 812 00:51:53,520 --> 00:51:54,840 The great thing about books is 813 00:51:54,840 --> 00:51:57,720 that we all have different ways that we interpret them. 814 00:51:59,160 --> 00:52:02,560 I read this book and I interpret it 815 00:52:02,560 --> 00:52:05,760 as meaning a push for love and acceptance. 816 00:52:07,360 --> 00:52:09,200 It was written by pastors 817 00:52:09,200 --> 00:52:13,840 and mental health professionals for Christians. 818 00:52:13,840 --> 00:52:17,080 This book is not in the children's picture book section. 819 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:20,400 It is in the teen nonfiction section 820 00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:24,160 where it belongs, because it was written for teens. 821 00:52:24,160 --> 00:52:26,480 Monitor your own children. 822 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:29,800 Don't let your children read it if you don't want to. 823 00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:32,560 No-one's forcing you to check it out. 824 00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:35,920 LGBTQ youth who report having at least one accepting adult 825 00:52:35,920 --> 00:52:39,520 are 40% less likely to attempt suicide. 826 00:52:39,520 --> 00:52:42,240 Some kids don't have those adults in their life. 827 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:47,720 I have lost over 12 students 828 00:52:47,720 --> 00:52:49,560 who were ostracised 829 00:52:49,560 --> 00:52:52,280 because they were made to feel less than 830 00:52:52,280 --> 00:52:55,400 in this parish. And I feel it right now, 831 00:52:55,400 --> 00:52:57,680 even though I'm not from that community, 832 00:52:57,680 --> 00:53:01,680 from the hate that's coming from some people in this room. 833 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:03,440 It would be easy to move this book 834 00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,560 and placate a few people for the sake of bypassing drama. 835 00:53:06,560 --> 00:53:07,840 It would be easy. 836 00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:12,360 But sometimes doing what's easy is not what's right. 837 00:53:14,400 --> 00:53:17,240 SMATTERING OF APPLAUSE 838 00:53:20,040 --> 00:53:22,160 The board would like to protect children 839 00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:24,840 from inappropriate material and would prefer to remove 840 00:53:24,840 --> 00:53:28,280 the challenged materials while the library processes its request. 841 00:53:32,680 --> 00:53:35,880 I'll be damned if we're going to lose another kid 842 00:53:35,880 --> 00:53:39,320 because of something our community has done to make them feel less. 843 00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:43,640 I've had former students reach out 844 00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:46,960 to me that have told me books have saved them. 845 00:53:46,960 --> 00:53:50,360 And then there's the kids that grew up and killed themselves 846 00:53:50,360 --> 00:53:53,880 because they were ostracised in our community for who they are. 847 00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:57,400 And if I was silent, 848 00:53:57,400 --> 00:53:59,760 my silence would be my compliance. 849 00:53:59,760 --> 00:54:02,240 And I am not going to be complicit 850 00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:06,360 in the death of children, or even the... 851 00:54:06,360 --> 00:54:08,320 The hurtful feelings, or... 852 00:54:08,320 --> 00:54:10,640 I'm not going to participate in that any more. 853 00:54:11,720 --> 00:54:15,160 Because even though I didn't actively participate in it before, 854 00:54:15,160 --> 00:54:17,440 I was silent and I saw stuff. 855 00:54:17,440 --> 00:54:19,760 But I'm not going to do that any more. 856 00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:21,760 I'm going to speak out about it, so... 857 00:54:21,760 --> 00:54:23,960 This is my strong-willed child and I thought, 858 00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:27,080 "Mm-mm, she's not going to lay down and take this." 859 00:54:43,400 --> 00:54:46,200 Our district was doing an OK job before this. 860 00:54:46,200 --> 00:54:50,000 Was it perfect? No. They were doing a pretty darn good job. 861 00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:51,600 And they were watching out for our kids, 862 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:54,280 {\an8}and they were trying to keep their own personal politics out 863 00:54:54,280 --> 00:54:55,600 {\an8}of the decision-making. 864 00:54:55,600 --> 00:54:57,360 But that's not what we're doing any more. 865 00:54:57,360 --> 00:54:59,560 Now it's all the culture wars of America 866 00:54:59,560 --> 00:55:01,560 are just right smack dab right here 867 00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:04,600 in the middle of my kids' school district. 868 00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:05,880 After more than a year 869 00:55:05,880 --> 00:55:09,440 of controversy, Keller ISD voted to ban books 870 00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:10,920 about gender identity. 871 00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,800 - CHILDREN CHANT: - I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas. 872 00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:16,760 One state under God... 873 00:55:28,160 --> 00:55:30,040 Hi. I'm Laney. 874 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:32,920 I'm a mum of four kids in Keller ISD. 875 00:55:32,920 --> 00:55:35,360 As soon as our new Patriot Mobile school board was elected, 876 00:55:35,360 --> 00:55:37,080 your top priority was to disregard 877 00:55:37,080 --> 00:55:39,720 all the parent district and community input. 878 00:55:39,720 --> 00:55:42,440 Since then, you've created a hateful, contradictory, 879 00:55:42,440 --> 00:55:46,680 nonsensical, and unconstitutional book-banning rubric. 880 00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:48,760 You are also passing a policy tonight 881 00:55:48,760 --> 00:55:50,280 that gives you the power to hire 882 00:55:50,280 --> 00:55:52,480 and fire every employee in the district, 883 00:55:52,480 --> 00:55:54,920 all the way down to the cafeteria workers. 884 00:55:54,920 --> 00:55:57,760 You don't trust your admin. You don't trust your principals. 885 00:55:57,760 --> 00:56:00,320 You don't trust your teachers. You don't trust the parents. 886 00:56:00,320 --> 00:56:02,400 You're coming for teachers and librarians. 887 00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:04,280 You've made it clear, and they know it. 888 00:56:05,840 --> 00:56:08,920 We have a movement within America that has decided 889 00:56:08,920 --> 00:56:10,280 that school boards are now 890 00:56:10,280 --> 00:56:12,160 where they want to push their agenda. 891 00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:21,520 Patriot Mobile, they aren't just a wireless provider, 892 00:56:21,520 --> 00:56:23,400 they are a political movement. 893 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:27,080 Up to 5% of every Patriot Mobile phone bill goes directly 894 00:56:27,080 --> 00:56:30,000 to supporting Patriot Mobile's political action committee. 895 00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:33,640 We need to put our money behind companies that share our values. 896 00:56:33,640 --> 00:56:36,840 I'm looking at Glenn over here from Patriot Mobile. 897 00:56:36,840 --> 00:56:38,160 We know that Patriot Mobile, 898 00:56:38,160 --> 00:56:40,120 they admitted to coming into our communities 899 00:56:40,120 --> 00:56:41,920 and interviewing people and finding 900 00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:44,520 who they thought would best represent their interests, 901 00:56:44,520 --> 00:56:45,600 and that's who they backed 902 00:56:45,600 --> 00:56:47,520 with the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 903 00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:50,840 It wasn't until we started getting 904 00:56:50,840 --> 00:56:53,960 these mailers that we realised what was happening. 905 00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:57,840 We're talking probably seven, eight, nine, ten flyers 906 00:56:57,840 --> 00:56:59,360 these people are getting, 907 00:56:59,360 --> 00:57:01,400 covered with images of crying children 908 00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:03,640 and saying they've been exposed to porn in school, 909 00:57:03,640 --> 00:57:07,040 and your kid is being made to feel guilty for being white. 910 00:57:07,040 --> 00:57:10,080 All of these things that are just simply untrue. 911 00:57:10,080 --> 00:57:13,320 Then we started sharing them online, and we found out 912 00:57:13,320 --> 00:57:15,400 the school districts neighbouring ours had 913 00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:20,240 the exact same flyers paid for by the exact same PAC, 914 00:57:20,240 --> 00:57:21,480 but just with the pictures of 915 00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:24,760 the candidates in ours swapped with theirs. 916 00:57:24,760 --> 00:57:28,320 And we were like, "Oh, my goodness, this is a large-scale, 917 00:57:28,320 --> 00:57:29,720 "coordinated effort 918 00:57:29,720 --> 00:57:33,040 "to take over school boards across the state of Texas." 919 00:57:33,040 --> 00:57:36,040 {\an8}One of the keys is these school boards, right? The school boards 920 00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:38,640 {\an8}are the key that picks the lock. 921 00:57:38,640 --> 00:57:41,680 This was their blueprint, and they succeeded. 922 00:57:41,680 --> 00:57:44,760 They backed 11 candidates in North Texas. 923 00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:46,560 All 11 candidates won. 924 00:57:46,560 --> 00:57:49,360 And now they hold a majority, 925 00:57:49,360 --> 00:57:52,080 and the president, vice-president and secretary on 926 00:57:52,080 --> 00:57:54,800 all four school boards that they decided to fund. 927 00:57:54,800 --> 00:57:56,760 And they're going to continue to spread it. 928 00:57:56,760 --> 00:57:58,840 {\an8}We're focused on school boards here for now, 929 00:57:58,840 --> 00:58:01,200 {\an8}but our goal is to spread this 930 00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:03,920 {\an8}as large as we can to other states and other communities 931 00:58:03,920 --> 00:58:06,520 {\an8}that are, quite frankly, wanting 932 00:58:06,520 --> 00:58:08,760 {\an8}what we're doing here in their communities. 933 00:58:32,120 --> 00:58:34,240 They had that school board meeting 934 00:58:34,240 --> 00:58:38,360 - completely packed with people. - I'm sure. - And... - I'm sure. 935 00:58:39,680 --> 00:58:41,320 ..somebody told me this morning to go 936 00:58:41,320 --> 00:58:43,440 online and look at the Republican Club. 937 00:58:43,440 --> 00:58:47,160 They had some meeting, I guess, last week and it was all about 938 00:58:47,160 --> 00:58:50,360 book banning. And they had speakers come in, 939 00:58:50,360 --> 00:58:52,760 so they got them all riled up and gave them 940 00:58:52,760 --> 00:58:56,360 all their talking points so that they could all come to this meeting 941 00:58:56,360 --> 00:58:59,400 and completely drown anybody else's voices out. 942 00:58:59,400 --> 00:59:02,560 That's what they did. That's what they do. 943 00:59:02,560 --> 00:59:04,040 Well, you know, 944 00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:07,240 a lot of these people actually make threats, 945 00:59:07,240 --> 00:59:10,920 you know, about having a gun and yada, yada, yada. 946 00:59:10,920 --> 00:59:12,200 Mm-hm. 947 00:59:12,200 --> 00:59:14,360 They drive around in trucks with... 948 00:59:15,400 --> 00:59:18,920 - ..you know... - Confederate flags. - Yeah, Confederate flags 949 00:59:18,920 --> 00:59:22,280 - and those secret organisations, they're not secret... - Oath Keepers, 950 00:59:22,280 --> 00:59:24,560 - Three Percenters... - Yeah, Three Percenters... 951 00:59:24,560 --> 00:59:27,080 - Yeah, you see that all the time. - ..the skulls. 952 00:59:27,080 --> 00:59:31,760 It's just like, just so ate up with hate 953 00:59:31,760 --> 00:59:34,920 and there's not enough voices countering it. 954 00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:38,600 ..Of The United States and of this state. 955 00:59:38,600 --> 00:59:41,680 - IN UNISON: - Of the United States and of this state. 956 00:59:41,680 --> 00:59:43,520 - So help me God. - So help me God. 957 00:59:43,520 --> 00:59:45,040 - Congratulations. - Thank you. 958 00:59:45,040 --> 00:59:46,720 APPLAUSE 959 00:59:46,720 --> 00:59:48,080 I ran on this platform. 960 00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:52,640 The porn and the grooming and paedophiles in schools. 961 00:59:55,600 --> 00:59:57,960 I felt like it was there. 962 00:59:57,960 --> 01:00:00,520 People just didn't know or they didn't know where to look, 963 01:00:00,520 --> 01:00:03,680 and I was going to find it, dagnabbit! 964 01:00:03,680 --> 01:00:06,440 So that's what I did, you know, that's why I ran. 965 01:00:08,320 --> 01:00:09,800 And so I did the research. 966 01:00:11,000 --> 01:00:13,080 I was expecting to find something 967 01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:17,000 that would relate to what they were saying. 968 01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:20,080 But nothing even came close. I mean, it just... 969 01:00:20,080 --> 01:00:23,640 It didn't even come close. It just became very apparent 970 01:00:23,640 --> 01:00:27,840 that what they were trying to tell parents 971 01:00:27,840 --> 01:00:30,320 and what was actually happening in our schools, 972 01:00:30,320 --> 01:00:32,360 were two completely different things. 973 01:00:33,920 --> 01:00:38,360 This was just complete sexualisation of the kids. 974 01:00:38,360 --> 01:00:40,120 And it's not stopping, 975 01:00:40,120 --> 01:00:43,240 it's not going backwards, it's moving forward. 976 01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:45,080 It's moving full steam ahead. 977 01:00:46,280 --> 01:00:48,160 Our mission on The Blue Shark Show 978 01:00:48,160 --> 01:00:51,160 was to bring transparency to our local government. 979 01:00:51,160 --> 01:00:54,960 It pains me to say that GISD, through the inaction 980 01:00:54,960 --> 01:00:58,280 of the Board of Trustees and the upper-level administrators, 981 01:00:58,280 --> 01:01:00,960 are grooming your children. 982 01:01:00,960 --> 01:01:02,880 The "aha" moment for me 983 01:01:02,880 --> 01:01:07,400 was a conversation I had with one of my former co-hosts. 984 01:01:07,400 --> 01:01:09,560 I felt we need to let our community know 985 01:01:09,560 --> 01:01:11,560 that it's not in the schools, 986 01:01:11,560 --> 01:01:15,800 and he told me to stop talking to my fellow trustees. 987 01:01:15,800 --> 01:01:18,080 Just completely cut off communication. 988 01:01:20,280 --> 01:01:22,720 Granbury races for the trustees, 989 01:01:22,720 --> 01:01:25,160 we've got three positions that are up. 990 01:01:25,160 --> 01:01:27,520 If you want more-morally-sound schools 991 01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:29,480 that don't have satanic cartoon porn 992 01:01:29,480 --> 01:01:32,240 and jihadi sympathiser material on the library, 993 01:01:32,240 --> 01:01:34,040 this is a no-brainer. 994 01:01:34,040 --> 01:01:35,080 They wanted to flip the board. 995 01:01:35,080 --> 01:01:36,440 They wanted to flip the Commissioners Court. 996 01:01:36,440 --> 01:01:37,880 They want to flip the city council. 997 01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:41,680 Every level of government here locally to get their candidates in. 998 01:01:41,680 --> 01:01:45,400 When you're trying to get people in every level of government, 999 01:01:45,400 --> 01:01:47,640 something else is going on behind the scenes. 1000 01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:52,440 I refused to do their bidding 1001 01:01:52,440 --> 01:01:56,360 and I said, "No, I'm not doing that. That's not right." 1002 01:01:56,360 --> 01:01:58,800 Now I'm enemy number one with them. 1003 01:01:58,800 --> 01:02:00,160 Surprise, surprise. 1004 01:02:04,480 --> 01:02:06,360 Courtney Gore, who's been an entire 1005 01:02:06,360 --> 01:02:08,720 and complete and total disappointment. 1006 01:02:08,720 --> 01:02:12,400 Yes, I would say disappointment is a big word. 1007 01:02:12,400 --> 01:02:15,680 And I go back to that culture of, do you want to do the right 1008 01:02:15,680 --> 01:02:18,480 thing and not be liked by everybody? 1009 01:02:18,480 --> 01:02:20,360 I guess Courtney's woke. 1010 01:02:21,840 --> 01:02:24,080 - She woke. - Courtney's woke? 1011 01:02:24,080 --> 01:02:27,240 I guess she's woke now, is what they're saying. 1012 01:02:27,240 --> 01:02:29,480 - Courtney? - Yes. 1013 01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:33,880 You can't say there's not porn in schools, cos there is. 1014 01:02:35,680 --> 01:02:37,320 I knew I was going to get backlash, 1015 01:02:37,320 --> 01:02:40,880 but I never thought it was going to rise to the level that it did. 1016 01:02:40,880 --> 01:02:43,120 There was a June meeting where a gentleman - 1017 01:02:43,120 --> 01:02:47,720 it was actually his grandfather - came with a firearm. 1018 01:02:48,920 --> 01:02:50,480 Yeah, I've got something for you, too. 1019 01:02:50,480 --> 01:02:51,560 You just wait. 1020 01:02:54,960 --> 01:02:56,520 I don't play by the rules any more. 1021 01:02:56,520 --> 01:02:58,480 I haven't played by the rules since Vietnam. 1022 01:02:59,720 --> 01:03:01,760 And I'm not going to start now. 1023 01:03:01,760 --> 01:03:03,720 We have profile sheets 1024 01:03:03,720 --> 01:03:05,840 of Courtney Gore, which... She's not here. 1025 01:03:06,800 --> 01:03:09,600 Profile sheets. We know what you do, we know where you live. 1026 01:03:09,600 --> 01:03:12,560 - MURMURING WOMAN: - It's threatening. And wrong. 1027 01:03:14,640 --> 01:03:16,800 One of my younger brothers came over here 1028 01:03:16,800 --> 01:03:20,040 and actually slept on our front porch that night, 1029 01:03:20,040 --> 01:03:21,720 just to make sure we were safe. 1030 01:03:21,720 --> 01:03:24,160 I feel like by talking, that is 1031 01:03:24,160 --> 01:03:26,360 the only way I'm going to be able to protect myself. 1032 01:03:26,360 --> 01:03:28,360 Like, I have to be vocal. 1033 01:03:28,360 --> 01:03:32,080 And if I'm not, that's when they get the power. 1034 01:03:40,360 --> 01:03:41,840 Last day in Granbury. 1035 01:03:43,480 --> 01:03:46,320 We're very excited to be leaving. 1036 01:03:46,320 --> 01:03:50,040 This is a place Mindy and I both grew up in... 1037 01:03:50,040 --> 01:03:53,000 ..came back to raise our kids in. 1038 01:03:53,000 --> 01:03:55,720 I ran the Baseball and Softball Association, 1039 01:03:55,720 --> 01:03:58,520 I served on the school board. And this place changed. 1040 01:03:58,520 --> 01:04:01,800 People more willing to impose their religion on others, 1041 01:04:01,800 --> 01:04:05,560 discriminate against others. We've been fighting for years. 1042 01:04:06,720 --> 01:04:09,440 The book ban is the latest piece. 1043 01:04:10,760 --> 01:04:12,520 I have a proven conservative record, 1044 01:04:12,520 --> 01:04:15,600 always considered one of the top conservatives in the House. 1045 01:04:15,600 --> 01:04:17,680 Before the Krause List, there had been 1046 01:04:17,680 --> 01:04:23,880 zero parent requests to review books, not even one. 1047 01:04:24,880 --> 01:04:26,680 So why are we doing this? 1048 01:04:27,720 --> 01:04:33,040 My Texas House rep, while I was serving on the school board, 1049 01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:34,720 the first time he got elected, 1050 01:04:34,720 --> 01:04:37,880 we met with him as a school board and said, 1051 01:04:37,880 --> 01:04:39,400 "Here's the things we care about 1052 01:04:39,400 --> 01:04:42,280 "in public education and we'd love your support." 1053 01:04:43,640 --> 01:04:46,520 He told us, "Yes, yes, absolutely." 1054 01:04:46,520 --> 01:04:48,960 And when it came time to vote, 1055 01:04:48,960 --> 01:04:51,920 he voted exactly the opposite. 1056 01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:54,000 I couldn't understand why. 1057 01:04:54,000 --> 01:04:56,800 You told us you were going to support our schools, 1058 01:04:56,800 --> 01:04:59,160 and then you voted against them every time, 1059 01:04:59,160 --> 01:05:02,520 and, honestly, started to bad-mouth our schools. 1060 01:05:02,520 --> 01:05:03,760 And that's truly 1061 01:05:03,760 --> 01:05:06,120 what made me start digging into money. 1062 01:05:07,320 --> 01:05:11,400 60%, 70% of his money was coming from one source, 1063 01:05:11,400 --> 01:05:14,200 which was a billionaire out in Cisco, Texas. 1064 01:05:44,760 --> 01:05:47,000 I did the thing that people do, right? 1065 01:05:47,000 --> 01:05:50,120 When you discover something is you put it on Facebook 1066 01:05:50,120 --> 01:05:52,560 or you put it on Twitter and you talk about it. 1067 01:05:53,840 --> 01:05:58,400 Our schools are not to be used for personal political agendas, 1068 01:05:58,400 --> 01:06:01,360 and our children are here for education, 1069 01:06:01,360 --> 01:06:03,920 not religious indoctrination. 1070 01:06:03,920 --> 01:06:05,760 Go tell your pastor. 1071 01:06:05,760 --> 01:06:08,960 Our schools are not your church. Thank you. 1072 01:06:10,600 --> 01:06:14,960 I'm good at spreadsheets, so I built pie charts and... 1073 01:06:14,960 --> 01:06:17,320 Yeah, I built a site to make it go. 1074 01:06:17,320 --> 01:06:19,960 We have Chris Tackett, who is 1075 01:06:19,960 --> 01:06:24,680 a former trustee of this school board. 1076 01:06:24,680 --> 01:06:27,960 - Pie chart guy for the Texas... - Right, he does pie charts... 1077 01:06:27,960 --> 01:06:31,080 - ..for all the state reps. - Right, for all the conservatives 1078 01:06:31,080 --> 01:06:33,640 to show where all the dark money goes. 1079 01:06:33,640 --> 01:06:36,160 It was kind of an eyeopener for me to realise 1080 01:06:36,160 --> 01:06:38,680 that there was this bigger agenda behind everything. 1081 01:06:39,800 --> 01:06:42,680 Some of the people that are pushing this agenda believe 1082 01:06:42,680 --> 01:06:46,240 it is their duty to take over everywhere - government, 1083 01:06:46,240 --> 01:06:49,600 public, schools, media, every aspect of our lives. 1084 01:06:49,600 --> 01:06:51,520 You're going to read about 1085 01:06:51,520 --> 01:06:56,760 certain verticals or structures that the enemy is working on. 1086 01:06:56,760 --> 01:07:01,320 Satan wants to occupy the seat of influence over the Supreme Court, 1087 01:07:01,320 --> 01:07:05,560 over the government, over education with indoctrination. 1088 01:07:05,560 --> 01:07:07,840 We're the force that is hindering 1089 01:07:07,840 --> 01:07:10,120 the devil from doing what he wants to do. 1090 01:07:10,120 --> 01:07:16,680 God takes what the devil meant to harm us and he turns it into good. 1091 01:07:16,680 --> 01:07:18,560 He blesses us with it. 1092 01:07:18,560 --> 01:07:20,800 Every time we're attacked at Patriot Mobile, 1093 01:07:20,800 --> 01:07:23,440 our sales just go through the roof. 1094 01:07:23,440 --> 01:07:25,280 We increase our sales. 1095 01:07:25,280 --> 01:07:27,680 And so what does increasing our sales mean? 1096 01:07:27,680 --> 01:07:29,240 It means we can give more money back 1097 01:07:29,240 --> 01:07:33,120 to organisations like Moms For Liberty. 1098 01:07:33,120 --> 01:07:36,160 This is a spiritual war, 1099 01:07:36,160 --> 01:07:37,560 not a political war. 1100 01:07:37,560 --> 01:07:39,480 APPLAUSE 1101 01:07:39,480 --> 01:07:42,440 Is the agenda to gain power and money? 1102 01:07:42,440 --> 01:07:46,600 Or is it to make our country a Christian theocracy? 1103 01:07:46,600 --> 01:07:48,440 Or are they one and the same? 1104 01:07:55,880 --> 01:07:59,080 Thank you for having me. All of you. 1105 01:07:59,080 --> 01:08:02,560 I moved to Granbury in 2020, and... 1106 01:08:02,560 --> 01:08:07,080 ..I really hope it stands up to the reputation it had when I came. 1107 01:08:07,080 --> 01:08:09,800 The word I have on my heart is repentance. 1108 01:08:09,800 --> 01:08:12,480 Not all of us had a hand in what's happened here, 1109 01:08:12,480 --> 01:08:16,640 but we are the ones who are present to solve the issues. 1110 01:08:16,640 --> 01:08:19,640 The last book I read was 600-plus pages 1111 01:08:19,640 --> 01:08:22,280 and it was a whipping, for poor quality - 1112 01:08:22,280 --> 01:08:24,440 number one - but also sexual content. 1113 01:08:24,440 --> 01:08:26,120 And I'm sorry to point fingers, 1114 01:08:26,120 --> 01:08:28,920 but we have librarians who are misunderstanding 1115 01:08:28,920 --> 01:08:31,000 what is healthy and good for children. 1116 01:08:31,000 --> 01:08:34,640 I think you ought to have people of good moral standards, 1117 01:08:34,640 --> 01:08:37,120 people in the community that maybe even are voted on, 1118 01:08:37,120 --> 01:08:39,800 pastors like Paul Duncan. He would never steer you wrong, 1119 01:08:39,800 --> 01:08:41,920 and he would put you in a safety zone with your books. 1120 01:08:41,920 --> 01:08:44,880 You don't have to have these ultra-controversial 1121 01:08:44,880 --> 01:08:46,840 books in your library. 1122 01:08:46,840 --> 01:08:49,160 Hey, TikTok, I got a wild one for you. 1123 01:08:49,160 --> 01:08:52,920 In 2018, I received this text from my mom after coming out, 1124 01:08:52,920 --> 01:08:56,200 and was effectively cut off from my family and eight younger siblings. 1125 01:08:56,200 --> 01:08:59,000 I came across this video showing my mom speaking at 1126 01:08:59,000 --> 01:09:00,560 a school board meeting in Texas, 1127 01:09:00,560 --> 01:09:02,840 calling for the district to remove books, repent, 1128 01:09:02,840 --> 01:09:06,280 and appoint a pastor to review and approve educational material. 1129 01:09:06,280 --> 01:09:07,840 She even filed charges 1130 01:09:07,840 --> 01:09:10,000 against librarians in Granbury, Texas. 1131 01:09:10,000 --> 01:09:12,360 Literally, you have thousands of books. 1132 01:09:12,360 --> 01:09:15,760 So what harm is it to let go of some of them? 1133 01:09:15,760 --> 01:09:17,760 And that's all I have to say. 1134 01:09:17,760 --> 01:09:19,200 Thank you, Miss Brown. 1135 01:09:19,200 --> 01:09:22,000 CHEERING AND APPLAUSE 1136 01:09:27,760 --> 01:09:29,960 - Your kids do not go to school here. - No, they don't. 1137 01:09:29,960 --> 01:09:32,880 You're on a political agenda, everybody knows what you're doing. 1138 01:09:32,880 --> 01:09:35,800 You're trying to get school staff arrested. 1139 01:09:35,800 --> 01:09:38,240 You've already tried it. That's what you're doing. 1140 01:09:38,240 --> 01:09:39,920 And we know that's what you're doing. 1141 01:09:39,920 --> 01:09:42,280 That's fine with me if you know it. I'm not hiding anything. 1142 01:09:42,280 --> 01:09:44,120 - I respect you... - You notice I haven't hid a thing. 1143 01:09:44,120 --> 01:09:45,760 I'm not hiding anything. 1144 01:09:45,760 --> 01:09:48,280 And I do have a problem with sexually explicit books in the library. 1145 01:09:48,280 --> 01:09:49,520 I'm sure you do. 1146 01:09:49,520 --> 01:09:51,880 - And expose fraud. - You're trying to arrest librarians. 1147 01:09:51,880 --> 01:09:54,000 I have nothing to say to you. 1148 01:09:54,000 --> 01:09:56,520 You're trying to arrest librarians. 1149 01:09:56,520 --> 01:09:59,160 - You're trying to arrest librarians. - I do not understand. 1150 01:09:59,160 --> 01:10:00,400 You're a fascist. 1151 01:10:00,400 --> 01:10:02,320 - You're a fascist. - Fascist? 1152 01:10:02,320 --> 01:10:05,240 Fascist. Fascist. 1153 01:10:12,280 --> 01:10:14,280 When I moved here to San Diego, 1154 01:10:14,280 --> 01:10:16,000 I got a bunch of prints. 1155 01:10:16,000 --> 01:10:18,400 My siblings from a few years back, 1156 01:10:18,400 --> 01:10:22,840 one of the last times I got to see them, and my partner here. 1157 01:10:22,840 --> 01:10:23,960 His name is Andrew. 1158 01:10:26,120 --> 01:10:29,880 Growing up, none of my siblings - there's nine of us total - 1159 01:10:29,880 --> 01:10:32,840 none of us have stepped foot in a public school. 1160 01:10:34,840 --> 01:10:36,320 Every piece of printed material 1161 01:10:36,320 --> 01:10:39,160 that came into our home was curated by my parents. 1162 01:10:41,040 --> 01:10:43,400 I'm starting... 1163 01:10:43,400 --> 01:10:46,840 ..a little collection of, um, books. 1164 01:10:46,840 --> 01:10:48,440 It's off to a small start. 1165 01:10:48,440 --> 01:10:51,840 The book that started it all, All Boys Aren't Blue. 1166 01:10:53,040 --> 01:10:54,640 Right off the bat, this book is saying, 1167 01:10:54,640 --> 01:10:58,760 hey, there are some heavy topics, like, be aware. 1168 01:11:03,520 --> 01:11:07,600 It all seems so much smaller and, like, depressing. 1169 01:11:09,920 --> 01:11:12,440 I hope my siblings can make it out unscathed, 1170 01:11:12,440 --> 01:11:14,480 and I'm worried that they're growing up 1171 01:11:14,480 --> 01:11:18,040 in even more extreme circumstances. 1172 01:11:18,040 --> 01:11:20,640 And I'm, you know, I hope that they're able to... 1173 01:11:21,840 --> 01:11:23,360 ..find their own path as well. 1174 01:11:24,760 --> 01:11:27,840 What my parents - the people that my parents learned from - 1175 01:11:27,840 --> 01:11:29,440 are doing is so harmful, 1176 01:11:29,440 --> 01:11:32,360 and they deserve to be put back in their lane. 1177 01:11:38,400 --> 01:11:40,440 "Hello, everyone. My name is Weston Brown. 1178 01:11:40,440 --> 01:11:42,440 "I was born and raised in Texas and am grateful 1179 01:11:42,440 --> 01:11:44,800 "for the opportunity to speak here tonight. 1180 01:11:44,800 --> 01:11:47,000 "A few months ago, I saw my mom, Monica Brown, 1181 01:11:47,000 --> 01:11:49,520 "standing at this podium calling for the removal of books 1182 01:11:49,520 --> 01:11:52,320 "and asking the school to follow the guidance of religious..." 1183 01:11:53,480 --> 01:11:55,120 Weston Brown. 1184 01:12:05,160 --> 01:12:06,920 From a young age, I was taught to give 1185 01:12:06,920 --> 01:12:09,520 a voice to people who were disregarded, 1186 01:12:09,520 --> 01:12:12,080 elevate the marginalised and love my neighbour. 1187 01:12:13,280 --> 01:12:16,880 Today, I strive to be the person I needed when I was young. 1188 01:12:16,880 --> 01:12:18,400 Someone who would stand up, 1189 01:12:18,400 --> 01:12:21,080 speak out and protect the kid that felt alone. 1190 01:12:22,560 --> 01:12:24,520 Growing up, we read the Bible cover to cover 1191 01:12:24,520 --> 01:12:26,240 from the earliest age I can remember. 1192 01:12:27,280 --> 01:12:30,240 We repetitively read graphic depictions of sex, 1193 01:12:30,240 --> 01:12:33,920 violence, genocide, sexual assault, and incest. 1194 01:12:33,920 --> 01:12:36,320 However, topics related to dating, 1195 01:12:36,320 --> 01:12:39,600 safe sex, drugs, alcohol or sexual identity, 1196 01:12:39,600 --> 01:12:42,400 were deemed inappropriate or too heavy to discuss. 1197 01:12:43,400 --> 01:12:45,040 I would have given anything to read 1198 01:12:45,040 --> 01:12:47,720 a book with a character that felt the feelings I felt... 1199 01:12:49,200 --> 01:12:51,400 ..asked the questions I couldn't ask, 1200 01:12:51,400 --> 01:12:53,440 and learned the lessons that I needed to learn. 1201 01:12:54,920 --> 01:12:57,680 It's been nearly five years since I came out to my family. 1202 01:13:02,560 --> 01:13:05,920 I'm not allowed to join in family celebrations or holidays, 1203 01:13:05,920 --> 01:13:09,080 or be a part of my eight younger siblings' lives, 1204 01:13:09,080 --> 01:13:11,080 solely because I'm not straight. 1205 01:13:12,400 --> 01:13:14,160 I'm here today to implore you 1206 01:13:14,160 --> 01:13:16,440 to listen to librarians, 1207 01:13:16,440 --> 01:13:19,120 educators and students. 1208 01:13:19,120 --> 01:13:21,880 Not those speaking from a religious perspective 1209 01:13:21,880 --> 01:13:25,440 or at the bidding of a political group. 1210 01:13:25,440 --> 01:13:27,640 If you choose to marginalise difference 1211 01:13:27,640 --> 01:13:30,520 and remove representation, you will only cause harm. 1212 01:13:31,840 --> 01:13:36,200 History will remember your decisions and demand accountability. 1213 01:13:36,200 --> 01:13:39,520 Show the world that Granbury will not succumb to fear... 1214 01:13:41,880 --> 01:13:43,320 ..but will shine brightly, 1215 01:13:43,320 --> 01:13:45,680 leading the way for the next generation of Texans. 1216 01:13:45,680 --> 01:13:46,960 Thank you for listening. 1217 01:13:46,960 --> 01:13:49,400 APPLAUSE 1218 01:13:59,080 --> 01:14:01,640 Next up, we have Monica Brown. 1219 01:14:08,520 --> 01:14:11,760 Thank you. And I knew that was coming, what came tonight. 1220 01:14:11,760 --> 01:14:14,400 It's no surprise. Not all true. 1221 01:14:15,440 --> 01:14:16,960 But it is true that we have said no 1222 01:14:16,960 --> 01:14:21,080 in our home for what we expect in our family, 1223 01:14:21,080 --> 01:14:23,600 whether that matters to any of you or not. 1224 01:14:23,600 --> 01:14:24,680 This is an example. 1225 01:14:24,680 --> 01:14:27,200 You know, in the scripture it says Adam knew Eve. 1226 01:14:27,200 --> 01:14:28,400 That's not the same 1227 01:14:28,400 --> 01:14:31,240 as saying he stuck his dick in her body. 1228 01:14:31,240 --> 01:14:33,320 That's what you've got in your mind, right? 1229 01:14:33,320 --> 01:14:36,800 Listen, that's what you got in your mind... 1230 01:14:36,800 --> 01:14:40,880 That's my mom, who birthed me, 1231 01:14:40,880 --> 01:14:43,960 who raised me and fed me and took care of me. 1232 01:14:43,960 --> 01:14:47,720 Is it some sort of religious psychosis? 1233 01:14:47,720 --> 01:14:49,240 Years of messaging 1234 01:14:49,240 --> 01:14:52,680 from extremist pastors and political leaders? 1235 01:14:54,400 --> 01:14:56,240 Because when I look at my mom, I see someone 1236 01:14:56,240 --> 01:14:58,440 who absolutely believes what she's saying. 1237 01:14:58,440 --> 01:15:00,760 And I see someone who looks scared. 1238 01:15:00,760 --> 01:15:02,160 Thank you for coming. 1239 01:15:02,160 --> 01:15:03,560 Thank you so much. 1240 01:15:05,360 --> 01:15:06,400 OK. 1241 01:15:10,560 --> 01:15:13,120 Your mother has been involved in this process. 1242 01:15:13,120 --> 01:15:17,480 What was it like to stand here tonight, knowing she's here as well? 1243 01:15:17,480 --> 01:15:19,600 You know, I, in my mind, that wasn't... 1244 01:15:19,600 --> 01:15:21,080 It's interesting, it wasn't 1245 01:15:21,080 --> 01:15:24,280 what was top of mind for me. I don't have a message for my family 1246 01:15:24,280 --> 01:15:26,560 or for my mom or my dad specifically. 1247 01:15:26,560 --> 01:15:28,280 I've brought and said everything 1248 01:15:28,280 --> 01:15:31,480 that I have to say to them in many conversations, 1249 01:15:31,480 --> 01:15:32,760 many times over. 1250 01:15:32,760 --> 01:15:34,440 And so my perspective tonight isn't 1251 01:15:34,440 --> 01:15:36,440 to try to reach through to my parents. 1252 01:15:36,440 --> 01:15:39,200 That's a conversation that - they have the tools they need. 1253 01:15:39,200 --> 01:15:41,520 They know what they need to do to build the bridge. 1254 01:15:41,520 --> 01:15:43,600 But my goal... Not my goal, 1255 01:15:43,600 --> 01:15:46,640 my plea is for librarians, educators, 1256 01:15:46,640 --> 01:15:50,200 students, and the boards to pay attention to what matters. 1257 01:15:52,840 --> 01:15:55,680 Monica, do you have any comments? Mrs Monica Brown. 1258 01:16:10,720 --> 01:16:15,280 I think as librarians we recognise that we're on a continuum. 1259 01:16:16,520 --> 01:16:22,560 But the swing between these polarising views 1260 01:16:22,560 --> 01:16:24,160 are having catastrophic effects 1261 01:16:24,160 --> 01:16:26,720 on our social structures and our communities. 1262 01:16:26,720 --> 01:16:31,360 We are on the precipice of some very, 1263 01:16:31,360 --> 01:16:34,080 very bad things happening in this country. 1264 01:16:34,080 --> 01:16:36,400 I just hope and pray that people are waking up. 1265 01:16:37,480 --> 01:16:40,240 It's gone way beyond the Krause List, honey. 1266 01:16:40,240 --> 01:16:42,560 Way beyond the Krause List. 1267 01:16:42,560 --> 01:16:45,720 {\an8}We are going to take back our schools. 1268 01:16:45,720 --> 01:16:47,680 This is what I will do to the grooming books 1269 01:16:47,680 --> 01:16:49,120 when I become Secretary of State. 1270 01:16:53,040 --> 01:16:56,040 Being offended is the basis for House Bill 666. 1271 01:16:56,040 --> 01:16:59,200 They feel that this legislation could be used to threaten schools, 1272 01:16:59,200 --> 01:17:01,240 to remove books, or face arrest, 1273 01:17:01,240 --> 01:17:04,160 just because someone does not like a book. 1274 01:17:05,920 --> 01:17:09,040 Is it so hurtful to maybe nurture morality? 1275 01:17:09,040 --> 01:17:10,480 Is that so awful to do that? 1276 01:17:10,480 --> 01:17:12,360 I think that there's going to come 1277 01:17:12,360 --> 01:17:16,000 a time in some of these books where it crosses a criminal line. 1278 01:17:16,000 --> 01:17:18,520 It's called contributing to the delinquency of a minor. 1279 01:17:28,280 --> 01:17:30,560 I had been home for three days... 1280 01:17:31,720 --> 01:17:35,880 ..and in that last day I had 1281 01:17:35,880 --> 01:17:39,440 people calling me left and right. "Are you OK? What's going on?" 1282 01:17:39,440 --> 01:17:42,000 I was like, "What are you talking about?" 1283 01:17:47,080 --> 01:17:50,760 A Hood County constable attempted to bring felony charges 1284 01:17:50,760 --> 01:17:52,440 against three librarians 1285 01:17:52,440 --> 01:17:55,280 for providing students with library books 1286 01:17:55,280 --> 01:17:57,360 the constable deemed obscene. 1287 01:17:58,560 --> 01:18:00,680 Now, I'm not one of those crazy, 1288 01:18:00,680 --> 01:18:03,520 overthrow-the-government anarchist types. 1289 01:18:04,680 --> 01:18:07,960 But it is a legitimate question to ask. 1290 01:18:07,960 --> 01:18:12,440 What do you do when your government doesn't follow its own rules? 1291 01:18:18,080 --> 01:18:19,400 How does a sheriff arrest 1292 01:18:19,400 --> 01:18:22,480 someone for violating your constitutional rights? 1293 01:18:22,480 --> 01:18:24,800 I had some complainants come in on Friday 1294 01:18:24,800 --> 01:18:27,160 and talked about making a report, 1295 01:18:27,160 --> 01:18:30,080 - um, about the books. - OK. 1296 01:18:30,080 --> 01:18:34,880 - Do you know if they use student aids in the libraries? - Yes. 1297 01:18:34,880 --> 01:18:37,720 I was told that my library aids 1298 01:18:37,720 --> 01:18:42,320 were going to be pulled because for every piece 1299 01:18:42,320 --> 01:18:45,040 of pornography that was found in the library, 1300 01:18:45,040 --> 01:18:49,040 I would be served with one felony for every student. 1301 01:18:50,040 --> 01:18:53,280 Constable London, he was trying to tell the librarians 1302 01:18:53,280 --> 01:18:55,080 that if minors 1303 01:18:55,080 --> 01:18:58,680 had actually put those books on the shelves, 1304 01:18:58,680 --> 01:19:01,560 then it was then elevated to a felony. 1305 01:19:01,560 --> 01:19:05,440 I'm doing a criminal investigation into some of your staff. 1306 01:19:05,440 --> 01:19:07,400 Obviously, there's been an allegation 1307 01:19:07,400 --> 01:19:12,560 of books that were in conflict of the penal code, in the library. 1308 01:19:12,560 --> 01:19:15,600 Essentially, the librarians are my suspects. 1309 01:19:15,600 --> 01:19:17,280 If they're the ones that are choosing books 1310 01:19:17,280 --> 01:19:19,280 and putting them in there, you know, 1311 01:19:19,280 --> 01:19:22,120 they're the ones that are carrying the criminal liability. 1312 01:19:22,120 --> 01:19:24,320 Constable London was able to get 1313 01:19:24,320 --> 01:19:29,200 the names of the minors that checked out those books. 1314 01:19:29,200 --> 01:19:33,320 To me as a parent, that is extremely concerning. 1315 01:19:36,000 --> 01:19:39,000 So then I got to tell those poor kids that they were 1316 01:19:39,000 --> 01:19:40,920 not going to be allowed to be library aids, 1317 01:19:40,920 --> 01:19:44,080 because people are afraid that there's pornography in the library. 1318 01:19:44,080 --> 01:19:46,960 {\an8}I'm definitely on that list. I was in the library 1319 01:19:46,960 --> 01:19:49,880 {\an8}literally every single day of my senior year. 1320 01:19:49,880 --> 01:19:53,200 That is really, really scary. Um... 1321 01:19:53,200 --> 01:19:56,680 And that is information 1322 01:19:56,680 --> 01:20:01,720 that can be used in such a evil way. 1323 01:20:01,720 --> 01:20:04,400 {\an8}If the student was underage, 1324 01:20:04,400 --> 01:20:07,440 {\an8}was he going to go after the parents for the kids 1325 01:20:07,440 --> 01:20:08,520 {\an8}checking out pornography? 1326 01:20:08,520 --> 01:20:10,680 Was he going to go after other students 1327 01:20:10,680 --> 01:20:13,040 who may have been 18 at the time? 1328 01:20:15,640 --> 01:20:17,520 As someone who's not had anything 1329 01:20:17,520 --> 01:20:20,200 to do with breaking the law and that, I mean, 1330 01:20:20,200 --> 01:20:21,960 maybe a speeding ticket. 1331 01:20:21,960 --> 01:20:25,000 But who would have thought child pornography? 1332 01:20:26,320 --> 01:20:29,800 I fear that we are at the point now where... 1333 01:20:29,800 --> 01:20:32,160 ..we're going to see teachers in handcuffs. 1334 01:20:38,840 --> 01:20:42,600 There are forces that want to manipulate 1335 01:20:42,600 --> 01:20:46,160 and to control the dissemination of information. 1336 01:20:47,880 --> 01:20:50,920 Some of us feel that depth 1337 01:20:50,920 --> 01:20:55,840 of responsibility to help our communities navigate. 1338 01:20:57,200 --> 01:20:59,960 That's why we're here. Librarians are the firewall. 1339 01:21:09,600 --> 01:21:12,360 I happened to come in contact last year 1340 01:21:12,360 --> 01:21:14,760 with our state senator, Andrew Zwicker, 1341 01:21:14,760 --> 01:21:16,680 who, after hearing my story, 1342 01:21:16,680 --> 01:21:19,120 put forth the New Jersey Freedom to Read Act. 1343 01:21:23,440 --> 01:21:25,760 I went down to Trenton to testify 1344 01:21:25,760 --> 01:21:29,560 in front of the Education Committee in favour of the bill. 1345 01:21:29,560 --> 01:21:31,680 There is a proposed committee substitute which 1346 01:21:31,680 --> 01:21:32,920 establishes requirements 1347 01:21:32,920 --> 01:21:36,200 for library material in public school libraries. 1348 01:21:36,200 --> 01:21:38,000 And establishes protections 1349 01:21:38,000 --> 01:21:41,200 for school library staff members and librarians. 1350 01:21:41,200 --> 01:21:42,480 Being, you know, 1351 01:21:42,480 --> 01:21:45,760 your vast experience over the years in your role, 1352 01:21:45,760 --> 01:21:48,040 do you see a distinction between book banning 1353 01:21:48,040 --> 01:21:50,640 and restricting access to pornography for minors? 1354 01:21:50,640 --> 01:21:52,960 In my professional role, there is no pornography for 1355 01:21:52,960 --> 01:21:56,720 minors in a school libraries. So there is no need to restrict it. 1356 01:21:57,880 --> 01:22:01,560 But restrictions are, however, a form of censorship. 1357 01:22:01,560 --> 01:22:05,880 Your personal opinion about obscenity does not make it so. 1358 01:22:05,880 --> 01:22:07,240 Thank you for sharing. 1359 01:22:07,240 --> 01:22:10,000 I hold that a penis is inappropriate for fifth grade, but thank you. 1360 01:22:10,000 --> 01:22:11,720 We can talk offline. Thank you. 1361 01:22:12,920 --> 01:22:15,040 Had I been permitted to speak further, 1362 01:22:15,040 --> 01:22:19,080 I would have reminded her that fifth graders HAVE penises. 1363 01:22:29,080 --> 01:22:31,520 - NEWSREADER: - A county in Central Texas will consider shutting 1364 01:22:31,520 --> 01:22:34,440 down its entire public library system 1365 01:22:34,440 --> 01:22:37,720 because a federal judge ordered it to return banned books. 1366 01:22:37,720 --> 01:22:39,400 - REPORTER: - This dispute ultimately led 1367 01:22:39,400 --> 01:22:41,840 to a special meeting in Commissioners Court. 1368 01:22:43,000 --> 01:22:46,400 I am in favour of closing libraries temporarily 1369 01:22:46,400 --> 01:22:50,640 until we find a solution to the pornographic filth we do have. 1370 01:22:50,640 --> 01:22:52,960 How do we think it's OK that the librarians 1371 01:22:52,960 --> 01:22:55,200 would actually facilitate that and 1372 01:22:55,200 --> 01:22:59,560 deal that like a drug dealer to our kids? 1373 01:22:59,560 --> 01:23:01,880 And now they're becoming porn dealers? 1374 01:23:01,880 --> 01:23:03,920 Is that what our librarians have to become? 1375 01:23:05,600 --> 01:23:07,760 My name is Suzette Baker. 1376 01:23:07,760 --> 01:23:11,040 I'm the former head librarian for Kingsland, Texas. 1377 01:23:11,040 --> 01:23:13,840 I'm also a military veteran. 1378 01:23:13,840 --> 01:23:18,040 The books that are in the library are not pornographic. 1379 01:23:18,040 --> 01:23:19,520 None of them are. 1380 01:23:19,520 --> 01:23:24,880 I would like to know how The History Of The KKK is pornographic. 1381 01:23:24,880 --> 01:23:27,760 How To Be An Antiracist. How is that pornographic? 1382 01:23:29,080 --> 01:23:30,160 It's not. 1383 01:23:30,160 --> 01:23:33,880 This is about taking away rights. 1384 01:23:33,880 --> 01:23:36,480 Keep the libraries open. 1385 01:23:36,480 --> 01:23:41,680 Keep the information available to all equally. 1386 01:23:41,680 --> 01:23:44,880 This is not a communist nation. 1387 01:23:44,880 --> 01:23:47,880 You do not get to pick our reading material. 1388 01:23:47,880 --> 01:23:49,120 It is ours. 1389 01:23:50,760 --> 01:23:52,640 So with that, I'll take a motion. 1390 01:23:58,080 --> 01:23:59,560 I'll second. 1391 01:23:59,560 --> 01:24:01,160 The library will remain open. 1392 01:24:01,160 --> 01:24:02,920 We will try this in the courts, 1393 01:24:02,920 --> 01:24:06,360 not through social media or through news media. 1394 01:24:06,360 --> 01:24:09,840 - REPORTER: - Libraries in Llano will stay open after 1395 01:24:09,840 --> 01:24:12,360 a passion-filled afternoon. 1396 01:24:13,560 --> 01:24:15,600 SHE CHUCKLES 1397 01:24:16,880 --> 01:24:19,400 - Thank you. - That was embarrassing... 1398 01:24:21,120 --> 01:24:22,680 It's good to know we're not alone. 1399 01:24:22,680 --> 01:24:25,120 WOMAN SOBS 1400 01:24:33,680 --> 01:24:36,320 - Hey, you! How are you? - Good. 1401 01:24:37,320 --> 01:24:40,720 I'm proud of you. I forgot my FReadom shirt at home. 1402 01:24:40,720 --> 01:24:42,600 Will you take a picture of me beside it? 1403 01:24:42,600 --> 01:24:43,760 I do have a picture... 1404 01:24:50,160 --> 01:24:53,800 I couldn't be more delighted to introduce Amanda Jones to you. 1405 01:24:53,800 --> 01:24:57,720 Author of That Librarian - part memoir, part manifesto. 1406 01:24:57,720 --> 01:24:59,840 No-one should have to endure everything 1407 01:24:59,840 --> 01:25:01,520 that Amanda has had to endure, 1408 01:25:01,520 --> 01:25:03,560 and I fear that other people 1409 01:25:03,560 --> 01:25:06,800 in this room may have had similar experiences. 1410 01:25:06,800 --> 01:25:09,840 We are so grateful for all you do on the front lines. 1411 01:25:09,840 --> 01:25:12,240 APPLAUSE 1412 01:25:14,280 --> 01:25:15,880 How can you stay? 1413 01:25:17,240 --> 01:25:18,840 - Oh, stay in my town? - Yeah. 1414 01:25:18,840 --> 01:25:19,880 Oh, it's my town. 1415 01:25:19,880 --> 01:25:22,960 They can all go to hell. Like... LAUGHTER 1416 01:25:27,280 --> 01:25:29,480 You my hero, you know that, right? 1417 01:25:29,480 --> 01:25:31,840 - Thank you. - You're absolutely my hero. 1418 01:25:49,160 --> 01:25:50,920 I don't know what's going to happen next. 1419 01:25:52,160 --> 01:25:54,920 I cannot imagine us being on a cliff. 1420 01:25:54,920 --> 01:25:57,360 That's just too much. 1421 01:26:00,280 --> 01:26:03,640 But I don't know, maybe we are and we've gone over. 1422 01:26:09,280 --> 01:26:10,760 Our stories have power. 1423 01:26:12,920 --> 01:26:15,320 I can't stay anonymous, 1424 01:26:15,320 --> 01:26:17,360 I can't stay in the shadows any more. 1425 01:26:24,880 --> 01:26:27,320 I can't let them keep my story in the dark. 1426 01:26:28,720 --> 01:26:30,440 I won't be censored. 1427 01:26:30,440 --> 01:26:34,320 Just like we can't let them keep censoring the stories in our books. 1428 01:26:37,680 --> 01:26:41,640 What I do know is that our story is still being written. 1429 01:26:43,760 --> 01:26:45,920 But now it's everyone's story.