Push back on library controversy
By Lethbridge Herald on May 31, 2025.
Editor,
Alberta’s Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, has heard from concerned parents about supposedly naughty books on school library shelves, and now he\’s determined to do something about it. While he claims that this isn’t a book ban (he claims the ministry can’t ban books), he seems to be preparing the ground for just that.
The government has launched an online survey to canvas Albertans on so-called sexually explicit materials in school libraries. As I responded to the survey, I noticed how it fell prey to the “loaded question” fallacy. By repeatedly describing books as “sexually explicit,” a pejorative term, parents are being primed into viewing school libraries as potential bastions of pornography. Imagine if the term had been “sexually realistic” rather than “explicit.”
Not surprisingly, the books in question all have clear 2SLGBTQ+ content. We’ve seen this situation so often in the U.S. in which highly vocal parent groups demand that books with queer content be removed from schools and libraries. Significantly, these parent groups often have well-established ties to far right organizations.
Alberta’s school library controversy should be read as the thin edge of thewedge, and there will be greater restrictions unless truly concerned parents push back.
Jacob Bachinger
Lethbridge
8-7
Brace yourselves for the right of centre fallout. The pulpit screeching and biblical thumping is sounding off in the distance.
A small group of religious hardliners have yanked Smiths chain and she’s found another subject to deflect our attention from the health care scandal. Meanwhile groundbreaking on another Catholic school in Medicine Hat as she continues to pander to that sector of voters and ignore public education.
That’s exactly what they are doing. Trying to take the people’s minds off the Healthcare Scandal. While they cater to the right-wing extremists.
How stupid do they think we are?
Another good example of the Deep UCP State flexing its desire for social engineering. Did anyone really believe they were for Freedom?
As my friends point out when you ask any of these fools what were they seeking Freedom from they have no answer.
It was all about following the Americans attack on their government like Trump created. Too dumb to think for themselves have to have someone else do it for them. That’s how stupid they are. Freedom from What is the question and they don’t have an intelligent answer.
Concerned parent here – one that is shocked these books are in a school library to begin with…and hardly just ‘naughty’ books – and I quote from one of them ‘I cant wait to have your XXXX in your mouth -I’m going to give you the xxxx xxx of your life’…not to mention the accompanying graphics. These books don’t belong in a school library. Those that think they do should be ashamed of themselves.
Not so shocked, James123, that you couldn’t wait to put those words in a public blog.
Is this fringe-right fable-making, or do you have the book title(s) to verify this assertion?
Correct…not proper for a public blog and even more so for a library at a children’s school.
There is a link on the page under related information (warning graphic content)
Ensuring age-appropriate books in school libraries | alberta.ca