Editor’s note: This story contains some graphic wording about sexual information.
The decision about whether to keep or to remove a controversial sexual education book at Keene Memorial Library is being kept under wraps by the City of Fremont, with officials citing a pending public records request in denying the immediate release of the information.
Keene Memorial Library Director Laura England-Biggs finished her review of “Sex is a Funny Word” last week, and said she mailed the decision in a letter via the U.S. Postal Service to complainant Sandra Murray.
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, England-Biggs said she did not want to reveal her decision about the book to the Fremont Tribune until Murray had received the letter herself.
On Friday, Jan. 20, Murray confirmed she had received the letter with the decision about her official request to have the controversial book aimed at 7- to 10-year-old children removed from the library’s shelves permanently.
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However, Murray would not reveal England-Biggs’ determination.
“I think I’m going to let her present her decision herself. Let her own it,” Murray said in an email to the Tribune. “There is a lot getting ready to happen, I will tell you that. People are hopping mad about this. I’ve had a ton of people contacting me. People that carry weight in the community.”
Murray said the issue of what she feels are inappropriate books for minors in Keene library is not over, and cited an additional 52 LGBTQ+ themed books she claims are in the young adult section of the library as a possible target of her activism in the future.
The Fremont Tribune on Jan. 19 filed a public records request with the City of Fremont, seeking a range of communications about the book issue between Mayor Joey Spellerberg, city administrator Jody Sanders, England-Biggs, Murray and library advisory board president Linda McClain.
The request also sought the letter England-Biggs sent to Murray. As of press time on Jan. 20, the Tribune had not received any materials sought in the request.
England-Biggs stated in an email on Friday, Jan. 20, that the public records request made by the Tribune prevented her from revealing her determination on the book.
“I checked with legal. Since you have filed a public records request, you’ll need to wait for the process to play out. Can’t go around that,” England-Biggs wrote in an email to the Tribune.
The book review was kick-started by Murray — a local grandmother and owner of the women’s clothing store Fia + Belle in downtown Fremont — in late December.
Murray and her daughter attended the Dec. 27 meeting of the Fremont City Council, complaining mainly about “Sex is a Funny Word,” but also chiding the presence of four other LGBT-themed books they said were found in the children’s section of the Keene Memorial Library. The mother-daughter pair sought the removal of the books from the library.
On Dec. 28, “Sex is a Funny Word,” and six other common youth sexual education books were removed from the children’s section of the library and relocated to the adult section, where they would need to have an adult check them out before a minor could see or read the books.
The six other books moved include: “The Every Body Book,” “Who Has What: All About Girls and Boys Bodies,” “It Is So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies and Families,” “The Girls Guide to Growing Up: Choices and Changes in the Tween Years,” “The Boys Guide to Growing Up: Choices and Changes During Puberty,” and a tome titled, “It’s Not the Stork: a Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends.”
At the time, England-Biggs said the relocation of the seven books came after an early morning visit by city leaders on Dec. 28, less than 15 hours after Murray’s speech to city leaders. Spellerberg, Sanders and McClain arrived at the library the morning of Dec. 28 and requested to address the books in question with England-Biggs.
England-Biggs’ decision on the book was sent to Murray on Jan. 17, and if she disagrees with whatever the decision is, the next step is to petition the library advisory board for reconsideration. Murray would have 10 business days from the decision to petition the result to the five-member board.
If England-Biggs recommendation is to retain the book, and Murray disputes that outcome and goes to the library board, the board would then be required to read the entire book, place an item on a board meeting agenda and possibly vote on keeping or removing the book. The board’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
The book is a frank approach to sex education and body issues focused on children ages 7 to 10 years old according to its description on Amazon.com. The book has several dozen pages of graphic and explicit cartoon drawings of both male and female genitalia, breasts and anuses. In addition to those images and wording, there are descriptions and explanations of masturbation and how children can touch their genitals, breasts and anuses to make them feel, “warm and tingly.”
If Murray does decide to contest the decision on the book, the issue could be discussed at the next meeting of the Library Advisory Board, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday, Feb. 20.