Senate Democrats decrying school boards and parents for censorship got more than they bargained for when Sen. John Kennedy began reading aloud from a couple of the “banned books.”

“Let’s take two books that have been much discussed,” the Louisiana Republican said Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “The first one is called All Boys Aren’t Blue.”

He read a graphic scene about two boys having anal sex, then followed up with a passage from the 2019 book Gender Queer about oral sex between two boys. PEN America listed the books as the two most banned books of the 2021-22 school year.

After quizzing panelists on who should decide if the books should be available to kids, Mr. Kennedy declared that “none of you wants to come here and answer my question.”

“You come here and say censorship is bad, and of course it’s bad,” Mr. Kennedy said. “But the obvious response is— you heard the books we’re talking about. We’re not talking about Catcher in the Rye. So tell me, who gets to decide? And all I’ve heard is the librarians. And parents have nothing to do with it. and if that’s your response, what planet did you just parachute in from?”

The hearing, “Book Bans: How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature,” comes with PEN America and the American Library Association sounding the alarm on a spike in book challenges as the battle over censorship versus pornography plays out in school and public libraries.

“In 2022, there were over 1,000 requests to ban books at schools and libraries, the most in over 20 years,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat, the committee chairman.

He said the titles included classics such as Brave New World and To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as “books that include LGBTQ+ subject matter.”

“One out of every four banned books features LGBTQ+ characters and themes, according to PEN America,” Mr. Durbin said. “No one is advocating for sexually explicit content to be available at an elementary school library or the children’s section of the library. That’s a distraction from the real challenge.”

Max Eden, American Enterprise Institute research fellow, argued that “book ban” is a misnomer, saying that PEN America’s definition includes books that have been challenged, reviewed, and placed back on library shelves, or tagged with a parental-permission requirement.

“Careful analysis also belies the claims that books are being banned because of race or LGBT issues,” said Mr. Eden. “Whereas PEN America labels the Black Lives Matter inspired The Hate U Give as the fifth most banned book, we found it available in every school library in question.”  

Illinois became the first state to ban book bans with a “Right to Read” law pulling funding from public libraries that limit or prohibit material for “partisan or doctrinal” reasons, a bill championed by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

“Our libraries have become targets by a movement that disingenuously claims to pursue ‘freedom’ but is instead promoting authoritarianism.” Said Mr. Giannoulias. “Tragically, our libraries have become the Thunderdomes of controversy and strife across our nation – the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”

Mr. Kennedy quizzed Mr. Giannoulias, who is also the state librarian, whether “only librarians should decide whether the two books that I just referenced should be available to kids.”

Mr. Giannoulias said no, but warned that allowing “random parents” to determine what belongs on the shelves can become a “slippery slope.”

“With all due respect, senator, the words are disturbing, especially coming out of your mouth,” Mr. Giannoulias said. “it’s very disturbing, but we’re not advocating for kids to read porn. We’re advocating for parents, random parents, not to have the ability under the guise of keeping kids safe to try and challenge the world view of every single manner on these issues.”

Cameron Samuels, a Brandeis University student and co-founder of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, told Mr. Kennedy: “Your definition of sexual is synonymous with LGBTQ identity.”

Mr. Eden also read two graphic passages from the much-challenged books, Lawn Boy and All Boys Aren’t Blue.

“Ten-year-olds performing sodomy. Underage incest. Strap on dildo blowjobs. Is this okay for kids?” asked Mr. Eden. “Judging by the fuss made by the media, NGOs, and some Democratic politicians, it seems there is a politically significant contingent that believes that this is all actually very good for kids.”

Gender Queer and Lawn Boy are both winners of the American Library Association’s Alex Award, which recognizes books “written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said decisions on appropriate content in libraries should be left to school boards and local communities, not the Senate.

“Am I supposed to as a United States senator take over libraries of this country and be the final say of what goes in a library? I hope not. I think not,” said Mr. Graham. “So this is an important hearing in this regard. It shows the difference of the two parties on this issue.”

He did agree that “a lot of times the books that are being complained about by parents you can’t even read in the public hearing,” although that didn’t stop Mr. Kennedy.

“And I won’t read it today,” Mr. Graham said. “But somebody needs to understand that this is a big issue for many parents in this country.”

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.