Texas library must reinstate books with 'butts and farts,' court says [View all]

By Brooke Kushwaha,
News Reporter
June 7, 2024

As more and more Texas school boards seek to censor books deemed too controversial or sexual in content, a conservative court in Texas ruled Friday that government entities, including public libraries, cannot just ban or censor books they disagree with.

The ruling has far-reaching implications for the broader movement in Texas to restrict books from public school shelves. In recent years, school boards in Cy-Fair, Katy, and beyond have moved to ban books deemed too controversial, including young-adult and children's books that show "butts," cause sexual arousal or depict LGBTQ+ relationships. In 2022, Texas attempted to ban more books than any other state, according to the American Library Association.

The case itself originated from parent complaints that books in the Llano County public library system showed "butts and farts," prompting local officials to instruct the library director to take the books off shelves. Officials then requested the director to cull books said to contain "pornographic filth." The list of offending titles included a book about a farting leprechaun, a book about a transgender teen, two books about the history of racism in the United States and a book about puberty.

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"Librarians may consider books’ contents in making curation decisions," judges ruled. "Their discretion, however, must be balanced against patrons’ First Amendment rights... a book may not be removed for the sole—or a substantial— reason that the decisionmaker does not wish patrons to be able to access the book’s viewpoint or message."

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C’mon Texas your children know more jokes about farts and butts that you, trust me.🤣