Gov. Holcomb signs book banning measure

Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed into law a measure that will allow parents and community members to request the banning of certain school library books they deem "offensive," and school librarians to be punished with felonies for having such books.

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Indiana joins a nationwide movement in Republican-led states to censor classroom materials in public schools in the name of protecting kids from sexually explicit materials like pornography, but that advocates label as the latest evolution of a movement to ban books highlighting the experiences of LGBTQ and non-white people.

The measure was introduced in the 2023 General Assembly in a bill on the Senate side, but tabled until the waning hours of the session, when it was inserted into House Bill 1447, a bill about third-party surveys in schools.

In a statement, Holcomb said he viewed the measure as a way to keep library materials "age-appropriate."

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“(House Enrolled Act) 1447 improves transparency and supports efforts to provide age-appropriate material in our libraries and I am happy that these decisions will continue to take place at the local level," he said.

The new law requires schools to publish their library catalogues online, create a process in which community members can request certain books be banned, and removes the legal defense librarians currently have to claim a book was available for "educational" purposes if felony charges arose against them for making available books that are "harmful to minors."

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According to Indiana Code, "harmful to minors" means the material contains:

• nudity, sexual content or "sado-masochistic abuse"
• a persuasiveness for minors to engage in sexual activities
• offensive content to community standards for adults considering what's suitable to minors to see
• content void of "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" for kids

The American Library Association reported a record 2,500 library books and materials were targeted for censorship in 2022, the majority of which contained perspectives from LGBTQ or non-white communities.

In Hamilton County libraries in Fishers and Noblesville, a conservative bloc on the library board led approval of a review costing upward of $300,000 to remove materials deemed not age appropriate.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.