Subject: Help stop censorship in Iowa
From: Thomas D Soppe <[email-masked]>

Lookout, QUEERS and REAL AMERICANS, book censorship is still alive,
as the religious right (religious reich?) continues to try and takeover our
traditionally egalitarian Hawkeye State.  We need your help, as you can tell
from this Des Moines Register article.

>From the DES MOINES REGISTER, Thursday, November 4, 1993

"Adresses Homosexuality: INDIANOLA MAN WANTS BOOK TAKEN FROM LIBRARY"
by Colleen Bradford, Register Staff Writer

        An Indianola man has asked the local library to remove a book that
addresses  issues of homosexuality, saying it is not "of much concern to the
Christian-believing people of this community."
        John J. Taylor filed the request last month, saying that the library
should pull "Is It a Choice?" by Eric Marcus, which addresses questions about
homosexuality.
        Director Charles Ginder said the library obtained the book after a
patron pointed out a lack of information on the subject of homosexuality.
        "We needed to have it," Ginder said.  "I looked at our collection and
realized there was a gap."
        But in his request that the book be removed, Taylor wrote, "The Old
Testament clearly condemns this behavior and the New Tesament, our guide, ...
strongly sets forth, the guide for everyone to be forewarned of this sinful
nature.  Tell the homos to read God's Bible.  Best book yet."
        However, Ginder said the book is necessary to add to the diversity
of the community.
        "I'm always concerned when there are requests to remove material," he
said, although he said this was the first such request in about 20 years.  "I
defend the right of allowing people to read."
        He said the people who have contacted him to far about the issue
have all been in support of having the book in the library.
        Elaine Simpson, president of the library board, said the board will
consider Payne's concerns.  "That's our policy.  If people have an objection
to a book, they can file a request and we'll consider the issue," she said.
        Ginder said the library followed its selection policy in picking the
book.   One portion of the policy states that in selectivng materials, library

administrators "shall avoid being advocates of style, content or thought on
the one hand, or censors on the other."

-end of DM REGISTER article

IMPORTANT- Letters of support are needed for the Indianola Library.  The
library board is considering censoring the book.

Write:

Indianola Library Board
207 North B
Indianola, IA  50125

Calls of support would also be appreciated by the library staff at:
(515) 961-9418 but letters to the board are most important.

The local weekly newspaper is
Record Herald Tribune
203 W. Salem Avenue
Indianola, IA  50125

also write to:
Letters
The Des Moines Register
Box 957
Des Moines, IA  50304

One book may not seem like much to all of you queerfolk out there, but in
a state with a growing religious right influence, in a state full of small
towns full of people afraid to speak up, in a state which just a few years
ago had one of the most moderate Republican Parties in the country until
the religious right's takeover, it's just another sign of the fundamentalist
takeover.

We need your help.
Stay gay,

Thomas D. Soppe
P.O. Box 12-89
Grinnell College
Grinell, IA  50112
[email-masked].