"Really, this book is a treasure," said the library director about a book that teaches kids about 'fluid-bonding,' BDSM, and kinky sex.

The director of the Garden Valley District Library is defending her decision to offer a sexually explicit book promoting kinky sex, BDSM, "fluid-bonding," and transgenderism to minors, saying the book is "fantastic" and "a treasure." The director, Kerri Hart, also defended numerous other books in the Garden Valley library pushing gender identity and sexuality on children, claiming it would be "censorship" not to allow minors to access these explicit books. 

The IFF’s Center for American Education has obtained public records showing that our recent report on school libraries has prompted some Garden Valley residents to urge the local library to reform its collection such that it is appropriate for the school-aged children who use it. The Garden Valley Library offers numerous obscene books to minors including "Let’s Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human," "S.E.X: The All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties," "This Book is Gay," "All Boys Aren't Blue," and "Beyond Magenta." The library also provides books on transgenderism for children ages four to eight years old such as "Julian is a Mermaid." Some of these books are available as e-books, allowing children to download them onto their electronic devices perhaps without their parents’ knowledge. 

The sexually explicit and subversive content in these books has been well documented (see here and here). Let us focus on the book "S.E.X." which Hart called "fantastic" and "a treasure."

Written by Heather Corinna, “S.E.X.” contains claims like “masturbation is the bomb” and sections like “How do you masturbate?” It has sections on sexual fantasies or how to stimulate multiple orgasms.

“S.E.X.” encourages “kink” and has detailed instructions for how to stimulate sexual pleasure. For example, the book features tips on practices like BDSM (“some people self-restrain during masturbation. Others use rope or cord[...]”), how to “talk dirty” for cybersex, analingus, and blood or body fluid play. 

One portion describes how “some people enjoy any number of body fluids sexually: ejaculate, vaginal fluids, menses, urine or blood.” It goes on to describe “golden showers” and notes that “fluid play may be enjoyable because a certain intimacy or sacredness is experienced in ‘fluid-bonding.’”

It promotes alternative sexual lifestyles and laments that gender norms may determine it’s not “‘manly’ for men to enjoy receptive anal sex.”

The book also describes identity as something that’s fairly malleable and detached from both biological reality and any philosophical or theological system. For example, it starts with the pledge: “I pledge allegiance… to myself and the united state of my sexuality.” What follows, though, is not a united and coherent vision of sexuality but rather a confusing array of sexual behaviors and identities — including ones that fly in the face of traditional ideas about bodily and sexual integrity. 

It encourages teens to disintegrate into a morass of sexual inclinations before deciding on one, even if it is inherently unstable or formless. “S.E.X.” declares that “each person’s sexual self is not only often shifting and evolving,” later adding that “‘I’m attracted to whom I’m attracted to, and I don’t know or care why’ is also a sexual orientation.” It says that terms for sexual identity can include “kinky, polyamorous, slut, asexual, vanilla, tutti-frutti, and so on.”

“S.E.X.” urges readers to “subvert the status quo” and contains a section on “How to Be Transfriendly and Subvert Crummy Gender and Orientation Stereotypes in Five Easy Steps.” Groups like Planned Parenthood get a shout-out from “S.E.X.,” which promotes abortion and sterilization as options for readers. 

The book promotes the concept of friends with benefits and goes so far as suggesting that “what it means to be a virgin really can only be defined by you.” It also suggests readers “might give some thought to abandoning the concept of virginity altogether.” The book adds: “However nicely, or in different contexts, it is presented by some now, it is an idea that, throughout history, has been sexist, heterosexist, classist, and oppressive, and virginity as an ideal has actually done the opposite of what many would aspire to do: it has devalued sexuality and intimacy–and women–rather than making them more valuable.” 

According to Hart, "S.E.X." has circulated at least three times in the library. 

Kerri Hart and the Garden Valley District Library Board of Trustees did not respond for comment at the time of publishing.

It's unclear why any public official would think it’s appropriate to teach kids about BDSM or how to masturbate or normalize transgenderism. Most taxpayers would be appalled to find out that a library district is so willing to distribute material harmful to kids. Yet public employees continue to defend the provision of obscene materials to minors instead of upholding their moral and legal obligation to protect children. 

Although residents can continue to file complaints about obscene content available to children in their public library, the board will make the ultimate decision on whether or not to reform their book collection. The next meeting of the Garden Valley District Library Board will take place in October.