An Anchorage, Alaska, district librarian privately defended a pornographic book that was in the district by invoking the Holy Bible as a defense of providing those materials to children, internal emails show.
The Polaris K-12 public school librarian Rachel Gregory discussed the book "This Is Gay" that was previously in circulation in the district and said it was a "slippery slope" to ban it, while comparing it to the Holy Bible in an October 2022 email to the school's principal, Carol Bartholomew. The internal documents were obtained via public record request by a local parent, Jay McDonald, and were reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Bartholomew appeared to solicit talking points and information from the librarian after receiving community pushback about the book.
The book in question discusses engaging "saunas and sex parties," which can pose a higher risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections. However, the librarian maintained in the email that the book does not anywhere "encourage unsafe behavior."
"This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson was available to students in the Anchorage school district. (Juno Dawson | Pascal Deloche/Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "saunas, sex clubs, or private and public sex parties where intimate, often anonymous sexual contact with multiple partners occurs, may have a higher likelihood of spreading monkeypox."
Gregory told the principal, "I am reading it now - it is graphic and blunt in a cartoony, keep it light way - but there is a
'This is such as slippery slope,' the librarian said about removing the book. (Boonchai Wedmakawand via Getty Images)
The book calls porn "fine and fun" and lists a porn star as an "inspiratio[n]."
One of the casual apps recommended in "This Book is Gay" is called Grindr. The book mentions the fact that it is 18+, and seems to have an indifferent approach to minors using it, saying "it happens." The book also cautioned minors that they should not send naked pictures of themselves via the app because it would be considered child pornography and is "illegal."
According to an article written in a California law journal, Grindr's "flimsy age verification process" "facilitates inadvertent illicit activity among its adult users." Grindr's terms and conditions state that it prohibits underage persons and users must be legal adults to accept the terms and use its services.
"As a result of its flimsy age verification process and its indiscriminate marketing, Grindr poses risks to both minors and adults. Minors who sign up for the app risk encountering predatory behavior, while adult users risk inadvertently engaging in criminal activity," wrote Julie Kvedar in the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal in 2020.
"In creating a Grindr profile, users may encounter just a single notification that the app is for adults only: the requirement of entering one’s birthdate," Kvedar said.
INDIA - 2022/01/23: In this photo illustration a Grindr logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
‘This Book is Gay’ by Juno Dawson is one of the most banned books in the country. (Juno Dawson | iStock)
The principal then used the information provided in the email by the librarian to respond to a concerned parent.
Fox News Digital previously reported that the district recently purchased a book called "Let's Talk About it." The book unpacked "
'Let's Talk About it' book in Anchorage, Alaska, school district libraries (Fox News Digital | respective author | iStock)
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying some porn, it's a fun sugary treat," the book said. "When consumed right, porn can help you discover new aspects of your sexuality."
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"A great place to research fantasies and kinks safely is on the internet," the book said. "There's tons of people and communities out there who share your interests and have all kinds of advice."
The district claimed it was not available to kids, only to staff, and it was taken down from the library registry around the time a dad exposed it at a school board meeting.
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