Pornography?

Continued from page A1 bill also dictates that all material must be free of pornography, which is defined by “the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement,” according to Merriam-Webster.

Local Republican organizations, led by Randy Osborne, president of the Florida Eagle Forum, put out a call to action for people to attend the board meeting and speak in support of banning books. Transportation was offered via a bus from the Ocala Christian Academy.

Many speakers took the stance that banning books from the school system equated to censorship. If a parent is uncomfortable with the content their child is reading, they should be the ones to decide rather than authorities making a decision on behalf of all parents.

“It is unsafe, discriminatory, unjust and intolerant to seek to erase the voices and lived experiences of what it’s like growing up gay in an increasingly more hostile environment for these people,” said Sarah Klitenick, parent of a kindergartener in MCPS.

A large majority of the books on the “objections” list center on LGBTQ stories, notably history books. Among the titles that are currently under evaluation are “The Gay Liberation Movement: Before and After Stonewall,” “The Early History of the Gay Rights Movement” and “Transgender Activists and Celebrities.”

“Children identify as who they identify as, and no book is going to change that,’’ said Vickie Treulieb, North Marion Middle School English and acting teacher. “What books do is allow for visibility and diversity. All students deserve access to the books that have been challenged in “quarantine.” influence on Amen.

Other speakers shared major concerns about explicit sexual content or pornographic books, not exclusive to LGBTQ content or classic novels.

“She inspired me to keep going, never be scared and not worry about the hardships of singing. ‘You’ll get there; let’s just practice,’ she’d say to people online, and I’ll always remember that,” Amen said.

Bryan was captivated by Amen’s voice and story and said he was rewarding him with a platinum ticket, which would allow him to skip the elimination trials.

“You did your job and did it well, and now it’s your time,” “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest told Amen during a backstage pep talk.

“Welcome home. Now, it’s your time to shine,” Richie said. “You’ve been through a lot, but the rest of your life is waiting,” the Grammy-winning vocalist added.

“I can hardly breathe,” Bryan chimed in. “Your style is so beautiful, unique … I don’t have anyone I’ve seen in this chair to compare you to. You wanted you to do something amazing, you did it.”

Amen shared with the “Gazette” that he will be revealing a big surprise during his next appearance.

For TV episode information, visit abc.com/shows/ american-idol.

Visit Amen’s social media sites at instagram.com/ camamen23 and tiktok.com/@camamen23?lang=en

“I’m not here to ban regular books like “Matilda,” that’s up for a parent to decide. The books that are that are better sexual content, sexual excitement, sexual battery and sexual abuse, it’s those kinds of books,” said Brigitte Smith, Marion County Republican Executive Committee chair.

The school board policy adheres to these standards and has a review process to address complaints about certain books.

Claims of books “indoctrinating” children were abundant, with several speakers saying that it is a parent’s right to teach children certain topics within the home rather than being exposed to it at school.

“We want our students to be well-educated with knowledge of things that are important and relevant, and focusing on personal pronouns and sexual dysmorphia is not why we pay taxes,” said speaker Barbara Schmidt. “Exposing students to books in the library about gender bending ideology is a form of indoctrination, because you normalize it in the reading material you provide to them.”

The school board condemned the exposure of pornography to children and said the district will continue to follow the statutes, policies and procedures in place to ensure the quality of the material in the MCPS library system.

“I don’t think any of us as parents want our kids to read inappropriate things that are not age-appropriate,” said Board Member Rev. Eric Cummings. “However, I listened to all of this tonight, and I saw a lot and heard a lot of things that to me was just downright sensationalism.”

Board Chair Allison Campbell implored the audience to seek common ground on this important issue.

“Regardless of our differences,’’ she said, “as long as we can have dialogue rather than shouting at each other, we can have productive outcomes.”

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

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