Bill That Would Have Segregated Books Dies in OK Legislature

-- Library Journal, 04/19/2006

While the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 60 to 33 to deny state funding to libraries that don't confine gay-themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adults," the bill Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) sponsored was not considered by the Democrat-dominated Senate. The Tulsa World reported that the topic would remain a wedge issue in future campaigns by Republican candidates. Even some Republicans thought it was unwise. According to the newspaper, Rep. Mike Wilt (R-Bartlesville) criticized Kern for wasting legislators' time when they all knew the bill would fail in the Senate. One letter-writer to the newspaper thought the bill was too soft, calling for such books to be banned from libraries. By contrast, Debby Ihrig of Bristow wrote that the bill created a dangerous precedent: "How long before it's decided that other subject matter should be placed in a special area?"