{"id":13824,"date":"2025-10-10T08:29:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=13824"},"modified":"2025-10-10T08:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:29:43","slug":"wyo-democrats-urge-wyomingites-to-oppose-bill-targeting-sexually-explicit-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/10\/wyo-democrats-urge-wyomingites-to-oppose-bill-targeting-sexually-explicit-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Wyo Democrats Urge Wyomingites To Oppose Bill Targeting Sexually Explicit Books"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Demonrats are just sexual deviants, and this proves it. And see how they actively target children with their degeneracy, and lets be real, grooming. These degenerates want to have deviant sex with your children, and a movement to normalize pedophilia<\/a> is already ramping up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2025\/10\/09\/state-democratic-party-urges-wyomingites-to-oppose-bill-targeting-sexually-explicit-books\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
The Wyoming Democratic Party is urging supporters to keep up pressure against a bill that would punish libraries for making available sexually-explicit books to kids. \u201cIt\u2019s not only an attack on free speech – it\u2019s an attack on parental rights,\u201d the party said.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By Steve Bohnel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"FILE
FILE PHOTO: The Wyoming Democratic Party is urging supporters to keep up pressure against a bill that would punish libraries for making available sexually-explicit books to kids. \u201cIt\u2019s not only an attack on free speech – it\u2019s an attack on parental rights,\u201d the party said. (Courtesy Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The state\u2019s Democratic Party is calling for opposition to draft legislation that would fine libraries for offering sexually explicit material to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The party in a Tuesday Facebook post<\/a> urged people to keep momentum up after the state legislature\u2019s joint Judiciary Committee tabled a version<\/u><\/a> of its most recent obscenity bill during an August meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state party reiterated its call to action Wednesday in a statement to Cowboy State Daily, saying that legislation \u201chas no place in a free society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only an attack on free speech – it\u2019s an attack on parental rights,\u201d says the statement. \u201cWyomingites don\u2019t appreciate politicians telling them how to think, what to say, or what to read.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Republicans who sit on the joint Judiciary Committee told Cowboy State Daily it\u2019s still their intention to move forward, even if the bill is amended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committee Co-Chair Rep. Art Washut, R-Casper, likened the bill to similar debates his classmates had when he was growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m old enough to remember when high school boys wanted Playboy magazine available in the school library,\u201d he told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cAnd the adults in charge threw the boys out of the office and said, \u2018No way in the world, what a stupid idea.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washut has been critical of past obscenity bill drafts, however \u2013 not over their mission but for what he cast as functional defects that would make enforcement arbitrary or impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What The Recent Draft Says<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recent version of the draft bill, which was heavily debated by joint judiciary committee members and the public in August, would create penalties for libraries that offer books depicting various sexual acts to minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would impose a $50,000 civil fine on the library for each offense, or each time a child accesses the material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That provision provoked laughter in August, since schools could also be fined if this draft became law \u2013 and yet civil fines transfer into school coffers once paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of \u201csexually explicit material\u201d are defined in the draft. Broadly speaking, it includes various examples of sexual acts in words or pictures between two or more people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill also would let people sue libraries. The courts \u201cmay order any injunctive or equitable relief, award damages, costs or 24 fees or order any other legal remedy permitted by law,\u201d under that section, plus attorney fees.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic Party’s Call To Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

State Democratic officials said Wednesday that the draft is a waste of taxpayer dollars and legislative time, and an example of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus controlling Wyomingites\u2019 lives and the content people can read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe idea that teachers and librarians should be personally liable for what\u2019s on a library shelf is outrageous and, frankly, ridiculous – especially in a world where the internet exists,\u201d the party\u2019s statement says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Tom Kelly, R-Sheridan, told Cowboy State Daily that many opponents are misinterpreting the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s been at the receiving end of template-style emails in which people neglect to delete the \u201cdelete this text and insert your own message\u201d phrase before sending their complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That amuses Kelly, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s not surprising to me,\u201d Kelly said of the Democrats\u2019 strategy. \u201cBecause very similar to the way you’ll see the Republican Party working very closely with groups like The Gun Owners of America, the Democratic Party works with groups like the American Library Association and the National Education Association. And those groups are very much in favor of getting what we consider sexually explicit materials into the hands of minors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly, like Washut, has been openly critical of poorly-crafted past bill drafts, while supportive of the overall mission of removing sexually-explicit material from kids\u2019 sections of public and school libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly opined in a past iteration of his joint podcast Wide Right Turn that it was a nice change in August, to receive collaborative suggestions from some of the bill\u2019s fiercest detractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washut said he believes there are three core factions of opinions related to the bill \u2013 diehard supporters who don\u2019t want their kids to have any sort of access; parents who appreciate the concept, but believe they can self-police; and a group that wants no sort of ban on any sort of explicit material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suspect that many, if not most, of our libraries are already in compliance with this bill,\u201d Washut said. \u201cBut there are some that are not that we’ve heard about and heard testimony about, and so this bill is about setting a baseline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential Changes, Potential Passage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The committee still can amend the bill to make it more functional. The legislature can also amend it at the lawmaking session that opens Feb. 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly and Washut both said they expect changes during the joint judiciary meeting next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The $50,000 fine for each offense seems excessive, and there are also needs to be a process lined out for challenged materials, so a fine doesn\u2019t automatically occur, and lawsuits don\u2019t quickly happen and jam the courts, Washut said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly said he\u2019s unsure if the bill has a chance in a budget session, where two-thirds of both the Senate and House must vote to introduce a non-budget bill for consideration. But, Washut said, if the committee makes sensible enough changes, it could have a chance at getting to Gov. Mark Gordon\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might be harder than it was years ago, especially compared with bills introduced by individual legislators, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen recently that just because a bill is sponsored by a committee, doesn’t necessarily mean it gets the skids grease like it once did,\u201d Washut said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Democratic officials know that Republicans have the supermajority in the legislature, but hope their legislators can offer amendments or otherwise kill the proposal before it reaches the floor next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey continue to do what they do best – finding practical solutions, working across the aisle, and reducing the harm caused by extremist legislation,\u201d party officials said in a statement. \u201cWe trust them to do everything possible to protect Wyomingites\u2019 rights and freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washut, conversely, said opponents are overreacting to a bill that isn\u2019t as far-reaching as they believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think a lot of people are worried that we’re crafting a really broad bill that’s going to have implications for all sorts of materials in our libraries,\u201d he said.  I think when the list comes out, you know what individual libraries are moving to the adult section? I think it’s going to be a fairly short list.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint judiciary committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 13 in Cheyenne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Demonrats are just sexual deviants, and this proves it. And see how they actively target children with their degeneracy, and lets be real, grooming. These degenerates want to have deviant sex with your children, and a movement to normalize pedophilia is already ramping up. https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2025\/10\/09\/state-democratic-party-urges-wyomingites-to-oppose-bill-targeting-sexually-explicit-books\/ The Wyoming Democratic Party is urging supporters to keep up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13825,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13824\/revisions\/13825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}