APLS Chairman John Wahl Left Baffled by Fairhope Costume Arrest and Library Hypocrisy
“If Fairhope officials recognize indecency on the street, they should be just as concerned about it on the shelves”—John Wahl
From APLS Board Chairman John Wahl
FAIRHOPE, AL — Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) Chairman John Wahl says he’s been left "scratching his head" after Fairhope police arrested a protester for wearing a costume shaped like male genitalia during the city’s “No Kings” protest last weekend.
“I find it deeply ironic that the City of Fairhope would arrest someone for wearing a costume depicting male genitalia, while at the same time images of that very body part are being openly displayed in the youth section of the Fairhope Public Library,” Wahl said. “At least the protester had the decency not to use taxpayer money to fund their display, and they weren’t intentionally placing themselves in an area meant for children. The same can’t be said for what’s happening inside some of our public libraries.”
The Fairhope Public Library has been at the center of an ongoing battle with the APLS Board over relocating sexually explicit materials from library youth sections to adult sections—allowing parents, not librarians, to decide what their children have access to.
“It seems the city understands that such displays are inappropriate for public settings—yet somehow that same standard doesn’t apply when it comes to protecting children in the Fairhope Public Library,” Wahl said. “I find this situation hard to understand, and the hypocrisy impossible to ignore.”
Chairman Wahl said the incident highlights why the Alabama Public Library Service is working to establish stronger statewide standards for age-appropriate content in public libraries.
“If content can’t be shown on television, printed in the newspaper, or worn in public without being considered indecent, it shouldn’t be displayed in the children’s section of our libraries,” Wahl explained. “We’re not trying to ban books—we’re trying to make sure sexually explicit material is placed in age-appropriate areas and not accessible to minors without parental consent. If Fairhope officials recognize indecency on the street, they should be just as concerned about it on the shelves.”
