In advance of the June 2026 deadline for public comment, the Arkansas chapter of Interfaith Alliance submitted a letter to the Arkansas State Library Board opposing a new proposal that would require libraries to restrict access by individuals under sixteen to materials deemed “sexually explicit.”
Overly Broad Terms Used to Justify Censorship and Discrimination
According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, terms like “sexually explicit” or “sexually oriented” are overly broad and subjective—and they are being used to justify censorship. Materials that are targeted through policies and laws that use these terms include books that address reproductive health, human sexual behavior, how bodies change during puberty, surviving sexual trauma, and the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals. In Arkansas, members of the State Library Board have specifically stated that they consider any Pride displays to be “sexually explicit,” regardless of content.
Faith Leaders: Respect Religious Freedom and Keep Libraries Welcoming to All
Signed by sixty clergy members and faith leaders, the Interfaith Alliance of Arkansas letter urges the State Library Board to reject the draft rule and “instead pursue policies that respect religious freedom, protect parental rights without limiting the choices of other families, preserve local control and professional library expertise, and ensure that Arkansas libraries remain welcoming places of learning for all.”
Rev. Dr. Dawn Chesser, president of Interfaith Alliance of Arkansas, was instrumental in organizing this powerful response. Learning of the restrictive proposal under consideration only days before the public comment deadline, Rev. Dr. Chesser acted quickly to sound the alarm among Arkansas interfaith leaders and facilitate their important advocacy on behalf of the freedom to read.
Rev. Dr. Chesser spoke about this experience during a recent “Faith for Libraries” program at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. “As a religious leader in Arkansas, I feel that since the religious beliefs of Arkansas library board members are driving the effort to censor these materials, it is critical that people like me, the other Arkansas religious leaders who signed the letter, and many other people of faith in the Natural State speak out,” said Rev. Dr. Chesser. “We must make it known that as people of faith from the many traditions that are practiced in our state, we are adamantly opposed to these proposed rules because of our own faith convictions.”
Next Opportunity for Arkansans to Voice Opposition
The next meeting of the Arkansas State Library Board is scheduled for August 14, 2026. The meeting agenda is expected online on or around August 10. It is likely to include a vote on whether to advance the proposal for legislative review. Members of the public wishing to comment on agenda items may email State Librarian Jennifer Chilcoat by 10:00 a.m. on August 13.
Win or Lose, Organizing is a Victory
Unite Against Book Bans is grateful to the Interfaith Alliance of Arkansas and the letter signatories for this timely and powerful example of values-driven advocacy for libraries and library users. Regardless of whether the pro-censorship proposal advances, Interfaith Alliance’s organizing effort in Aransas is a foundational victory in the state’s ongoing fight against book bans.
Learn More and Get Involved
For more ideas to support faith-driven action to protect the freedom to read, see Banned Book, Banned Beliefs and the campaign page of Faith for Libraries: Diverse Faith Communities Supporting Libraries and Librarians, which is a partnership between the Interfaith Alliance, Unite Against Book Bans, the American Library Association, and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries.
For more about the Arkansas State Library Board’s proposed rule, the “arbitrary standards” it would impose, and the legal and financial concerns it presents, see recent coverage in the Arkansas Advocate.
