Under 30? You’ll Need an ID for This ‘Adult’ Section in Idaho
A viral photo of a sign demanding adults produce ID illustrates how Idaho libraries are complying with a horrible new law.
Public libraries across Idaho are now carding anyone they perceive to be under the age of 30 to ensure they are at least 18 years old in order to enter the “adult” section.
The libraries are instituting the policy in response to the state’s “library porn law,” which Republican Gov. Brad Little signed in April.
The law allows libraries to be sued if they fail to block minors from accessing “obscene” or “age-inappropriate” material.
If a complaint is filed regarding a book, libraries must relocate it to the adult section.
If they fail to do so within 30 days, they can be sued for noncompliance. There is a cap on statutory damages of $250 per incident. However, libraries can be sued for much more if a parent alleges that their children were “emotionally harmed” by accessing material that they deem objectionable.
Due to the smaller size of many local libraries, and the inability to either create a separate “adult” section or segregate it from the rest of the library, individual branches have started to card people to enter areas where “adult” material — including any LGBTQ-themed books — is housed.
Earlier this month, the Donnelly Public Library, in rural Valley County, imposed a ban on all unaccompanied minors entering the library — even to use the bathroom — due to the lack of space needed to segregate the children’s section from the adult section and the fear that a minor’s presence inside might make the library vulnerable to a costly lawsuit.
A sign in the Idaho Falls Public Library featuring a huge stop symbol and explaining the carding policy went viral. It was shared across the globe, as people couldn’t believe that books were being regulated as if they were alcoholic beverages, cannabis products, or cigarettes.
“Pursuant to Idaho Code Section 18-1514 That become effective July 1, 2024,” the sign reads. “To proceed beyond this point you must: Be 18 years of age or older. (if you are under 30 please be prepared to show Photo ID) Or Have an unrestricted library card. (Please have your card ready to be scanned) Or Be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library.”
Robert Wright, the director of the Idaho Falls Library, told LGBTQ Nation that only patrons who don’t already have a library card are asked for photo ID.
However, Wright noted, when parents sign their child up for a library card, they have the option of allowing their children to check out any book in the library, or restricting them to the children’s section on the first floor. Those with restricted cards must not only be accompanied by a parent to access the adult library on the third floor, but the parent must sign an affidavit every single time their child visits that section of the library.
“Doing so acts as an affirmative defense if the parent were to later file an action against the library,” Wright said. “We are aware that no solution is perfect, and that in an imperfect world, the best we can do is try to find a solution that protects the library from those seeking to change it into something they deem acceptable — in this case, what appears to be White Christian Nationalism — while still seeking to serve as many people as possible.”
Idaho Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) had previously told her fellow lawmakers that there was no pornography — as Republicans had claimed — in public libraries, but pointed to the bill’s designation of “homosexuality” as content that was “obscene” as the real justification for the law.
“There are people that are trying to ban books with LGBTQ themes,” she said.
State Rep. Megan Egbert (D-Boise) told the British tabloid the Daily Mail that smaller libraries, like the one in Donnelly, would likely not be able to stay open without running afoul of the law, noting that many of them are overseen by volunteers or may have a single staffer, making it difficult to monitor the adults-only section.
Egbert said the law allows anyone to challenge a book and that can make unlimited challenges, meaning that a “very small minority can decide what everyone can read.”
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