Democrats Declare Public School Book Content 'Too Offensive' For House Floor

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

When Rep. Glenn Cordelli (R-Tuftonboro) took to the floor of the New Hampshire House and began reading passages from books available to Granite State public school students, 170 Democrats voted to silence him. Why?

They found the words he was reading too offensive for the House.

Rep. Lucy Weber (D-Walpole) called the passages Cordelli read “offensive to many and triggering to some that are victims of violence or abuse.” She asked her fellow House members to vote on whether to allow Cordelli to continue his reading.

The House voted 201-173 to let Cordelli keep speaking, with all but 16 Democrats voting to silence him.

The passages did not contain profanity, but they did reference explicit sexual contact. One passage appeared to describe the rape of a minor by an adult.

According to Cordelli, the passages he read were from the books “Here and Queer,” found in the Hillsboro-Deering school district, and “Speak” from the Dover Middle School library.

“Materials like I just read are available in many schools, including Bedford High School, Dover High School, Exeter schools, and many schools — including the Governor Wentworth Regional School District — via the Sora app.”

During the floor discussion, Rep. Kevin Verville (R-Deerfield) asked, “Do you find it acceptable that we have materials available to minor children in public schools in New Hampshire that many members take offense to when read aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives?”

“I think many will find it quite enlightening,” Cordelli responded.

An edited version of art from the book Gender Queer

Before the Thursday session began, a supporter of the bill was handing out copies of images from books currently in public school libraries, including the book “Gender Queer,” which features an explicit, graphic portrayal of two teens engaged in oral sex.

“It’s the first book I read as a trans nonbinary adult that reflected my own experiences growing up without the words to understand and name my own queerness,” Rep. Alissandra Murray (D-Manchester) posted on social media after the vote.

House Democrats argue keeping these books out of school libraries is “book banning.”

Rep. Mel Myler (D-Contoocook), the ranking member of the House Education Committee and former Executive Director of the National Education Association of NH, called the bill “extreme and controversial,” one that would “ban books and censor material.”

Supporters argued only age-appropriate content should be in the libraries of schools that must serve the entire community, schools where parents are mandated to send their children. And, they note, parents are welcome to buy the books or check them out of public libraries for their children if they choose.

“This is not banning books,” Cordelli insisted. “It’s about making sure children have access to age-appropriate educational material. Period.”

The House voted to table the bill, 192-181, making it extremely unlikely any action will be taken this session.

“It was really amazing to watch Democrats shouting objections and walking out when I read excerpts from a couple of books,” Cordelli told NHJournal after the vote. “But it is ok for these same books to be available to our minor school children?

“To object to my reading smacks of a disregard for what is happening in some schools to our children and to parents. And to say that some members who have been the victims of sexual abuse were ‘triggered’ by what they heard? What about minor children who maybe have had similar experiences? And what about the mental health crisis in our schools?”

Democrats then attempted to silence Cordelli again by blocking his remarks from being printed in the House Journal.

That motion failed, 291-84.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.