Houston County Libraries are a "No Woke Zone"

Libraries in Prattville and Shelby County have recently drawn our attention to a deeply disturbing trend — the infiltration of our cherished public institutions, like our libraries, by political extremists pushing explicit themes upon our children.

When the stories broke, I immediately contacted our library board and director. After a series of candid conversations, I'm proud to report that in Houston County, we're standing up for our community values and the innocence of our children.

Let me be clear:

• Our Houston County libraries will NOT host Children’s Pride events

• Our Houston County libraries will NOT have explicit books in the children’s section

• Our Houston County libraries will NOT have displays targeting our children with inappropriate themes

And if anyone crosses these lines, they will likely lose funding from the Houston County Commission.

I'm grateful to our library board and staff, who share our concern about the erosion of traditional values in these challenging times. Though no government should dictate a library's content, it's our duty to ensure our children aren't targeted with sexually explicit content.

Let me end by saying that our community is home to people of diverse opinions and backgrounds. Public institutions such as libraries must serve everyone in our community. Also, as a conservative Republican who believes in limited government, I do not believe any government should censor books. But it is easy to draw a line regarding the sexual exploitation of children.