Vancouver resident Laurie Pascual discusses the presence of pornography in school libraries
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com.
In an article, Maturation of the adolescent brain, from the St. James School of Medicine in the Netherlands, it talks about plasticity (the possible significant neuronal changes that occur in the acquisition of new skills.) Adolescents (age 10-24) learn to adapt to acquire independence. It also makes them vulnerable to making improper decisions. The neurocircuitry remains under construction thus making it difficult to think critically and rationally before making complex decisions. Etc. This process isn’t complete till approx. 25 years of age.
A legal adult was 21 and still is to purchase alcohol. The age was changed to 18 to draft younger people into the military. You can sign a contract at 18.
The LGBTQ thing is about sexuality. I believe minors have no business having sex when they’re unable to take on the consequences: getting a STD, conceiving a baby, etc. Few individuals are financially independent under 18, or capable of providing for a baby. Shouldn’t schools encourage abstinence?
Fox News did an article, Oregon school district books contain pornography imagery of sex acts, according to portal, by Hannah Grossman. Some of the books’ content in the North Clackamas District in Oregon was shocking. This is grooming!
Fort Vancouver High School, Vancouver, had a discussion about the book, Gender Queer, currently available to check out! The librarian wasn’t there. No notification of the material in this book was provided for the parents. One parent said, “Once you have seen it, you can’t unsee it!” The principal said it’s the librarian’s responsibility to choose the library books and not his place to oversee it.
I read Washington Child Pornography Laws and gave the principal a copy.
RCW 9.68.050
(1) “Minor” means any person under the age of eighteen years;
(2) “Erotic material” means printed material, photographs, pictures, motion pictures, sound recordings, and other material the dominant theme of which taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest of minors in sex. …
(3) “Person” means any individual, …
(4) “Dealers”, “distributors”, and “exhibitors” mean persons engaged in the distribution, sale, or exhibition of printed material, photographs, pictures, motion pictures, or sound recordings.
Note: No exclusions for public high schools or cartoons. It is still graphic and suggestive.
RCW 9.68.060 “Erotic material”—Determination by court—Labeling—Penalties.
(3) If the superior court rules that the subject material is erotic material, then, following such adjudication:
(a) If the subject material is written or printed, or is a sound recording, the court shall issue an order requiring that an “adults only” label be placed on it …
(5) Any person who, after the court determines material to be erotic, sells, distributes, or exhibits the erotic material to a minor shall be guilty of violating RCW 9.68.050 through 9.68.120.
Some teachers felt this should be available for those who want to feel socially accepted. All students want to feel accepted. Can’t they join any club and feel accepted?
Isn’t the librarian, a distributor, breaking the law? Is the principal aiding and abetting by doing nothing? Is the book in a “adults only” section? Do they verify the age of those checking it out? What if a younger sibling sees this and experiments? Isn’t this how pedophiles condition children to think it’s ok, or use it to get sentences reduced by making it seem normal?
Are teachers encouraging kids to get hormone blockers or surgery to mutilate their bodies when the adolescent’s brain is vulnerable to making improper decisions? Do gender confused understand these surgeries can’t be undone? Are public schools taking parental rights away?
L. Pascual
Vancouver
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