Iowa appeals injunction on law banning sexually explicit books in schools

(The Center Square) - Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Friday she is appealing an injunction that kept a law banning sexually explicit LGBTQ books in school libraries from taking effect.

A federal judge struck down Senate File 496 just days before it was set to take effect.

Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Iowa and the law firm of Jenner and Block filed a lawsuit in November seeking to block the law. The second one was filed by Penguin Random House, also known as PRH, the Iowa State Education Association and authors Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Malinda Lo and Jodi Picoult just a few days later.

Bird filed separate appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

“When we send our kids to school, we trust that their innocence will be protected," Bird said. "I’m glad to say that we are today appealing the district court’s decision in order to uphold Iowa’s law that keeps sexually explicit books out of the hands of our kids in school. Iowa’s law is clear; sexually explicit books and materials have no place in our elementary school classrooms or libraries."

The U.S. District judge allowed a portion of the law that requires school personnel to alert parents if their child requests to use a pronoun related to gender identity.