Anchorage Library Advisory Board member dodges questions about concerns over teen book
Trigger warning: A document included in the Bronson administration's production of documents includes a page from the teen book 'Let's Talk About It' depicting a cartoon anus and scrotum, which some have alleged constitutes pornographic imagery. The same image can be found on book review sites and Amazon.com. We all have an anus, and some of us have a scrotum too, so let's just embrace the crazy and appreciate the fact that we're all in this lunacy together.
I've invested countless hours into documenting the relentless censorship efforts of would-be book banners. As I sat to write this latest installment, I was reminded of the time when current Alaska House Education Co-Chair Rep. Jamie Allard stooped to the lowest of lows and lobbied members of a far-right Facebook group to pressure the Anchorage Public Library (APL) into hiding a gender-identity book that had been displayed at Loussac Library.
Following the tumultuous tenure of Judy Eledge as director of APL, which resulted in the resignation of several longtime dedicated library employees, the library has strived to maintain a low profile. However, the recent decision of the Library Advisory Board (LAB) to refer the book 'Let's Talk About It' to the Anchorage municipal attorney has thrust the library back into the public eye.
Doug Weimann, appointed to LAB by Anchorage Mayor David Bronson, strongly advocated for the book's review and has drawn scrutiny for comments he made during LAB's March 15 meeting, which led to LAB's conservative members voting 3-2 to refer the book for legal review.
On February 15, roughly a week after Anchorage activist & Save Anchorage member Jay McDonald shared false information about the book 'Let's Talk About It' at an Anchorage School Board meeting, Weimann, who is Facebook friends with McDonald, sent an email to LAB's members stating that he'd been approached by a parent asking him about the library's process for selecting and displaying books at APL and the Anchorage School District.
Weimanns' email, obtained via public records request, includes a photograph of a page from the book 'Let's Talk About It' which he said was sent to him by a concerned mother.
The book has been referred to as being pornographic by some so-called concerned parents and Anchorage School Board member Dave Donley—but is described as being a teen's guide to sex and relationships by the book's publisher and is highly rated and recommended by trusted and respected reviewers.
On March 5, Weimann shared a Fox News article on his Facebook account that targeted Polaris K-12 public school librarian Rachel Gregory for privately defending 'This is Gay,' a book Fox News described as being pornographic.
Weimann's post lamented the current state of affairs in ASD and expressed frustration over the national attention the district garnered, even though it was Jay McDonald who procured the documents used in the Fox News piece that drew national attention to the school district.
A day later, responding to a comment left in response to the same Facebook post, Weimann stated that his daughter knew both of the adult employees at Polaris K-12 "that committed the crimes."
Weimann did not respond to an emailed request for comment asking him to identify the adults at Polaris K-12 and the specific crimes he stated they committed. Weimann appears to have deleted or made the Facebook post private after receiving my request for comment.
On March 10, five days before LAB's next meeting, Weimann sent an email to LAB's members and Anchorage Municipal Attorney Anne Helzer.
"After speaking with my concerned parent, we don't feel the book "Let's Talk About It" is accurate, non-judgmental or non-biased. As a LAB member, I have serious concerns about who may have had access to this graphic novel, specifically under-aged patrons," wrote Weimann.
In the same email, Weimann wrote that he believed many parents would consider the book "porn and not suitable for their teens" and claimed that following the book's advice would place children at risk from online predators. He cited Alaska Statute 11.61.128, "Electronic Distribution of Indecent Material to Minors," and asked the city's highest-ranking attorney to conduct a legal review of the book.
"Have we broken any laws? Are we currently breaking the law? Again, what are the liability risk[s] for the Municipal Library?" Weimann asked.
Weimann dodged emailed questions about whether he had read 'Let's Talk About It' in its entirety before deciding to ask that it be referred for legal review, as well as why he didn't fill out a request for reconsideration form to contest the book as recommended by APL Director Virginia McClure during last Wednesday's LAB meeting.
Last Friday, the Anchorage Daily News reported they could not reach Weimann for an interview.
McClure, who also serves as LAB's secretary, said she believes LAB members should go through the process of submitting a request for reconsideration and follow the Board's own stated process. Even though that did not occur, McClure told me last week she would submit the book to legal "in accordance with the directive from LAB."
I followed up with McClure today and asked whether she personally supported LAB's decision to refer the book to legal, lacking a formal request for reconsideration. McClure responded:
"As a matter of librarian ethics and guided by the Library Bill of Rights, I hold a strict personal and professional boundary and, as such, maintain the appropriate step for the board would be to follow the established policy."
LAB Chair Cristy Willer said she felt that the person who approached Weimann with objections to 'Let's Talk About It' could more effectively raise their concerns about the book through the library's reconsideration process so that their point of view could be more widely understood.
'Let's Talk About It' was published in March 2021 and added to library collections across the state shortly after that. In the time it has been in APL's collection, there have not been any formal requests for reconsideration filed against the book.
As word about this upcoming piece began to spread, an email address associated with The Blue Alaskan website curiously began to receive a barrage of spam emails-kind of like when the Facebook page was being followed every two minutes by fake accounts originating from Singapore. On brand.
