Idaho’s House Bill 710 may claim to protect children, but in reality, it threatens one of our most basic freedoms. The right to access information. This law forces libraries to move books considered harmful to minors into adult only sections and allows parents to sue the library if they disagree with how a librarian handles a book. This policy is vague and dangerous and encourages censorship instead of education.

As someone who loved and often attended public libraries growing up, I’ve seen and understand how important they are for learning and curiosity. Many small town libraries don’t even have separate rooms for adult only sections, making this law nearly impossible to enforce. Instead of protecting Idaho's youth, it punishes librarians who are simply doing their jobs and pressures them to remove books out of fear of being sued. When librarians have to choose between their jobs and providing people with the easily accessible information they’ve come to expect from a library, the entire community loses. It turns libraries into political tools instead of learning environments. And when people, especially young kids, lose access to new or challenging ideas, they lose the opportunity to think critically and form their own opinions.

This bill defines sexual conduct incredibly broadly. According to the bill’s own language, “homosexuality” is listed under its definition of sexual conduct, which means any book with LGBTQ+ content could be targeted as harmful, relocated or banned entirely. This sends an extremely harmful message that can misrepresent entire communities. It tells young readers that certain people’s stories are too inappropriate to exist, which is unfair and misleading. Laws like this don’t just restrict books, they restrict perspectives and people's tolerance of others. Libraries are supposed to be safe spaces for exploration, learning, and understanding, not battlegrounds for political agendas or control.

House Bill 710 threatens our First Amendment right, burdens small libraries, and teaches young people that silence is safer than curiosity. I am all for keeping kids safe from harmful content but this bill is too broad. Idaho residents should demand that lawmakers revise this law to protect both librarians and our constitutional right to read freely. We don’t need censorship dressed up as protection, we need trust in our educators, parents, and readers to make informed choices, because if we don’t, we can’t raise informed citizens and helpful contributors to our society.

Bryant Hokanson, Blackfoot