At the Texas Capitol on Monday evening, I was among a group of librarians, parents, and others who testified — many of us after waiting more than ten hours — to the Texas House Committee on State Affairs in opposition to House Bill 3225.

As the Texas Freedom to Read Project has summarized, HB 3225 would:

Ban anyone under 18 from accessing “sexually explicit” materials—a term so broadly defined that it includes books with any descriptions of ‘sexual conduct,’ regardless of context or intent.

Prevent libraries from curating or displaying many important books in teen and children’s sections, including sex-education materials, young adult novels, and even classic literature and art books.

Restrict youth from accessing the general collection—even for school assignments or research—potentially blocking students from reading The Great Gatsby, The Color Purple, or Beloved.

Force libraries to implement costly, impractical segregation of books and spaces, or risk legal consequences.

Here is my testimony:

My name is Chris Barton. I’m vice president of the Texas Institute of Letters, a literary honor society that has been around since 1936. One of our most celebrated members was Larry McMurtry, author of the classic novel Lonesome Dove. 

I read that book when I was a minor in the 1980s. It opened my eyes to the fact that great literature was being created in — and could be written by citizens of — the Lone Star State. 

But under pro-censorship 3225, Lonesome Dove’s overall merit is of no importance. All that matters is that in its 900 pages, Texas Ranger-turned-cattle driver Gus McCrae makes a few earthy references to sex. “Poke” and “carrot” are the euphemisms he uses. 

Under the anti-free-speech 3225, those occasional pokes and carrots might have been enough to keep the library of my little Texas hometown from allowing me access to that book. Or maybe access to the entire adult section. Or maybe access to the library itself — just to make sure that the library didn’t incur a $10,000 penalty for enabling a young patron’s intellectual curiosity. 

If you think anti-library 3225 wouldn’t have that effect — that no one would try to interpret this book ban so strictly — restricting book access is its point. Approving this bill would do a disservice to the families who value their own children’s curiosity and education. It will dissuade such families from moving here. It will discourage Texas families from staying.

If a few Texas parents don’t want their kids to have free and full access to our libraries, let those parents hold their own children’s hands, never allow them out of their sight, and never allow them to think for themselves. That’s on them. 

But Texas libraries are treasures paid for by our tax dollars. Leave our libraries alone and let the rest of us — and our families — make good use of them. Vote against this bill.