When Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, criticized the book in 2019, he did not present proof that the book was in circulation at any Arizona schools. Hoffman questioned if the books would be in the curriculum, stating that as a graduate of the Arizona school system he did not read many of the books Marsh had listed and if they would have time to read that many books in a school year. Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix said after listing classic books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Kite Runner.” “There is some really great literature that I just listed, that kids are going to miss out on the opportunity to learn,” Sen. It contains sections on puberty, pregnancy and sexual orientation, as well as full-color illustrations of naked people. The book is aimed at teaching children 10 and older about sexual health, emotional health and relationships. They come from a 1994 book, “ It’s Perfectly Normal,” that has been a frequent target of bans for its depictions of puberty, sex and masturbation. One image was a cartoon of a man and woman having sex, while others were cartoons of a boy masturbating. However, the bill has ties to a group who has been fighting against sex education in the state and Hoffman continued to cite examples from a book that caused a firestorm among conservative activists in 2019.ĭuring Tuesday’s hearing, Hoffman once again showed images, which he previously presented in the House Education Committee, that he said he had to get “clearance” with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and legislative attorneys before printing.

Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, the sponsor of House Bill 2495, argued before the Senate Education Committee Tuesday that the bill was not about “sex ed” and was instead about keeping sexually explicit material out of the hands of children. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, that allowed for classical literature, early American literature and literature needed for college credit to still be allowed, but only with parental consent. The legislation bans schools from teaching or directing students to study any material that is “sexually explicit,” which the bill defines as “masturbation, sexual intercourse or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or if such person is female, breast.” An earlier version of the bill also included homosexuality but the bill was later amended to remove the reference.Īn amendment was also added to the bill by Rep. A bill that would essentially ban the teaching of books like “The Color Purple,” “The Canterbury Tales” and “Atlas Shrugged” from Arizona schools because they contain frank descriptions of sex and sexuality moved forward in the Senate Tuesday.

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