19-03-2025
Oregon representative counters bill against book bans by reading explicit excerpt
PORTLAND, Ore. () — In opposition to a bill that would limit book bans in Oregon schools, a state representative read an explicit excerpt of a novel found in a library for students.
The passage of would immediately prohibit schools from banning certain material from libraries due to their subject matter or on the basis of the author's identities that are protected under Oregon's anti-discrimination laws — like race, gender identity and sexual orientation. It would also push for schools to enforce requirements for the removal of said books.
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The Senate Committee on Education voted to pass the bill on Monday morning.
Just a few hours later at the House chamber, Oregon Rep. Dwayne Yunker countered the measure by reciting a sexual passage from 'The Haters' by Jesse Andrews — a book that a mother attempted to get pulled from the North Valley High School library.
'She guided me on my back and pulled on the bottom of my briefs,' Yunker read, in part, from page 265 of the novel. 'I pushed them over my knees and feet, and was really naked and not hard at all. She straddled me and pulled her top off. Her breasts flopped out, and I saw them.'
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The Grants-Pass-based representative's presentation was interrupted when Rep. Kevin Mannix objected to it due to its 'lascivious and obscene' nature, before Rep. David Gomberg called the House at ease.
Following a brief break, Gomberg reminded legislators of the rules against indecent or profane language on the House floor. Mannix then interrupted Yunker once again when he proceeded to read the explicit passage from the book.
When Yunker began his presentation for a third time, he instead noted recent sexual abuse cases in Oregon schools — including the accused of child sex abuse and within the St. Helens School District.
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Continuing to offer sexually explicit materials in school libraries 'normalizes such behaviors,' according to the representative.
'There's increasingly focus on the authorship of books, rather than evaluating whether the content is appropriate for young readers, and alarmingly, [it] is now easier for children to access rated-R materials from school libraries than obtain the super content from a local movie theater,' Yunker said.
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