A federal judge in Iowa on Friday blocked a law intended to keep sexually explicit books out of schools and prevent elementary school students from being taught gender ideology in the classroom.
Judge Stephen Locher, appointed by President Joe Biden, ruled that an Iowa law, approved by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds earlier this year, was “unreasonable” and “puritanical.” The judge did allow a provision in the law that required schools to tell parents if a child was using pronouns different to the child’s biological sex.
“It requires the wholesale removal of every book containing a description or visual depiction of a ‘sex act,’ regardless of context,” Locher said. “The underlying message is that there is no redeeming value to any such book even if it is a work of history, self-help guide, award-winning novel or other piece of serious literature. In effect,…
