美国国家公共电台 NPR--Conservative Christian groups are targeting Louisiana libraries

Conservative Christian¹ groups are targeting Louisiana libraries

Transcript²

A conservative Christian group is forcing public libraries in South Louisiana to remove books about sexuality, race and gender³ and targeting the state's Librarian of the Year for her opposition⁴.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Librarians, public servants, masters of the Dewey Decimal System and now the latest villains⁵ in America's culture wars. Conservative Christian activists⁶ are demanding the removal of an expanding list of books, and free speech defenders⁷ are crying censorship. NPR's John Burnett has this story.

JOHN BURNETT, BYLINE⁸: The battle inside America's libraries is playing out at the monthly meetings of the Lafayette, La., Library Board of Control.

(SOUNDBITE OF GAVEL)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: We'll begin.

BURNETT: At the August meeting, after reports on the bookmobile, library hours and plans for a new branch, the lectern is open for public comments.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Everything that has happened in the past 18 months with this board and to the library has been basically a dystopian nightmare.

BURNETT: Since conservatives took over the Lafayette Library Board last year, the controversies⁹ have come one after the other. The library board rejected a grant to fund a program about voting rights, saying it was too left wing. They cancelled Drag Queen Story Time. A display about Pride Month was banned. Now the libraries forbid displays about any group, even Cajuns. And when a popular librarian, Cara Chance, disobeyed that order and put up a display that included queer romance, the board tried to get her fired.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Hold up your signs for Cara again. Thank you. We don't support fascism in the Lafayette Public Library.

BURNETT: Lafayette Parish is deeply conservative Trump¹⁰ country, red as a boiled crawfish, so others in the community applaud the board's shift to the right. A man in a tie and blue blazer steps up to the mic.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: I'm a father of four children, young children, and my daughter found a book, a cartoon book that was basically pornographic - encouraged children to, you know, explore themselves in a variety of ways. But it was in the children's section.

BURNETT: Lafayette Parish is by no means unique. Across America, fractious debates over free speech in public and school libraries have turned these hushed realms into combat zones. Traditional values groups are demanding bans or restrictions¹² on books with explicit¹³ sex education and books that unflinchingly document queer lifestyles and the Black American experience. The American Library Association, in its unofficial tally¹⁴, reports that challenges of library books have jumped fourfold from around 400 books in 2017 to nearly 1,600 book challenges last year.

The president of the Lafayette Library Board is Robert Judge, a retired¹⁵ insurance claims adjuster and a devout¹⁶ Catholic. He thinks the library's mission should submit to a traditional notion of family values and community standards.

ROBERT JUDGE: See - this is where we get into the sticky ground is, do we allow a governmental agency, which is - the library is a governmental agency - to supersede¹⁷ parents' rights? And do we protect parents' rights, or we just say, well, that's the stuff that we have, and we put it anywhere, and if your kid stumbles upon it, it's not our problem?

BURNETT: To appease¹⁸ critics, the library moved 1,100 nonfiction books, including graphic¹¹ sex-ed books, from the young adult section to the adult collections. All of the changes since right-wingers took over the library have infuriated liberal patrons.

JEAN MENARD: We're really upset that the library is being used in this, I guess, I'm going to call it culture wars.

BURNETT: Jean Menard is a home-school mom who started an anti-censorship Facebook group called Supporters of Lafayette Public Libraries.

MENARD: It is not the Board of Control's position to micromanage the library. Librarians need to be able to manage the library. This is a public library. It's for everyone. Whether they don't like the materials or the programs, don't attend. Don't check out the material.

BURNETT: That argument has gone nowhere. Conservative Christians¹⁹ are on a roll, and they want what offends them purged²⁰ from the stacks. Standing²¹ in their way can have severe consequences. Last month, a middle school librarian named Amanda Jones spoke²² out against censorship at a meeting of the library board where she lives and works in Livingston Parish, not far from Baton²³ Rouge²⁴.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AMANDA JONES: The citizens of our parish consist of taxpayers²⁵ who are white, Black, brown, gay, straight, Christian and non-Christian.

BURNETT: She said people come in all races, genders²⁶ and sexual orientations²⁷, and one segment of the community cannot dictate²⁸ what the rest of the library patrons may have access to. Amanda Jones' words have weight. She's won several Librarian of the Year awards and is the current president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians. But she was completely unprepared for what happened.

JONES: And then a few days later, I opened the internet, and there were pictures of me, awful memes, saying I advocate teaching erotica and pornography to 6-year-olds. It gave my school's name. None of that was true. I gave a blanket speech on censorship, and they decided²⁹ they wanted to make me a target. And it has not stopped.

BURNETT: They is Citizens for a New Louisiana, the same group that's behind the conservative takeover of the Lafayette Library Board. The group has harshly criticized Jones on its Facebook page for defending books they consider obscene and inappropriate for children.

MICHAEL LUNSFORD: We have this page that actually shows intercourse³⁰. Then we have things like this that have close-ups of genitalia.

BURNETT: Michael Lunsford is director of Citizens for a New Louisiana, which he calls a government accountability group. In his office in Lafayette, he pulls out one of the books they targeted and opens it to an illustration.

LUNSFORD: We've got a page here on masturbation and how to do it. And, you know, this kind of stuff - this is what parents are for.

BURNETT: But why attack a librarian for a book that's in the library? Is defending a sex-ed book, even a graphic one, really promoting smut?

LUNSFORD: I don't know that we attacked her personally. You know, we asked a question - what type of influence does she have over what our children see in school libraries, as the president of the association?

BURNETT: In the current toxic³¹ political climate, Amanda Jones says she has begun to fear for her life.

JONES: So sorry (crying). It's horrible. My anxiety is through the roof. I live in constant fear that some person that they've incited³² is going to come and get me or get my child or come up to the school where I work and harm a child. And it's been a month of this, and it just won't stop.

BURNETT: Last week, Amanda Jones sued Michael Lunsford, his organization and another individual she says is trolling her. The lawsuit³³ asks for a court order to stop what it calls harassment³⁴ and defamation³⁵. Meanwhile, Citizens for a New Louisiana has announced its intention to target libraries in all 64 parishes in the state.

John Burnett, NPR News, Lafayette, La.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

10 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

11 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

14 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

15 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

16 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

17 supersede   

v.替代；充任

参考例句：

• We must supersede old machines by new ones.我们必须以新机器取代旧机器。
• The use of robots will someday supersede manual labor.机器人的使用有一天会取代人力。

18 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

19 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

20 purged   

清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响

参考例句：

• He purged his enemies from the Party. 他把他的敌人从党内清洗出去。
• The iron in the chemical compound must be purged. 化学混合物中的铁必须清除。

21 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

22 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

23 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

24 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

25 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

26 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

27 orientations   

n.方向( orientation的名词复数 )；定位；（任职等前的）培训；环境判定

参考例句：

• Welfare comparisons are also hindered by differences in orientations among economic systems. 经济制度之间倾向性的差别也会妨碍福利的比较。 来自辞典例句
• Their different value orientations led to different results in literary creation. 价值取向的分野亦导致了不同的创作局面。 来自互联网

28 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

29 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

30 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

31 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

32 incited   

刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
• The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

33 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

34 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

35 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。