Texas Senate Passes Bill Establishing Vague Standards to Ban Books With LGBTQ and Sex-Related Content From Schools

The Texas Senate passed a bill to ban sexually explicit material from public and charter school libraries.
The bill defines sexually explicit material as anything depicting sexual conduct not relevant to required school curriculum.
The bill requires the state’s Library and Archives Commission to adopt standards and a rating system for books purchased by schools.
Critics say the standards are too vague and materials dealing with LGBTQ+ subject matter are more likely to be targeted for bans.
Book vendors who refuse to comply with the rating system will be banned from contracting with school districts and open-enrollment charter schools.