Sex, Etc. Is OK for Teens After All

After a lively discussion at their November 19 library board meeting, trustees of the Ames (Iowa) Public Library voted 6-1 to keep Sex, Etc., a magazine written by teens for teens, in the young adult section of the library. The Ames Tribune reported November 20 that most of the people who spoke up at the meeting thought the library should keep the magazine freely available. At least one person was pleasantly surprised that such a valuable and factual publication was on hand for teens looking for accurate information. Joyce and John Bannantine had presented a petition with 118 signatures to the board in October objecting to the content of the magazine, which is sponsored by Answer, a national sexuality organization at Rutgers University. But the trustees’ decision means that the library will continue to allow teens to take a copy of the magazine home without requiring it to be checked out.