Police called to library to investigate ‘obscene material’

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Police have now been pulled into the debate over what should and shouldn’t be in a library.

Travelers Rest police chief Ben Ford said his department received an email saying the Travelers Rest library branch was spreading obscene material.

The email named LGBTQ books that were being promoted as part of a Banned Books Week display, saying they contained sexually explicit material.

Ford said they investigated the claim, like they would with any other, but said it was unfounded.

This comes one week after the Greenville County Republican Party called on libraries to restrict access to similar books and one day after the Board of Trustees chair Allan Hill said it is not the library’s job to promote LGBTQ books and events.

We spoke with the South Carolina ACLU’s executive director, Jace Woodrum, who said they have been following the debate closely and were in touch with the Travelers Rest library branch this morning.

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