In a recent incident, two members of the Florida chapter of the right-wing activist group Moms for Liberty found themselves at odds with a local high school’s library in Santa Rosa County. Their visit to the local sheriff’s office was prompted by their belief that the school librarian had been sharing “pornography” with minors, specifically a young adult novel recommended for readers aged 14 to 18.
Jennifer Tapley, a school board candidate and a Moms for Liberty member, made a call to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, expressing her concerns about a potential crime. In an audio recording obtained through a public records request, she stated, “I’ve got some evidence a crime was committed – pornography given to a minor in a school. And I would like to make a report with somebody and turn over the evidence.” Accompanying her was Tom Gurski, another member of Moms for Liberty.
The book in question, “Storm and Fury” by Jennifer L. Armentrout, narrates a battle between humans and gargoyles fighting demons, featuring an 18-year-old protagonist named Trinity. While it contains a make-out scene and a character approaching sex, it has garnered recommendations from reputable sources like the Florida Association of Media in Education (FAME), the School Library Journal, and Barnes and Noble, all of which deem it suitable for 14- to 18-year-olds.
Gurski, during the interaction with law enforcement, asserted, “The governor says this is child pornography.” Tapley echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter, comparing it to handing a Playboy magazine to a minor. Florida law deems a book “harmful to minors” if it “predominantly appeals to a prurient, shameful, or morbid interest” and is “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for minors.”
The case was eventually referred by the Sheriff’s Office to the director of safety at the Santa Rosa County Florida School District, who subsequently closed it, leaving behind a contentious debate over the definition of appropriate literature for young adults in the digital age.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing tensions surrounding literature and censorship, as well as the broader conversations about freedom of expression, especially within the LGBTQ+ community that often grapples with censorship and challenges to its right to representation in literature. The controversy surrounding “Storm and Fury” exemplifies the complex issues at the intersection of literature, ideology, and the rights of young readers.