JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new Missouri law outlawing books with sexually explicit images from school libraries is about to take effect.
Starting Sunday, it will be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine for librarians and other educators to give students access to such material.
The law does not apply to written descriptions of sex or sexual acts; only photos, drawings, videos, and other visual depictions are prohibited.
The law defined explicit sexual material as images “showing human masturbation, deviate sexual intercourse,” “sexual intercourse, direct physical stimulation of genitals, sadomasochistic abuse,” or showing human genitals.