Arkansas man sues over lesbian book
Earl Adams, the father of two teenaged boys--one 14 and one 16--sought $20,000 from the city of Bentonville after his sons came upon a book titled The Whole Lesbian Sex Book by Felice Newman.
In a letter faxed to Bob McCaslin, Bentonville’s mayor, Adams wrote that the book was "patently offensive and lacks any artistic, literary, or scientific value"--qualities that courts have named in past cases when deciding what constitutes obscene literature and art.
The library board removed the book in question, even though the Library Journal reportedly considered Newman’s book suitable for inclusion in library collections. One board member reportedly said that the library would replace Newman’s book with a more clinical work addressing the same general topic.
Arkansas law provides for damages not in excess of $10,000 per victim in cases of obscenity. Adams claimed that the book "greatly disturbed" the boys, leading to "many sleepless nights in our house." According to Oklahoma City’s KOCO TV, Adams also sought the removal of the librarian and wrote an e-mail to KOCO TV stating that if the library returned the book to its shelves, the result would be "legal action and protests from the Christian community."
Camille Thompson, attorney for the city of Bentonville, rebutted Adams’ claim, denying that the book was obscene and saying that Adams’ pursuit of monetary compensation "made me question his motivation."
