Week of September 29, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 44
Parker looks to relax lewdness laws and nudity allowances Discussion prompted by ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Highlands Ranch Library displays frequently challenged books on Sept. 23 near the front entrance as a way to participate in Banned Books Week, a national event from Sept. 18-24 that celebrates open access and highlights censorship PHOTO BY MCKENNA HARFORD concerns.
County libraries receive few book-ban requests Displays highlight Banned Books Week BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Amid a sharp nationwide rise in the number of books facing library or school bans, Douglas County Libraries is spotlighting challenged media for National Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week, which runs from Sept. 18-24, celebrates free and open access to information by highlighting the harms of censorship and books that are frequent targets of bans. So far this year, the American Libraries Association reports 681 challenges to books, which almost reaches the 2021 total of 729 book challenges. Bucking the trend, Douglas County Libraries hasn’t seen a large number of challenges to books on its shelves, according to Douglas County Libraries Executive Director Bob Pasicznyuk. He said he has handled only a single complaint so far this year and has never reached the point of removing materials from the library due to a challenge in his eight-year tenure.
Most complaints are handled by hearing patrons’ concerns, but there’s often not much the libraries can do in response, Pasicznyuk said. He noted that libraries being taxpayer-supported essentially means they operate as an arm of the government, so removing access to material would be censorship. “We stock what people have in demand, so if a book is in demand by citizens, for another citizen to ask for it to be removed so that they can’t use it is where (the complaint) usually falls apart,” he said. “For us the definition of censorship is not people making decisions for themselves … but when they are trying to make a choice for their neighbor.” Pasicznyuk said library policies do allow for parents and guardians to have slightly more control over what materials their children can check out. For parents of children age 14 or younger, there is an option to limit library card use to media in the youth category. “Some folks may say a particular book is not safe for children or it’s risky for a child to have that book in their hands. Our policies place those decisions squarely in parents hands,” Pasicznyuk said.
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The Town of Parker has taken the first step to changing ordinances regarding nudity after the town council recently gave preliminary approval to updating the rules. The topic was brought before the council because of an upcoming showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Parker Arts, Culture & Events, or PACE, Center. The 1975 film shows a woman’s breast. One of the updated ordinances, which would bring the town into compliance with current laws, would allow for women’s breasts to be depicted in establishments that serve alcohol. The current ordinance prohibits an establishment with a liquor license from showing a film depicting “lewd or indecent displays.” The definition of such includes the display of the female breast. “Recent case law makes it unlawful and considered unconditional to continue to consider exposure of the female breast as nudity,” according to a staff memo. Staff recommended the town redefine “lewd or indecent displays” to include the fondling of the “upper-body breast or chest area” of “any person” rather than “the breast.” They also recommend changing the ordinance from disallowing nudity to prohibiting the “exposure of specified anatomical areas.” Staff also recommended adding a definition for “obscene.” Another resolution would change the town’s definitions of “nudity or state of nudity,” “semi-nudity,” “specific anotomical areas” and “specific sexual activities” to make them gender neutral. This includes the definition in the town’s ordinance for public indecency. The items were approved on first reading through the consent agenda and will be considered again on Oct. 3.
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