EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Republican leaders are calling for a prosecutor to enforce obscenity laws to remove hundreds of books from schools in the Colorado Springs area.
The conservative advocacy group Take Back District 20 called the inclusion of the books in school libraries “clear criminal activity.”
While attempts to ban books are ongoing in several Colorado school districts, the call for a criminal investigation and possible charges marks a turn in the culture war issue championed by Republicans.
The petition delivered to Republican 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen was signed by Republican State Representatives Scott Bottoms and Ken DeGraaf, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl, and Pastor Jeff Anderson, who leads Faith Outreach for Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs).
The petition was also endorsed by multiple conservative organizations, including the El Paso County chapter of Moms for Liberty, the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN), the El Paso County Republican Party, along with several local churches.
“We ask for appropriate action as required by law for the necessary, exigent protection of Minors against absurd, destructive ideologies that radical factions would wish to impose on the entire Community,” the petition read, in part.
The petition called for legal penalties against people promoting or possessing “obscene material.”
"Our office did receive that letter and petition. We will need to assess the information and determine an appropriate course of action," District Attorney Allen’s office said in a statement.
Republican State Representative Rose Pugliese was listed as a signatory to the petition, but Pugliese said she submitted a separate, supporting letter encouraging prosecutors to “work collaboratively” with school leaders to evaluate books.
Pugliese’s letter acknowledged she had not read the books in question.
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