The following opinion piece is a community submission and doesn’t reflect the opinion of TRN Media, which encompasses SweetwaterNOW and The Radio Network. 

Submitted by Lindsey Travis, President of the Wyoming Library Association and Director of the Sweetwater County Library System

One of my favorite things about Wyoming is that Wyomingites traditionally stand for the concepts of  individualism and personal liberty. We value our rights to think, speak, and read freely, as guaranteed by  the First Amendment of the Constitution. This is why upcoming conversations about revising the state’s obscenity statute are so concerning, especially for Wyoming’s libraries. 

During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers proposed House Bill 194, a bill that, if passed, would have eliminated an exemption from the crime of promoting obscenity for activities conducted in the course of employment at a school, college, university, museum or public library, and would have rewritten the nationally recognized Miller test for determining obscenity that was established in Miller  v. CA (1973). 

While the House Judiciary Committee tabled the bill during the 2025 general session, the topic is back on the agenda for the May 20 Joint Judiciary Committee meeting in Torrington. As this discussion comes  back into the spotlight, the Wyoming Library Association wants you to know how libraries in Wyoming are governed, how we operate, and how we protect your First Amendment rights. 

It is important to note, professionals in schools, colleges, universities, museums and libraries already take seriously their duty to not intentionally promote obscenity: they already utilize professional standards for their industries as well as the standards established in the Miller test in the selection of materials. However, because members of the public have differing opinions about what constitutes obscenity, the exemption from prosecution is in place to protect these professionals from frivolous, and  potentially expensive, lawsuits. 

With specific regard to libraries, policies and procedures that emphasize local control already ensure oversight of library collections. Public libraries are governed by locally appointed Boards of Directors; school libraries are governed by elected school boards. Public libraries have procedures in place to allow  members of the public to request reconsideration of materials. Schools have similar procedures in place  to allow parents to express concern about materials. Many school districts allow parents to opt their children out of school library or curricular materials, ensuring parents can monitor their children’s content consumption. 

In contrast, House Bill 194 would have allowed members of the public to circumvent local control and established administrative procedures, and instead go directly to prosecution for opinion-based allegations. 

It also would have limited a parent’s rights to make informed decisions for their child. Professionals in these industries are trained to provide an avenue for parents to guide their own child in accessing content that aligns with their own family’s values. The Wyoming Library Association encourages parents to have meaningful conversations with their children and teens; to take responsibility for being aware of  the content their child accesses; to learn about tools available to monitor their own child’s content consumption; to opt-out of any materials that don’t align with their own family’s values; and to not  abdicate their responsibility to governmental entities. 

Libraries are for everyone and are dedicated to carrying a wide variety of books and items from varying perspectives, to support educational needs, and to offer cultural entertainment. Any law or policy that denies people of any age equal and equitable access to library resources raises First Amendment concerns and will negatively impact your Wyoming libraries. Prosecuting librarians and taking away your individualism and personal liberty is not the Wyoming way. 

Your support is needed. The Wyoming Library Association urges you to contact members of the Joint Judiciary Committee and encourage them to support their libraries and say no to obscenity amendments  that negatively impact Wyoming libraries and librarians. You can find contact info for committee members at https://wyoleg.gov/Committees/2025/J01.