Activist librarian promoting X-rated books to kids in Clark County

By Erica Neely  

Nevada Newsd and Viewes

Nichole Beer, a librarian with a long history of activism, is now in the spotlight again. Back in 2019, Beer made waves by chanting “strike” at a Clark County School Board meeting during tense contract talks with teachers.

Now, she’s defending graphic content in school libraries that many parents believe just doesn’t belong in front of children.

This is part of an ongoing national fight over what’s appropriate in schools and who gets to decide.

In April, New Hampshire lawmakers introduced House Bill 324 to take on what they call “obscene” or “harmful” materials being handed to students in school libraries. To make their point, some of them even read parts of these books out loud during hearings — passages full of graphic sexual content that would make most adults uncomfortable, let alone a middle schooler.

Things got so heated in Connecticut this past June that one state lawmaker was officially reprimanded for reading similar graphic content from a book found in a school library.

His point? If the material is too graphic for a government hearing, why is it OK for kids?

In Nevada, the debate has been simmering for years. In the last legislative session, lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill 10, which would have given parents more power to challenge school materials on religious or moral grounds.

The bill didn’t make it far, but the conversation it sparked hasn’t gone away.

Supporters of bills like AB10 say it’s about protecting kids and giving parents more control. They argue that if a book includes pornographic content or encourages harmful behavior, it doesn’t belong on a school shelf.

But activists like Beer see things differently. They argue that pulling books from shelves is a form of censorship.

In a recent post on X, Beer shared support for fellow librarians fighting similar battles across the country. She has praised what she calls “resistance” in school libraries and criticized what she described as “book banning tactics.”

This argument — that removing explicit material is the same as banning classic literature — isn’t sitting well with many families.

Even some Democrats are starting to admit the debate has gotten out of hand. In recent months, several blue-state lawmakers have privately expressed concern about the political backlash they’re facing over this issue.

A March 2025 Rasmussen poll found that 64 percent of likely U.S. voters support laws that would require school libraries to remove materials with sexually explicit content.

Critics argue that these bills are just a way to push conservative values into public schools, but parents on the ground say this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with protecting childhood.

As school starts up again in Clark County, expect this fight to keep growing.

One side wants to give parents more say. The other side wants to give librarians more control.

In the middle are kids who should be learning about reading, writing, and arithmetic — not adult themes.