Murder: OK. Sex: bad.

The ALA's annual list of the ten most challenged books of the preceding year has hit the press, and, predictably, seven of the ten are blacklisted for committing the unpardonable sin of talking about sex:

“It's Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;
“Forever” by Judy Blume for sexual content and offensive language;
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;
“The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content and offensive language;
“Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher for racism and offensive language;
“Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;
“What My Mother Doesn't Know” by Sonya Sones for sexual content and being unsuited to age group;
Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;
“Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language; and
“It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual content.

I love that the Captain Underpants series is now a threat to decency and morality. Otherwise this is proof of the usual nonsense... magnanimous conservatives that cherry-pick their beliefs, and would happily do the same for you, too.

In related news, Basic Instinct 2 opens March 31.