Philip Todd Wilson, a former Kentucky school principal who ten years ago fought to ban books said to include “homosexual content” has been arrested and charged on 30 offenses related to possession and distribution of sickening photos of children.
The Winchester Sun reports: ‘According to Wilson’s arrest citation, state troopers in Richmond received a complaint Tuesday morning that Wilson possessed “explicit child p*rn*graphy” and had distributed it to another individual. KSP Detective Austin Brashear said in the citation that he interviewed Wilson and found approximately 15 images, and that he had distributed them within Clark County. … Wednesday morning, Clark District Judge Cole Adams Maier entered an automatic not guilty plea for Wilson, because the charges are all felonies. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 4. Maier appointed a public defender for Wilson, but left his $25,000 cash bond unchanged, including conditions that he have no contact with minor children or any Clark County schools.’
In 2009, Wilson campaigned to ban several books including Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Deadline by Chris Crutcher, Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles, and Unwind by Neal Shusterman.
According to one report from 2009, “The novels apparently portray teenagers who are struggling with dysfunctional families, sexual desire and thoughts of suicide.”
‘The Lexington Herald-Leader reported at the time that some parents complained the novels “contain foul language and cover topics — including sex, child abuse, suicide and drug abuse — unsuited for discussion in coed high school classes.”
Risha Mullins, the teacher who had the books in her classroom, would later write in a blog post that a parent of a student who chose to read “Lessons from a Dead Girl” emailed her along with Wilson, the superintendent and school board members and claimed she taught “soft pornography.”
Wilson and Montgomery County High School administrators eventually decided to pull the books in question from Mullins’ classroom, the teacher wrote in a post that was later deleted but archived in part by a blog dedicated to censorship issues.
Mullins wrote that several letters to the editor in the community newspaper targeted her in the weeks following the book ban and that colleagues stopped talking to her.
One of the authors, Jo Knowles, spoke out on Facebook following Wilson’s arrest: ‘The principal of the Kentucky high school who fought to ban my book, LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL (for “homosexual and other inappropriate content”) along w/ bks by Laurie Halse Anderson, Chris Crutcher & Neal Schusterman was just arrested on child p*rn*graphy charges (possession and distribution). He’s charged with fifteen counts of distribution of matter portraying sexual performance by a minor, and fifteen counts of possessing matter portraying sexual performance by a minor. I was a very new author at the time all this happened and the press coverage was overwhelming. I was horrified by the accusations he and the superintendent made. And heartbroken for the brave teacher, Risha Allen Mullins who stood up for our books and faced so much unfair criticism.
I am having a lot of feelings right now. As I said to some friends last night when I got the news, “You can’t make this shit up.”‘
Anderson spoke out as well: “A man tried to ban Speak from school & public libraries in 2009 cuz it was “pornographic.” I wrote an op-ed in his newspaper & said anyone who finds the rape of a 14-year-old sexually exciting has serious problems. Poisonous leaders use their power to protect their evil.”
