In an attempt to broaden the scope of book-banning efforts, the state of Tennessee is trying to make public librarians act as censors. It’s a bad fit.

Relying on an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January, officials there are arguing that public libraries must remove books that “promote gender ideology."

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has sent a letter to multiple public libraries throughout the state, ordering them to identify any materials in their children’s collections that may be inconsistent with “Tennessee age-appropriateness laws" or Trump's executive order regarding "gender ideology."

A book called “Fred Gets Dressed,” by award-winning author Peter Brown, drew particular notice from the secretary of state.

Hargett’s letter hinges on this paragraph in the........

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