Book Bans (Left-Leaning)

The Humanist is leading the fight against banning books in the Pine Richland School District in Pennsylvania. The district has long been a highly rated district for both academic and athletic achievements. A lottery-selected book review committee has read the books and submitted a recommendation to the superintendent.

A bill recently passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates is one of the latest attempts to censor educational materials. Librarians and teachers could face felony penalties, up to $25,000 in fines, and even up to five years in jail. The American Libraries Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom has tracked these attempts for over 20 years and reported an unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022.

The American Library Association released its annual list of the top 10 most targeted books of 2023 on Monday. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe topped the list for the third year in a row. In 2023, the ALA recorded 4,240 unique titles that have been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. It's a record-breaking 65% increase from 2022.

'Weaponization of libraries... is a bludgeon thats scaring people everywhere," said American Library Association President Emily Drabinski. She says librarians are living in constant fear from Republican politicians and far-right groups like Moms for Liberty. Idaho state House passed a bill in 2022 that would jail librarian for a year for checking out books to a minor.

3 Anne Arundel House members sponsored dozens of bills on book-banning, criminal justice, health care. Dels. Dana Jones, Sandy Bartlett and Heather Bagnall sponsored 16 bills this year. Jones sponsored the Freedom to Read Act, meant to counter the rise in book challenges in the state.

The Alabama Library Association and other critics call out the state's Republican policymakers for pushing a new bill. Opponents say the bill will unfairly jail librarians and have a chilling impact on collections. H.B. 385 would also add the definition of sexual conduct to the definition. "You are not protecting children; you are protecting extremists," the group's president says.

More than 4,000 unique titles were challenged in public and school libraries in 2023, the most the group has recorded since tracking censorship efforts. Many of the books were about or written by LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Librarians are often caught in the middle of these campaigns and state legislative attempts to censor library materials. Many librarians have been fired after refusing to move or remove books.

In March, the American Library Association announced 4,240 unique book titles were requested to be banned from schools and libraries last year. The latest number of attempted book bans sets a new record, by a 65-percent increase over 2022s previous highpoint. Nearly half of the books targeted are written by or about people of color and/or on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Scott Stuart, author of My Shadow is Purple, says removing access to books can cause harm.

Democratic society is obligated to halt book banning. We have an obligation to educate our young people in history, science, government, literature. What about our rights as parents? Dont we have the right to decide which books are appropriate or inappropriate for our children? Who will make these decisions?