Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito...Honestly, ALWAYS in Manitoba (and this is one of the provinces that still has both the most overt racism..."
It's always Manitoba! What makes Manitoba attractive to the right-wing "parental rights" people? And why do these people always insist on reading out loud or sharing the images they object to? That's the fastest way to get kids to have access to the "objectionable" content.
Mod
Honestly, ALWAYS in Manitoba (and this is one of the provinces that still has both the..."
My question as well! It is in fact not always and only Manitoba, but racism, homophobia and the desire to get books banned does seem to be more prominent in certain areas of Manitoba.
Manitoba must be populated by the same types of people in the midwestern states. I get very new news stories about Canada which is not right because it's not far, less than a day's drive to Montreal. Two day's drive to New Brunswick. The majority of the book ban stories I've seen coming from Canada have been focused on Manitoba. At least one school district in California is playing by the rules and getting with the post-2020 world.
"Carlsbad Unified School District passes ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging’ plan
The Carlsbad Unified school board voted to approve a plan that would incorporate more diversity and inclusion in the district.
Hundreds of people have attended several meetings around this topic, both for and against the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging” or “DEIB” plan.
In February, the CUSD Board of Trustees approved goals and success indicators for the DEIB Strategic Plan. In April a survey was sent out to students, parents, and staff in grades 6-12 on related topics. In June a series of townhall meetings began to solicit feedback from the public, which drew both support and concern.
Some of the biggest pushback on the plan has come from Carlsbad’s Mission Church members. They have demanded full transparency of curriculum, the protection of parental rights and no sexual or gender ideology to be taught.
“We want to make sure that K-12 kids are protected from certain sexual conversations, from certain materials that may be inappropriate or sexually aggressive toward children,” said JC Cooper, Associate Pastor at The Mission Church.
The district has a three-year strategic plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, titled Forward Together, available on the district website.
https://carlsbadusd.net/
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-n...
Mod
Yup, Manitoba (especially around the Brandon area) and some areas of British Columbia (and with Manitoba also at present being the province where the most challenges result in actual book bans, as in most other provinces, challenges are not often successful but the Conservatives in Manitoba do seem to actively cater to the books banners, and that is I being kind).
Florida has clarified their stance on "sexual conduct" and in spite of claiming books won't be banned simply for having LGBTQ characters, that turns out not to be the case as PRONOUNS are considered "sexual conduct." A mother breastfeeding her baby is not. Still unclear about classical artwork but I'm betting yes to banning classical art.HB 1069 seeks to prohibit materials in schools that contain “sexual conduct" from grades that are not age-suitable, prohibits the usage of pronouns that do not correspond to someone’s sex assigned at birth, bars classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from prekindergarten through grade 8, requiring all reproductive health materials be approved by the Department of Education and more.
The new law amends Florida Statute Section 1001.42. The first amendment applies to Section 3, Paragraph (c) of subsection (8) of Section 1001.42, which addresses student welfare. The amendment expands a ban on sexual orientation or gender identity from prekindergarten through eighth grade.
Another amendment focuses on reproductive health materials. An amendment of Section 4, Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of Section 1003.42 requires that all materials used to teach reproductive health or any disease must be approved by the FDOE. Previously, it was approved by the district school board in an open, noticed public meeting.
The amendment also adds a new paragraph that states “reproductive roles are binary, stable, and unchangeable.”
The new law amends part of Florida Statute Section 1006.28 regarding K-12 instruction materials and aims to bar materials that may contain “sexual conduct.”
This amendment requires Florida school districts to adopt a policy regarding an objection by a parent or resident of a county that clearly handles all objections and provides for resolution.
According to the new law, instructional material may be removed if it:
It is p_____ic or prohibited under Section 847.012
It depicts or describes "sexual conduct" as defined in Section 847.001(19) unless the material is for a required course or identified by the State Board of Education rule
(view spoiler)
It is not suited to students needs and their ability to comprehend the material
It is inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/educat...
Also in Florida, VP Kamala Harris is headed down to Florida to speak out against the state's new Black history standards.She will reportedly discuss the “fight to protect fundamental freedoms, specifically, the freedom to learn and teach America’s full and true history,”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/21/politi...
Some sense prevails in Australia where the censors tried to restrict Gender Queer: A MemoirRightwing activist Bernard Gaynor applied to the board earlier this year to review the classification of Gender Queer by non-binary writer Maia Kobabe, a graphic novel-style memoir about gender identity.
The Australian Classification Board initially decided to classify the book as unrestricted with the consumer advice of “M – not recommended for readers under 15 years”. However, Gaynor and his supporters appealed against the decision and the board sought submissions on the classification from the public.
In an opinion released on Thursday, the review board said Gender Queer warranted to keep this classification because “the content of the publication is justified in context, is appropriate for its intended audience of people who are interested in the author or interested in the subjects of gender identity and asexuality, and has a positive tone and character as well as many layers of positive messaging”
The review board found the depictions of s-e-x and nudity in the book were justified in the context of a nonfiction memoir describing the author’s lived experience.
The board noted that the M rating would advise the public that the book may offend some sections of the adult community and may not be suitable for younger readers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...
In the St. Louis, MO area Francis Howell School Board votes to do away with anti-racism resolutionThe testimonies from parents and students are really sad and show the need for such a resolution!
https://www.kmov.com/2023/07/21/franc...
In Virginia, The Warren County Board of Supervisors recently voted to put the full budget for Samuels Public Library on hold amid concerns over explicit material.
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/lo...
As demand for AP African American Studies curriculum surges across US, Florida ban remainsWhen asked about the status of AP African American Studies in Florida, Lehtomaa Frouge recommended that USA TODAY reporters reach out to the Florida Department of Education. “College Board has not received any additional correspondence to suggest Florida has reversed its decision,” she said.
The state, meanwhile, said “The College Board never submitted the revised version for consideration.”
In response, Lehtomaa Frouge said: “We have not determined a timeline for releasing the revised framework to states for review. Once the framework is completed, we will then determine our next steps for engaging with states.”
Roughly half a dozen of Florida’s largest school districts said in emails to USA TODAY that they are still unable to offer it, though some of their responses, too, were vague. Some told reporters to confirm with the state. A few weren’t certain that pilot testing of the course was continuing. Others said the course wasn't yet approved and there was no course code offered by the Florida education department for AP African American Studies.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders have defended their rejection of the College Board course by saying state law already requires teaching African American history.
Yet advocates say the new standards for teaching that history, adopted this week, leave out Florida’s role in slavery, blame African Americans for being victims of oppression and omit major periods of history. Some argue the standards do little beyond recognizing that racism exists, failing to go into depth about who promoted violence against Black people in the country.
“When you couple these standards with the environment, the hostility towards daring to talk about certain subjects, it creates an environment where there's going to be a complete removal of these conversations and of these lessons in the classroom, because nobody wants to run afoul of all of the laws or policies that have been put in place,” said Genesis Robinson, political director for advocacy group Equal Ground.
Among opponents’ concerns:
Elementary and middle school students are not required to learn about African American history after Reconstruction, the era following the Civil War.
The middle school curriculum notes that instruction should include “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
In high school, when learning about the Ocoee Massacre, students are expected to learn about “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.”
Victoria McQueen, 17, of Tallahassee, Florida, was looking forward to taking AP African American Studies her senior year. She said that when she heard the class was rejected by the DeSantis administration, she felt defeated.
“It just hurts me, especially as a young African American female, that 400 years later they’re still trying to sweep the history of African Americans under the rug after all they did,” the rising senior said. “The way that America has broken African Americans and people of color in general, broken them down from top to bottom, not giving them the credit they deserve behind the scenes and in front of the camera − it just hurts to know that even in the classroom they can't be acknowledged.”
McQueen, who is her high school’s student body president, already has taken six AP classes. When she realized AP African American Studies wouldn’t be offered, she looked into learning the subject matter in an actual college course.
“I took it upon myself to see if I could take it at the community college, only for me to find out a few months later, these last few months, that the state is now regulating what even the colleges can teach about African American history and diversity because of critical race theory,” she said.
McQueen’s high school sits about a mile away from the Florida Capitol and the state Department of Education building. She said she wishes state leaders would listen to students.
“Ask the students if they want the class,” she said, “not the parents, the students, because the parents aren’t sitting in the classroom every day.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/e...
Thank you Digital Public Library of America!The Banned Book Club is a free e-reader app that uses GPS-enabled geotargeting to determine which books are not available in a given area, and upload them to a library. To transcend petty local politics, simply download The Palace app, then select “Banned Books Club” as your “local library.” You will then be able to access all the goodies that someone else has “challenged.”
Executive Director of the DPLA, John Bracken, said in a statement that “book bans are one of the greatest threats to our freedom.” Thus, your local library doing what it can to remedy your rights.
https://lithub.com/the-banned-books-c...
Good news children's/YA author Leah Johnsonisn’t simply speaking up against censorship or writing letters expressing her opinions—she’s putting banned books into people’s hands. Two months ago, Johnson launched an online bookstore on Bookshop.org to sell these books, and she intends to ratchet it up a notch this fall by opening a bricks-and-mortar store that will spotlight books in its inventory that are routinely challenged by individuals and organizations such as Moms for Liberty. Loudmouth Books, which will be located in Indianapolis, where Johnson lives, is scheduled to open with a soft launch in late September, followed by a grand opening during Banned Books Week (October 1–7).
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One of the scariest [bills] for me as a writer is right here in Indiana,” she noted. “HB 1447 is a book banning bill that not only makes it easier for books about queer and BIPOC folks to be challenged, but also makes it easier to criminalize teachers and librarians for keeping those books available to young people.”
It’s also personal, she said: her three YA novels, which feature Black protagonists and contain LGBTQ+ themes, have been challenged—especially You Should See Me in a Crown. “Watching them being removed from shelves, I felt like my hands were tied. All of us are just looking for a way to get these stories into the hands of the readers who need them the most. It’s hard to do that as a writer, because all I can control is the book itself. But as a bookseller, it’s a different ballgame. It’s a private business: they can’t tell me that I can’t sell the books I want to sell. This is the most empowering course of action for me right now.”
The mission of Loudmouth Books, Johnson said, “is to put banned books in communities where we are losing access to diverse stories. The whole store is filled with banned books, but at its core, all the books are by, for, or about marginalized peoples. Some of them haven’t been banned yet, and hopefully, won’t be banned. We just want to make sure that those stories that other people may find too risky to keep on their shelves always have a home. The hope is that Loudmouth will seek out those authors and stories, so that when the chain stores may not put them on their shelves, we’ll always have them on ours.”
Not only will Loudmouth Books sell books, it will also give them away to young readers. Replicating an initiative launched at Semicolon—a Chicago bookstore which is also owned by a Black woman and specializes in books by BIPOC authors—Loudmouth Books will hold a monthly event called “Clear the Shelves,” during which young people can come into the store and take a book, free of charge.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
See what VP Harris has to say about Florida's new Black history standards"They want to replace history with lies," Harris said. "These extremist, so-called leaders should model what we know to be the correct and right approach if we really are invested in the well being of our children. Instead, they dare to push propaganda to our children. This is the United States of America. We're not supposed to do that."
"How is it that anyone could suggest that in the midst of these atrocities that there was any benefit to being subjected to this level of dehumanization?" Harris said.
Recounting her own schooling, the vice president said she was the product of a public school system where teachers provided the "full expanse of information," and encouraged students to "then reach their own conclusions and exercise critical thought in a way that was directly intended to nurture their leadership."
"It is because of that approach that I stand before you as vice president of the United States," she said
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whit...
And as usual, Florida claims Harris is lying and the government is "indoctrinating" their youth into the "Liberal/LGBTQ+ agenda/"sexualization" of their children"
Teachers are tired of all this nonsense in Florida. They just want to educate and help their students succeed. There are bigger problems in bathrooms than what gender kid is in there, like vaping, following national trends. (Nothing's changed since the 90s when kids smoked cigarettes and illegal joints in the bathrooms).'I'm tired of foolishness,' Palm Beach County teacher says of new education laws
"I'm 30 years in, going to 31, and I'm not tired. I'm tired of foolishness that has nothing to do with education, and I'm tired of us making decisions or making spaces that are not the best for kids," said Santaluces Community High School teacher Michael Woods.
Woods feels an obligation to speak out against laws he feels could negatively impact the LGBTQ+ community. And so did dozens of others on Wednesday. Hours of public comment led up to the Florida Board of Education approving several new rules to support controversial new education laws.
Woods said these laws don't address the real issues facing education, like teacher shortages and academics, and are moving the state backwards.
"If you are more worried about me using pronouns or a name a student asked me to call them, then you really don't know me as an amazing educator. And you need to keep people like me and others in the classroom and not make our jobs harder with things that have nothing to do with education," Woods said.
https://www.wptv.com/news/education/i...
Ferry Pass Middle School teacher Carol Cleaver spoke to CNN about the new Black history guidelines.
"I just don't think we will be able to teach that. It just isn't true," Cleaver said. "The truth is really that enslaved people had their labor exploited and they were being held captive. There was nothing benefiting them from their labor."
"To suggest that these skills are specially developed because they were enslaved is particularly insulting," she added. "Especially to the African American kids I have in my class right now."
The new curriculum also focuses more in early grades on achievements of African Americans rather than the injustices they faced through slavery and segregation.
https://weartv.com/news/local/ferry-p...
Book Riot's weekly roundup"Washoe County Schools (NV) are now being pestered to remove Lawn Boy, with mom Victoria Myer claiming that the book is being read aloud to students."
The book is available at Washoe public and high school libraries.
The libraries leave it up to parents to decide which books or categories of books their kids can read.
Jamie Hemingway, the library's public information and development officer, said Evison's "Lawn Boy" has not been used for story time purposes or promoted at any event for children.
The school district reports it could find no evidence of Evison's "Lawn Boy" being read to students.
Myer also wants to ban The Bluest Eye, DamselMe and Earl and the Dying Girl from school libraries and kept from being accessed by children at public libraries.
Commissioner Mike Clark expressed sympathy with Myer at Tuesday’s board meeting – and emphasized that he doesn’t want to censor titles for adults.
“I want to make sure that certain books are not available unless their parents are allowed to read it,” he said.
“I think adults should be able to read whatever they want to read. What I'm concerned with is minors, juveniles.”
Although Clark referred to Evison’s “Lawn Boy” as a children’s book in his meeting comments – based on how it was portrayed in public comments – it’s actually categorized as an adult book and is filed in the public library’s adult fiction section.
Sometimes Evison’s book is confused with “Lawn Boy” by children's author Gary Paulsen, a humorous 2007 profanity-free book aimed at grades 4 to 7 about a 12-year-old who starts a lawn-mowing business to pay for fixing his bike.
Evison himself has written that his book “was never intended to reach” middle school or younger readers – and that “nowhere among Lawn Boy’s nearly three-hundred pages is a s-x act graphically portrayed.”
Although categorized as adult, it has been widely promoted for teens. The American Library Association selected it in 2019 as one of the “ten best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.”
Myer said she became concerned after learning "Lawn Boy" was available in her grandson’s high school.
“I want to see these books removed from public schools where children under 18 have access to them,” Myer told the RGJ. “No child should be able to check these books out of the public library without their parents’ consent.”
[Myer got confused about which book the graphic passage she tried to read aloud was from!]
The Washoe County School District reports it has received no formal complaints or challenges to books at the district level in the past year.
Evison’s “Lawn Boy” is available in Washoe public and high school libraries.
“We don’t have any copies of ‘Lawn Boy’ by Jonathan Evison in our elementary or middle school libraries," said Victoria Campbell of the Washoe County School District. "The reading level is not at the elementary level, and the content is geared more towards the older young adult.”
She added that there are four copies available at district high schools.
The Washoe County Library System has one paper copy of Evison’s “Lawn Boy” and a downloadable audio version. It is ordering another copy of Evison’s book due to increased interest.
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2023/0...
Six queer-themed YA books have gone missing at Tri-Valley Community Library (AK)
Six books in the Young Adult Nonfiction collection of the Tri-Valley Community Library covering LGBTQ topics are missing and presumed stolen.
“This may be only six books, but it was the entire category in the YA section taken all at once,” said Vanessa Stone, president of the Tri-Valley Community Library Board.
https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_...
At the Cedar Grove Public Library in New Jersey Gender Queer: A Memoir will be moved to the adult section and borrowing privileges restricted for minors, showing that the extremists who claim kids can just get it at the public library are wrong.
https://baristanet.com/2023/07/cedar-...
Autauga-Prattville Public Library (AL) not only has a group trying to ban books in the library but they're creating an entire system of language and recruitment to get people to join their censoring efforts."The group now has a webpage dedicated to the book challenges, and are recruiting members to help negatively review books that they find inappropriate.
Angie Hayden, a Prattville mother with a gay daughter, has been one of the most vocal supporters of the library during the fight, and told the Prattville City Council on Tuesday that her husband Seth had sent his information in to join as a book reviewer.
The emails he received in response shows how the group is coordinating to submit a large number of books for consideration before the library board’s next meeting.
The first email, attributed to a woman named Grace Kajdos, assigns two books to Seth to review: Magical Boy Volume 1: A Graphic Novel by the KAO and Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk.
At the same council meeting Tuesday, several citizens came before the council once again to complain about the books at the library for sexually explicit content, but some citizens also complained about books being “pro-gay,” “anti-Christian,” and “pushing radical gender ideology.”
Meanwhile, the emails to Seth Hayden not only assign the books to be reviewed, but further instruct on what verbiage to use.
“Please use words and phrases that are used in the Alabama Anti-Obscenity Act and the Children’s Internet Protection Act,” the email states.
The most relevant section of the state’s anti-obscenity act is a section on “material harmful to minors,” although the exact application of that statute is murky at best.
That three-prong test is similar to a standard of obscenity set by the U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. California, the predominant test used to determine whether expression constitutes obscenity.
Certain sexually explicit descriptions could potentially fall under this definition—any argument that a book contains “pro-gay” or “anti-Christian content, or content promoting “radical gender ideology” would almost assuredly not be considered obscenity.
However, the Alabama state legislature has made this definition’s intent and future intent even murkier with recently considered legislation.
A bill by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, would not make any real changes to the definition of “material harmful to minors” itself, but could drastically change the definition of se__al conduct under the law. “Sexual conduct” is a part of the definition of “harmful to minors,” thereby changing the scope of what material could be considered harmful to minors.
Mooney’s bill would broaden he scope of sexual conduct to include “any s___l or gender oriented material that exposes minors to persons who are dressed in revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, or are stripping, or engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing, presentations, or activities, including but not limited to topless, go-go, or exotic dancers, or male or female impersonators, commonly known as drag queens or drag kings.”
If applied to reading material, the definition could be wielded against books that deal with transgender characters or drag queens.
https://www.alreporter.com/2023/07/13...
Good news This Book Is Gay will remain on shelves in Brookfield, Connecticut, schools.
https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfi...
Marathon County Public Library (WI) will not be removing Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human and they will not be creating a ratings system for their collection.
https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023...
To handle a new law in Arkansas over what kids can and cannot read from the public library, Springdale is making it so everyone under 13 needs a guardian with them as they use the library, while those 13-14 can use the library as long as a guardian is in the building, and those 15 and older can — gasp — be free from parental supervision.
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...
A worthwhile piece about new laws in Iowa and their impact on libraries throughout the state.https://www.thegazette.com/news/iowas...
The first book bans Horry County Schools, SC made in 20 years were prompted by one parent’s complaints.
New documents released to The Post and Courier show that David Warner, a parent from the Conway area, was the sole person to formally complain about the 12 books that were removed and nine other titles that were restricted since the start of 2022.
paywalled https://www.postandcourier.com/myrtle...
In PA, Telford Borough Councilman Jacobus Continues Crusade To Defund Indian Valley Public Library
Library Director Margie Stern who advised that the books Jacobus claims are accessible to children are not located in the children’s section.
This is not the first time the councilman’s far-right agenda to defund the public library has disrupted borough council business, despite being repeatedly told that the monthly meeting is not the venue for his concerns.
In February, Jacobus was identified as the “Bucks councilman” referred to in a Facebook post that threatened to defund the library “if they keep evangelizing for trans agenda and LGBTQ.”
Councilman John Taylor remains baffled by the position Jacobus has chosen to take. “We voted for this budget unanimously. That means that Bob Jacobus approved this budget. Now he’s doing an about face and wants to withhold any future payments,” Taylor said.
“Stop all promotion of ideas and ideology in the culture war,” along with providing a member of the borough council “unfettered access to organization operations and fiscal accounting,” were two of the three mandates Jacobus hoped to implement.
“So I’m filing a motion to suspend funding on a month-to-month basis until the library changes their philosophy and takes protecting children as the primary principle that they follow. That’s what I’m looking for,” the Reporter quoted Jacobus as saying.
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State Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-17) recently announced plans to introduce legislation that would prevent the banning of books in public libraries across Pennsylvania.
“We are one of the worst states in book banning efforts now. We had 56 attempts to ban over 302 unique titles,” Cappelletti told KDKA in Pittsburgh.
“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American independence, home of America’s first library originally founded by Ben Franklin,” the Senator said. “We’re protecting a legacy of American freedom to access information and to determine what’s right for ourselves and our families.”
https://buckscountybeacon.com/2023/07...
More Fascism in Washington StateThe CITY board told the LIBRARY board they need to create a book ratings system for materials in the collection.
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners, Scott Brummer, Lindsey Pollock, and Sean Swope, penned a letter last week to their appointed trustees on the five-county Timberland Regional Library [WA] board with the intent of developing policy around printed materials and age-appropriate books for children."
"Several weeks ago, Swope made a Facebook post sharing concerns over a pamphlet in the Centralia and Chehalis Timberland Library branches. Labeled “resources for LGBTQ+ kids,” the pamphlet shared that all patrons, no matter their age, have the right to a private account at the library.
Pollock later criticized his use of the term “groomers” in the post, saying she felt the term was commonly used as an “inappropriate, derogatory” way of thinking about people who perform in drag shows or read LGBTQ+ books with children. When Swope raised the topic of a letter to the library board on creating policies around age appropriate content though, both his seatmates encouraged moving forward with it.
“I’m frankly amazed that the policy is not already there in place,” Brummer said.
Swope said he didn’t feel it was the board’s place to come up with the policy, but to recommend conversation with the library’s board of trustees.
He and Pollock disagreed about the appropriateness of one book he mentioned, with Pollock noting it already had an age recommendation.
Swope responded that the recommendation didn’t necessarily stop kids from grabbing the books off the shelf, and she agreed, saying, “They should be able to develop a policy.”
The board settled on suggesting a rating system for books that Swope equated to G, PG, PG-13 and R-rated movies.
Already, Timberland libraries have restrictions for internet access to “adult content” by patrons ages 17 and under, Swope said.
The letter asks for “policy for printed materials … regarding brochures and other printed materials posted in or handed out” at Timberland libraries. The specifics of those policies are not defined.
Secondly, the commissioners ask the trustees to bring up discussion around a “rating system for books to ensure that books located within small kids' reach in the children's section are age appropriate. We feel that books that include crude humor, crude language, profanity, nudity, s-x or horror should require parental guidance.
https://www.chronline.com/stories/lew...
Finally, Temecula, Calif. school board has agreed to adopt the controversial textbook featuring Harvey Milk. (Objected to because of his relationship with a minor), This info was in the TEACHER book and not even in the kids' book. The governor threatened them with a fine and textbooks if they didn't comply. "The curriculum in question is titled “California’s Cultural Contributions,” board member Allison Barclay of the Temecula Valley Unified School District told CNN.
“Within the lesson, there are several sections, such as artists, architects, writers, educators, discussing Californians who made substantial contributions in these areas,” she said. “Under the heading ‘Protests,’ one paragraph discusses gay rights in California and under the heading ‘Court Cases,’ there are two paragraphs that discuss the court cases that allowed gay marriage in California.”
"He is listed in a supplemental section titled ‘Biographies’ where there are several hundred short, age-appropriate biographies of historical figures.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/22/us/cal...
Also in Calif., Carlsbad Unified approves DEI curriculum after 2 years of debate.https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loca...
At the same time, the San Diego Library had protestors remove Pride Month display books and planned to keep them until the library removed their "inappropriate" content. It backfired.
"Roughly 180 people, mostly San Diegans, gave more than $15,000 to the library system, which after a city match will provide over $30,000 toward more L.G.B.T.Q.-themed materials and programming, including an expansion of the system’s already popular drag queen story hours."
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/22/us...
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The Banned Book Club is a free e-reader app that uses GPS-enabled geotargeting to determine which books are not available in a given area, and upload t..."
Comes from a '.org' so it's probably ok. I get nervous about third-party and I don't share my location on my tablet (or phone) though. So, thank goodness I don't need it.
Honestly, I think I'd move if I lived in Florida. And I'd offer to take that student, McQueen, with me, for her senior year.
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Cheryl wrote: "Honestly, I think I'd move if I lived in Florida. And I'd offer to take that student, McQueen, with me, for her senior year."I feel so awful for her and other students like her. I not only had an excellent public education, in Junior High I went to a summer high school college prep program at an Ivy League University and even then I didn't learn much about any of those topics covered in the Florida Black history standards. I can't imagine what it feels like to be banned from learning your own history. This young lady is courageous for speaking out to the media and I hope she gets the education she deserves.
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isn’t simply speaking up against censorship or writing letters expressing her opinions—she’s putting banned books into people’s hands..."
I just requested two of her books from my small local suburban library. I'm thrilled to see they have paper copies, not just digital.
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https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loca...
At ..."
Yay. This sounds like truly Good News.
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The Banned Book Club is a free e-reader app that uses GPS-enabled geotargeting to determine which books are not available in a given..."
I would move too if I lived in Florida. And I will also NOT even remotely consider visiting Florida, as for one, I know I would not be able to keep my mouth shut regarding book banning, Ron DeSantis (and would probably end up being arrested for mouthing off) and for two, since I usually bring my iPad along when I travel anywhere (which has a Kindle app on it full of books and yes including many controversial and banned ones ), I would be afraid of having my iPad searched for "obscene" and "banned" books at the airport.
Your Kindle won't be searched. You're an adult and have the freedom to read what you want. If you get caught distributing "obscene" books to minors, you could face a fine or jail time but you probably wouldn't, as a Canadian tourist.The Florida Democratic Party held a banned books distribution day yesterday.
"The Chair of the Florida Democratic Party and state legislators will be in Tallahassee Saturday as part of a “banned bookmobile” gambit.
Nikki Fried will be joined by Reps. Angie Nixon and Michele Rayner-Goolsby, activist Thomas Kennedy, and Jen Cousins, founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. The event is part of MoveOn Political Action’s first Banned Bookmobile multistate tour.
“The anti-American book bans are an attack on all of our freedoms, but the MAGA Republican Party cannot erase us,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Rahna Epting.
“DeSantis and MAGA Republicans’ vision for our country is to censor all of our diverse backgrounds and to punish those who live, love and think differently than they do. We won’t surrender to their extremism, and our Banned Bookmobile tour will give access to books that celebrate the immense diversity of perspectives that are part of the human experience and essential to our development as a society.”
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/...
https://www.fftrp.org/
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Does distributing "obscene" books to minors also mean that parents in Florida will not be allowed to have their their children read books that DeSantis et al find offensive?
Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Your Kindle won't be searched. You're an adult and have the freedom to read what you want. If you get caught distributing "obscene" books to minors, you could face a fine or jail..."No, they say this is about parents' rights so if a parent chooses to buy a so-called obscene book on Amazon for their kid, that's Ok with them. They just don't want it where kids can access it. They keep contradicting themselves. A teacher or librarian who distributes "obscene" (you know what... starts with a p) to minors faces a fine, loss of job, jail time... probably firing to start with. The cops seem reluctant to get involved and there are already lawsuits and challenges so I think the legal system is going to be tied up with this nonsense, teachers will quit and students will protest.
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It sure sounds like a bunch of contradictions and that is dangerous. And there is in my opinion certainly a danger that parents who have banned books at home and a child on a "play date" gets access to said books, it could mean major issues for the parents.
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I hope students do more than just protest. There should be book oriented civil disobedience and rebellion with students simply refusing to read anything except banned books in the classroom and bringing banned books en masse to school.
Students are allowed to have the books, they're just not allowed to be taught the books or access them at the school library IF the school library even has those books, which apparently they no longer do. Students in Central York, Penn. have successfully protested and there are several organizations that are sending out bookmobiles, collecting money for books, challenging these laws in court and trying to help the kids learn. It all boils down to politics. If the politicians can keep the kids ignorant, the kids won't know what's going on and they'll be happy to go along with the status quo and keep these politicians in office forever. I think they're forgetting about social media and what happened in the 1950s with McCarthyism. My parents' generation woke up and became the generation that taught the rest of us not to trust the government! Or anyone over 50! My parents listened to folk music without understanding what it was about so they were oblivious to the hippie stuff going on around them. Students aren't that naïve anymore. Everyone over 10 has a phone and knows how to use it. Niece #1 (14) is very aware of what's going on, has had her own political opinions (echoing her parents') since she was 8 and lispingly told me who to vote for and why. I agreed with her reasoning.
A good bullet point summary of the "parental rights" situation in Floridahttps://www.axios.com/local/miami/202...
Jacksonville attorney considering legal challenge to new Florida African American history standardshttps://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/lo...
More good news from the triangle area of North Carolina. No one was running for school board in Chapel Hill until they learned Moms for Liberty was putting forward several candidates. Then people stepped up to stop the Moms from taking over.
https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/...
Also good news from Florida.
Leon County School leaders voted unanimously to keep the book I Am Billie Jean King on school shelves.
In a packed meeting Monday that lasted less than an hour, Vice Chair Rosanne Wood made the motion to accept the hearing officer’s recommendation, which was to keep the book on shelves. The board voted 5-0 in favor.
https://www.wctv.tv/2023/07/24/leon-c...
Crazy times in Illinois where the Freedom Caucus calls for Illinois public libraries to withdraw from American Library Associationhttps://www.thecentersquare.com/illin...
Ah the news from Temecula, Calif. is not as good as it sounds. There's a catch-"The Temecula Valley Unified School Board held an emergency meeting to adopt the elementary curriculum, though it will pull one fourth grade unit that discusses the gay rights movement for further review, the Los Angeles Times reported.Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-...
Erie County Library Advisory Board says dialogue 'shut down' over relocation of Pride book displayThree members of the Erie County Library Advisory Board resigned after the library executive director ordered staff to relocate a Pride Month display in June.
[They play the blame game]
https://www.goerie.com/story/news/loc...
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Manybooks wrote: "I really would like to know why so many morons think that book banning and curriculum restrictions etc. are somehow supposed to mean freedom and liberty?"Me too. Freedom to parent should mean freedom to parent your OWN child without every helicopter parent from around the country telling you how to parent your child.
I just told 14 YO niece that her former favorite series has a new book The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink and how Shannon Hale is getting backlash YET she's praised for having a princess who wears pants and fights crime. Niece said "That's just stupid!" Then I explained how Shannon Hale is getting a lot of hate for Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn because... the pink fluffy kitty thinks she's a unicorn!
Niece replied "Some people are just crazy!"
I can't wait to see what's on her summer reading list. She declined to take all honors classes in high school next quarter but I hope she takes honors English. I can look all that up online but I like to hear it from her directly so we can talk about it. I don't like to be one of those adults who asks pointless questions without there being a dialogue about it.
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Me too. Freedom to pare..."
Yup, I agree with your niece that many people are just crazy and unhinged regarding books etc. but it is unfortunately the unhinged that (not who but that) seem to have increasing power.
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More fallout from the Florida Black History standards"A member of Florida’s African American History Task Force claims the body was largely cut out of the development of the state’s new African American History standards.
State Senator Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando), an emeritus member of the state’s American History Task Force, argued the group had little say in the development of the new standards, despite state law providing for its input.
“This is exactly the kind of thing the task force was supposed to do,” said Thompson.
Instead, the development of the standards was delegated to an African American History Standards Work Group.
According to the Department of Education, the work group was comprised of 13 members.
Three were appointed by the African American History Task Force, but 10 were selected by the department.
State Senator Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando), an emeritus member of the state’s American History Task Force, argued the group had little say in the development of the new standards, despite state law providing for its input.
“This is exactly the kind of thing the task force was supposed to do,” said Thompson.
Instead, the development of the standards was delegated to an African American History Standards Work Group.
According to the Department of Education, the work group was comprised of 13 members.
Three were appointed by the African American History Task Force, but 10 were selected by the department.
Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz told Action News Jax last week the African American History Task Force will continue to meet, and could suggest changes to the standards moving forward.
“There’s nothing that says we wouldn’t go back and take recommendations next year to augment the standards or tweak the standards,” said Diaz.
But Thompson pointed out, six of the nine voting members on the African American History Task Force were appointed by the Commissioner of Education back in May.
Five of the six new appointees are either directly affiliated with the Republican Party or have previously been appointed to positions by Governor Ron DeSantis.
https://news.yahoo.com/thank-god-slav...
Another state, another lawsuitTennessee teachers file lawsuit against Board of Education challenging ‘prohibited concepts’ law
Five public school teachers joined the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) in filing the lawsuit, which states that Public Chapter 493, known as the “prohibited concepts” law, deprives students of a quality education and puts teachers in an impossible position.
Educators say the law outlines what guidances they are expected to follow, but the language of the law makes it unclear on what they are being asked to obey, which according to the lawsuit, interferes with instruction on difficult but important topics included in the Tennessee State Standards.
“Laws need to be clear. The prohibited concepts law conflicts with the state’s own academic standards and curriculum, which creates unfair risks to Tennessee teachers using state approved materials, following state standards, and providing fact-based instruction,” Coats said. “Educators have already spent countless hours trying to understand and navigate the law’s unclear requirements.”
The law prohibits concepts that include teaching: 1.) Race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; 2.) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; 3.) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual’s race or sex; 4.) This state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.
https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-n...
https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-n...
One more state, one more lawsuit. This time in Texas, challenging their "sexually explicit" (anti-LGBTQ) law"A coalition of booksellers and publishers filed a lawsuit in Texas on Tuesday seeking to block a recently passed law that would keep books deemed “sexually explicit” out of schools.
The law, which is scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, would require vendors to rate and evaluate books they sell or have previously sold to schools based on their depictions or portrayals of sexual conduct. Insufficient compliance from booksellers would bar them from doing business with public schools and subject them to open censure.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Austin, argues that H.B. 900, now known as the Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources (Reader) Act, is unconstitutional because it forces private companies to conform with the government’s views under threat of retaliation. It further states that the government’s standards for the ratings are “vague and ambiguous,” violating free-speech rights protected under the First Amendment, and notes that the state has the authority to overrule vendors.
including in some instances children’s picture books.
Under the law, vendors are required to rate books as “sexually explicit” — content that will be barred or removed from libraries — or “sexually relevant,” which is material considered to be directly related to the curriculum. Students will require parental consent to check out books deemed sexually relevant. State education authorities have been mandated to post the listings online.
Plaintiffs in the case include two bookstores from Texas along with the American Booksellers Association and the Association of American Publishers.
The suit was brought against state education officials including Martha Wong, the chair of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and Keven Ellis, the chair of the Texas State Board of Education.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs said that some legislators had expressed concern during debate on the bill that its sweeping language could restrict access to classic works such as Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel about the Holocaust, “Maus,” and even the Bible.
“The suit filed today seeks to protect the basic constitutional rights of the plaintiffs and restore the right of Texas parents to determine what is age appropriate and important for their children to access in their schools, without government interference or control,” the coalition said in a statement on Tuesday.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...
‘Little Gay Bookstore’ to foster LGBTQ-safe space with coffee, queer literature in Short NorthCOLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ohio State University student organization dedicated to cultivating a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community is expanding outside the university with a Short North bookstore and coffee shop.
Named “Little Gay Bookstore,” the shop aims to begin welcoming guests this year at 1129 N. High St. in the Short North, down the street from Stonewall Columbus and Out of the Closet. Operating as a non-profit organization, Little Gay aims to foster an environment for marginalized groups to discuss queer literature with the inclusion of a for-profit coffee shop, “Queer Beans.”
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news...
What the 5th graders had to say after their teacher, who now faces termination, read them My Shadow Is Purplehttps://www.ajc.com/education/what-co...
NEW HANOVER COUNTY (North Carolina) — The subject of school book bans will get a dedicated, albeit shorter, public forum at next week’s New Hanover County board of education meeting. The school board decided to add 30 minutes to its call to the audience hour at its next meeting on Aug. 1. The vote followed board member Stephanie Kraybill’s motion to schedule a separate public hearing on the issue of removing books from school libraries.
The board’s conservative majority was initially resistant to holding a separate public meeting. If one was to occur, board member Pat Bradford advocated for it to happen after the appeal hearing on “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.”
Since last fall, parent Katie Gates has been pushing for the book to be removed from the curriculum and school libraries, despite her child being given a separate assignment per policy.
The parent appealed the decisions to retain the book by Ashley’s media review committee — which ruled the book’s purpose was to analyze the author’s argument tactics — and the district. Her appeal will now go before the school board within the next month.
Bradford said she feared the public would conflate the “Stamped” hearing with general thoughts on book removals — blaming the media in part for this confusion — and wanted to keep both issues separate.
Bradford made a motion to schedule the general public hearing on book selection after Gates’ appeal hearing, but the motion failed to receive a second.
As board members Hugh McManus and Stephanie Walker have pointed out, Gates’ appeal is the first hearing of its kind and has the potential to set precedent for future book removal requests.
“We’ve met with every level of the grievance committee, most librarians all the way to the top, and they all said it does not need to be banned,” McManus said. “Once we ban a book, we have an audience that comes, who has a list of [other] books to ban, which we have not addressed. This has been addressed, but not that list. That will be next.”
https://portcitydaily.com/latest-news...
Arthur's Birthday
- yes THAT Arthur, the beloved Aardvark, is facing a ban in Clay County, Florida because a conservative activist named Bruce Friedman complained that a mention of spin the bottle will "damage souls. On his form, Friedman wrote, “PROTECT CHILDREN!! IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO DISCUSS ‘SPIN THE BOTTLE’ WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. THIS BOOK IS FOUND IN ALL/ALMOST ALL [DISTRICT SCHOOLS]!”
Friedman continued to scribble across the form how “SPIN THE BOTTLE” is “NOT OKAY FOR K-5 KIDS!” and how the content could potentially “DAMAGE SOULS.” He also included images from the book that he felt were not suitable for its intended audience.
“The entire book is about being inclusive of all friends and not only inviting boys or girls (based on your gender) to your birthday party,” literary watchdog Florida Freedom to Read Project wrote on Twitter.
Reagan Miller, a member of Florida Freedom to Read Project, said she believes book banners are just trying to create “chaos in the education system” and make a boogeyman out of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“I think it’s more to keep feeding a narrative,” she told The Daily Beast, suggesting that even Barney & Friends could be the next target.
Friedman wrote disapproving notes on other book challenge forms. However, he also included disparaging comments about librarians, suggested that district administrators needed to be fired, and consistently berated some authors for being “repeat offenders.”
Dennis told The Daily Beast that “95 [percent] of the book challenges in Clay County come from one individual in the community.” She didn’t specify who that individual was, but Friedman is responsible for nearly all book challenges in the county, according to independent newsletter Popular Information.
Friedman is the president of Florida’s chapter of No Left Turn in Education, a group known for fear-mongering the teachings of Critical Race Theory. According to the group’s website, its goal is to “use all forms of media to expose the radical indoctrination in K-12 education.”
At a Florida Department of Education meeting in December, Friedman bragged about creating a list of over 3,600 books that he felt contained “concerning content,” Popular Information reported.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/arthur-...
This one you have to see the form to believe it!
https://img.thedailybeast.com/image/u...
https://img.thedailybeast.com/image/u...
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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Catholics: There’s no reason to fear (or ban) Judy Blume’..."
First read this in grade six and again in grade seven and it was so much easier than talking to my mother about menstruation (and she also read the novel and was also pleased that she did not have to explain this to me, that Judy Blume did it for her).