{"id":33236,"date":"2023-05-19T10:22:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T17:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=33236"},"modified":"2023-05-19T10:22:07","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T17:22:07","slug":"you-cant-read-that-116","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=33236","title":{"rendered":"You Can’t Read That!"},"content":{"rendered":"

You Can\u2019t Read That! is a periodic post about book banning. YCRT! features news and opinion roundups, commentary, history, and reviews.<\/p>\n

\"book-bus-parnassus-e1563813151557\"<\/a>
Just what we need for the YCRT! Banned Bookmobile project! Who wants to fund us?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
YCRT! News & Opinion Roundup<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Illinois to Become First State to Ban Book Bans<\/a><\/strong> (Book Riot)<\/p>\n

… per the bill, the $62 million of funding that goes to the state\u2019s libraries will only be eligible for said funding if they \u201cadopt the American Library Association\u2019s Library Bill of Rights\u201d or \u201cdevelop a written statement prohibiting the practice of banning books or other materials within the library or library system.\u201c<\/p>\n

When the Culture Wars Come for the Public Library<\/a><\/strong> (The New Yorker)<\/p>\n

Flathead County had always trended conservative, and harbored clusters of Ammon Bundy extremists, but its mainstream politics, until recently, tended toward a live-and-let-live libertarianism. The weeks that followed stunned library staff. Newell, who is openly bisexual, was harassed: \u201cI had people get in my face, yell, and spit, and scream an inch from my face.\u201d At an outreach event, she was grabbed by a man complaining of the \u201clibrary\u2019s agenda about transgenderism.\u201d In April, a queer-youth support group met, as it often did, in the library basement. Afterward, several men waiting outside chased two of the teens down the street, yelling, \u201cFucking faggots.\u201d<\/p>\n

They’re Killing Libraries<\/a><\/strong> (Pharyngula)<\/p>\n

… one person, literally one<\/em> person, squeaked an objection, and chickenshit school administrators in Martin county immediately pulled every Roberts book off the shelves. That\u2019s all it takes, one prude from the fascist group \u201cMoms for Liberty\u201d complains, and administrators instantly surrender. There\u2019s a reason for that. \u201cMoms for Liberty\u201d is a right-wing terrorist organization<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Retired Navy Officer Takes on Florida\u2019s Book-Ban Fascism<\/strong><\/a> (Daily Beast)<\/p>\n

\u201cReligious fanatics, who wouldn\u2019t even let women be educated, flew planes into the World Trade Center and my Pentagon,\u201d 54-year-old Wess Rexrode said. \u201cI spent the last decade of my naval career fighting religious fascism abroad. I never thought I\u2019d have to fight it right here in the United States of America.<\/p>\n

Inside the Battle for North Dakota\u2019s Bookshelves<\/strong><\/a> (Esquire)<\/p>\n

Until recently, schools were the battleground for book bans. But now the book-ban movement is targeting the one place a kid should be able to access vetted and potentially life-saving information for free. They\u2019re targeting the books but also the librarians; SB 2360 actually threatens to throw librarians in jail if they don\u2019t comply. As North Dakota author Taylor Brorby tells me, \u201cEven Ron DeSantis hasn\u2019t come up with that scary thought yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Are You There, God?\u2019 Reminds Us Why Books Are Still Banned, Even in the Digital Age<\/a><\/strong> (Politico)<\/p>\n

… a forbidden book will always have appeal. Almost as soon as Margaret<\/i> was published, it was banned in certain corners; Blume has said her own children\u2019s elementary school principal wouldn\u2019t shelve it in the school library because it mentioned menstruation<\/a>. In the 1980s, conservative warriors Phyllis Schlafly and Jerry Falwell made Margaret <\/i>and other Blume books a target of their ire. Schlafly\u2019s Eagle Forum put out a pamphlet titled \u201cHow to Rid Your Schools and Libraries of Judy Blume Books.\u201d<\/p>\n

GOP Rep Suggests Replacing Libraries with \u2018Church-Owned\u2019 Alternatives<\/a><\/strong> (MSNBC MaddowBlog)<\/p>\n

None of this makes sense. Americans\u2019 public libraries have not become \u201cgrooming centers,\u201d and Congress funding \u201cchurch-owned\u201d alternatives is obviously at odds with the First Amendment. But the fact that Higgins felt comfortable espousing such an idea publicly says a great deal about where some on the right find themselves when it comes to libraries, free speech, and church-state separation.<\/p>\n

Book Bans and Native Voices<\/a><\/strong> (American Indians in Children’s Literature)<\/p>\n

People continue to take from Native peoples and Native Nations. It started with our lands and our children. It included efforts to destroy our nationhood and cultures by making it illegal for us to speak our languages and tell our stories and practice our religions. … But now, our books \u2014 our voices \u2014 are being removed from libraries and classrooms.<\/p>\n

Plattsmouth High School Librarian Resigns over Controversial Book Policy<\/a><\/strong> (KETV Omaha)<\/p>\n

“I made the difficult decision to leave the district following the events of the last board meeting when the book ‘reviews’ began,” Librarian Christine Knust wrote.<\/p>\n

Florida Teacher Says She Is under Investigation after Showing 5th Grade Class Disney Movie with Gay Character<\/a><\/strong> (CNN)<\/p>\n

… Barbee explained she played the Disney movie to a class, which was only partially full after a day of standardized testing. She also said she had previously-signed permission slips from all the parents, allowing the students to watch a movie rated PG. According to Barbee, a parent then complained and reported her to the state Department of Education.<\/p>\n

Parents, Authors, Publisher Make Florida Book Censorship a Federal Case<\/a><\/strong> (Wonkette)<\/p>\n

In response to the Escambia County School Board’s removals and restrictions on school library books, the board is being sued in federal court by some very big guns: publisher Penguin (heh) Random House, five authors, two parents of children in the school district, and the freedom to read nonprofit PEN America, alleging that the school board is violating the First Amendment rights of all the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n

Two Florida Moms Are at the Center of the Fight against Book Banning in America<\/a><\/strong> (Yahoo! News)<\/p>\n

Cousins and Stephana Ferrell founded the Florida Freedom to Read Project<\/a> after meeting at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to support mask-wearing in schools. They confronted conservative parental rights groups, including Moms for Liberty, that opposed COVID-19 restrictions and would later challenge “liberal indoctrination” on the teaching of racial equality and gender.<\/p>\n

YCRT! Social Media Roundup<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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NEW. An updated book ban report for the current school year from @PENamerica<\/a> shows how new state laws are supercharging book suppression in schools, esp in Florida. ? #FReadom<\/a> #EdScare<\/a> #BookBans<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/t.co\/t6ilVajOIG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonathan Friedman ? (@jonfreadom) April 20, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n