How To Own A News Cycle: Book Censorship News, July 21, 2023

Here’s a Google news search for “Gender Queer Book,” time limited to the last month.

Whenever I come across a search that shows a similar story pop up several times and some of those sources could be credible — like the KATV one* — I’ll then look into the keywords from that story more closely to see what’s going on. Let’s pop in some of those and see what the true story is:

Interesting results list, huh? Wall Street Journal, a conservative outlet, is the first hit and, despite being right-leaning, it doesn’t play into the same rhetoric as the following results do. We get Fox News, National Review, and then down the page, some more “reputable” outlets:

Book Censorship News: July 21, 2023

• A librarian in Michigan who was labeled a groomer by right-wing social media shares what that experience has been like.
• Samuels Library (a public library in Virginia being harassed by a small group of loud bigots) has made some decisions on books in the collection. First, they created a nonsense section called “new adult,” which is not new adult books but new adult books (clear as mud, and no, you don’t need to define “new adult” for me). This is where one of the three books that they’ve discussed so far is moving. Two will remain in the same place. They’re also creating library cards that can be restrict access for minors.
• Iredell-Statesville Schools (NC) have removed over 250 books from the district after complaints. This district is an utter mess: it is the same district where a former teacher had broken into the school library to take photos of books and where it seemed they came to a promising solution to the book crisis actors playing victim at board meetings. Guess that was short lived. TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY BOOKS!
• Washoe County Schools (NV) are now being pestered to remove Lawn Boy, with bonus crisis actor claiming that the book is being read aloud to students.
• Six queer-themed YA books have gone missing at Tri-Valley Community Library (AK). This is a teeny article but it gets across everything you’d need to know.
• Here’s a break for a little good news: Jay-Z is helping finance the anti-book ban movement.
• When did Common Sense Media become the good guys? (Disclosure: this is my work at my personal substack!).
• “Mayor Kerry Peterson, who ran the library meeting, said ‘there has never been discussion’ of banning the graphic memoir Gender Queer. Instead, she said, library director Catherine Wolverton has determined that the young adult book will be moved to the adult section of the library. A ‘separate profile’ will be set up for young adult cardholders where they can only check out young adult and youth collections, which ‘parents have the option to opt into,’ Wolverton said.” This is at Cedar Grove Public Library in New Jersey, where Gender Queer will be censored and young adults will have borrowing privileges restricted. Guess the kids can’t just haul ass and get the book there…guess the lies from the right-wingers about “the kids can just get it at the public library” are also untrue.
• 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.
• Williamsburg-James City County Schools (VA) have created a new policy around book challenges. Read this one — they explicitly state that parents can complain through the appropriate channels but “no library resources should be restricted or removed from the library as a result of the concern or complaint.” More. Of. This. (Note: I think the piece about 3 school librarians needing to approve a purchase is ridiculous, but at least it’s in the hands of trained professionals).
• I absolutely loathe the “if they ban all of these books, then the Bible needs to be banned too” mentality. You don’t solve book bans by banning books. Period. I don’t care how subversive or humorous or satirical you think you’re being. (Leon County, Florida).
• The same Bible ban nonsense is happening in Palm Beach, Florida, too. It will not be banned, though.
• Remember how Temecula Schools (CA) were pulling a social studies textbook that mentioned Harvey Milk? The state governor is buying it for them.
• Ta-Nehisi Coates showed up to the Lexington-Richland District 5 School Board meeting, where one of his books has been the center of a debate over banning.
• This Book Is Gay will remain on shelves in Brookfield, Connecticut, schools.
• Here’s how slow and expensive the review process in St. Tammany Parish Library (LA) is going and why the new bill passed in the state is going to make this process even worse.
• Three books — Gender Queer, Flamer, and Wait What? — will be pulled from Fort Worth Independent School District (TX) shelves. This story might be paywalled.
• 39 books are being challenged and reviewed in the Carroll County School District (MD). This is also behind a paywall because the media is complicit.
• When you appoint book banners to a library board, it shouldn’t be surprising that folks worry there might be book bans happening in their public libraries (VA).
• Marathon County Public Library (WI) will not be removing Let’s Talk About It, and they will not be creating a ratings system for their collection.
• Paywalled here, too: it was ONE parent who complained in Horry County Schools (SC) and got 12 books pulled from shelves.
• 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. Talk about nanny stating (and please note: I know the library is doing this in response to a shitty law, but this is also horrible). In my time as a librarian, so many kids came to the library solo because it was the only safe place to be without parents or guardians around. Some…just did not have adults in their lives. For all of the “we care about the kids,” we know what kids that means.
• A worthwhile piece about new laws in Iowa and their impact on libraries throughout the state.
• This piece is about the students at Central York (PA) who were active and engaged voices in the movement to end to book bans in their school.
• “Several members of the Telford Borough Council were blindsided at the July 10 meeting when appointed councilman Robert Jacobus attempted to pass a motion that would provide the council with oversight of the Indian Valley Library [PA]. The motion was soundly defeated in a 5-2 vote.” You can guess why, I am sure.
• Oconee County, Georgia now has Moms for Liberty going for its public library. None of the books they’re mad about should surprise anyone. This library is included in the roundup of Pride Month disruptions, wherein folks seemed to make some of the LGBTQ+ books disappear and the city council thought they had some kind of oversight into the library. Keep an eye on this one.
• Elizabethtown Independent Schools Board of Education (KY) is now getting “visitors” to their board meeting crying inappropriate book crisis. The Kite Runner and Amy Reed’s Beautiful are two books of ire.
• York County, South Carolina just voted to move from 10 board members to 7. You know this is a book banner’s dream.
• “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.” Please read this again: the CITY board told the LIBRARY board they need to create a book ratings system for materials in the collection. This, y’all, is censorship, both big C and little c. Fascism continues onward.
• Appomattox Public Library (VA) has board that is doing whatever they feel or think, rather than what is right or legal.
• “On July 13, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert took to the House floor to promote an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would ban the purchase of ‘pornographic books’ for military schools. It quickly raised questions about the definition of pornography, recalling Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous phrase: ‘I know it when I see it.’” Shocker. Puppets gonna puppet. What’s concerning is that this is being taken with any seriousness at the national level and that will inevitably give more fuel for local level bigots.
• Moore County Board of Education (NC) sounds like a fun place to be, with crisis actor board member complaining about a TON of books and those books now being referred to a review committee for their fate.
• “Fast forward to this week’s board meeting, when the consent item to renew City Year, a program that provides tutors and mentors for students, was up for discussion. From an Instagram post dated June 15, during Pride Month, City Year posted LGBTQ inclusive books. This resulted in Ashley questioning if City Year is pushing an agenda and if TPS should continue their relationship. ‘I want parents and citizens to know that these are the type of recommended book lists that they have,’ she said.” This is a board member for the Tulsa Public Schools (OK) mad about an organization that the school has a partnership with…posting a Pride book list during Pride.
• West Bend School’s review committee unanimously (WI) endorsed keeping The 57 Bus as a choice reading options in one of their classes. That it was ever challenged proves why the book is needed.
• Keene Memorial Library — a public library in Nebraska, which has been quiet for a few weeks — is going to implement new age-category library cards. Per the story, teens will be unable to borrow adult books…so I suppose that means no access to classics? Glad that a 17-year-old won’t be able to borrow The Great Gatsby. Good thing a 13-year-old can’t borrow a nonfiction book for their research paper. Need me to go on?
• *Businesses* in Winkler, Manitoba think the library should lose money for having books they’ve been brainwashed into thinking are porn. Here’s a thought: why would any person under 18 or any adult who cares about the library want to patronize these bigot businesses?
• Most Utahans do not agree with school boards removing books from the schools. Also, Davis Schools — remember them from banning then unbannnig the Bible — just pulled three more books from shelves, including The Lovely Bones, Lawn Boy, and Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda.
• It looks like I Am Billie Jean King will remain on Leon County School (FL) library shelves.
• An update from Crawford County Public Library (AR) as they navigate new state laws and two lawsuits relating to censorship.
• “Most speakers who supported the petition said they did not want the library to close but wanted the offending books moved from the children’s section or the library. One person suggested some of the offending books could be kept off the shelves and shipped to patrons who wished to check them out. ‘Books should be moved out of reach of children and monitored,’ said one audience member.” This is not how you run a library, which is why random folks without any background in librarianship are not the ones running a library. Anyway, this small Washington library is still at risk of closure because of some bigots.
• My money is that Bruce is behind the challenge to the book Arthur’s Birthday in Clay County, Florida, schools. The challenge means no kids can look at the book until some undetermined time. Bruce is the person who elected to challenge my books because I wrote about what he was doing there.