ACLU of Alaska, Northern Justice Project, and Parents Sue Alaska District for Removing Books | Censorship News

The lawsuit against the Mat-Su (AK) School District claims the protagonists in the challenged books are people of color or LGBTQ+ characters. In other censorship news, a public library in Kansas was forced to remove all LGBTQIA+ children's books in order to keep its lease, PEN America names director of Florida effort to fight book bans, and MTV's new documentary, The ABCs of Book Banning, is now available to stream on Paramount+.

Alaska School District’s Removal of Books from School Libraries Prompts Federal Lawsuit | Alaska Public Media
The ACLU of Alaska, the Northern Justice Project, and parents of a district middle schooler have sued the Mat-Su School District for removing 56 books in April at the direction of the Mat-Su School Board. The plaintiffs’ lawyers noted that many protagonists in the challenged books are people of color or LGBTQ+ characters.

A Kansas Public Library Forced to Remove LGBTQIA+ Books for Kids to Keep Its Building | KCUR
The St. Marys (KS) city commission has threatened for years to pull the lease of the public library if it didn't remove "divisive" materials. The library has managed to hang onto its lease for one more year by removing all youth-oriented LGBTQ books from library shelves. 

Meet the Woman Picked to Head the Campaign to Combat Florida Book Bans | Tallahassee Democrat
Katie Blankenship will be the first-ever director of PEN America’s Florida effort.

New MTV Documentary The ABCs of Book Banning Sheds Light on Impact of Book Bans| CBS News
The documentary streaming on Paramount+ looks at the thousands of books that have been removed from schools and libraries across the country.

75 More Books to be Removed from Virginia District School Libraries | ABC8 News
The Handmaid’s Tale and Wicked are among 75 books set to be removed from libraries in Hanover County (VA) Public Schools.

Authors of Books Banned in Florida Schools Weigh in on Removals | WGCU PBS
The authors of some of the nearly 400 books removed from the libraries of Collier County (FL) Public Schools are speaking out about the banning.

North Carolina County Public Library's Pride Display Sparks Wider Debate Over Book Bans and LGBTQIA+ Representation in Libraries | Carolina Public Press
The Pride display became the center of controversy in the small Yancey County (NC) town in the mountains of western North Carolina. Yancey County commissioners considered seizing control of the library from the regional system and packing the library board with members opposed to the display. 

Residents Can Now Weigh In On Chino Valley School Library Books And Have Them Removed | LAist
Chino Valley (CA) Unified School District has passed a controversial policy in which parents, guardians, students, staff, or even district residents can formally lodge a complaint to remove a non-curriculum book from a school or teacher’s classroom library if they think it contains “sexually obscene content.” 

Iowa Nonprofit Bringing Book Banning Awareness to Siouxland | SiouxlandProud
Annie’s Foundation is a nonprofit run by six moms from Johnson, IA, with the goal of bringing awareness to book bannings across the country. The foundation travels from state to state talking to Siouxlanders about a handful of stories that have been banned by one or more school districts, then gives away those books to people that attended the event. 

Georgia District School Board Votes to Keep Banned LGBTQ-Themed Book Off the Shelves | WSB-TV
The Marietta City (GA) School District voted not to reinstate Flamer by Mike Curato, which was pulled off school library shelves two months ago. After Flamer was removed, an appeal was filed, but the school district maintained its stance by a vote of 6-1 that the book should not be featured in Marietta City Schools libraries.

Be the first reader to comment.

Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.


RELATED 

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?