1margd
Hudsonville is just west of Grans Rapids, MI, a conservative area. Think Betsy DeVos.
Donations pour in after Michigan town defunded library over LGBTQ books
Ron French | 11 Aug 2022
Voters in Jamestown Township defunded their library over LGBTQ-themed books
Donations from around the world are rolling in to try to keep the library open
The library board will meet Monday to discuss its financial options
Aug. 11: Fundraisers pass $100K for Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books
Aug. 8: Defunded over LGBTQ books, Michigan library will try tax again in November...
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/donations-pour-after-michigan-town-...
Donations pour in after Michigan town defunded library over LGBTQ books
Ron French | 11 Aug 2022
Voters in Jamestown Township defunded their library over LGBTQ-themed books
Donations from around the world are rolling in to try to keep the library open
The library board will meet Monday to discuss its financial options
Aug. 11: Fundraisers pass $100K for Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books
Aug. 8: Defunded over LGBTQ books, Michigan library will try tax again in November...
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/donations-pour-after-michigan-town-...
2margd
Salman Rushdie on Ventilator Hours After Being Stabbed in Western New York
Elizabeth A. Harris | Aug. 12, 2022 Updated Aug. 13, 2022
“The news is not good,” the author’s agent, Andrew Wylie, said in an emailed update Friday evening. He said Mr. Rushdie might lose an eye and his liver had been damaged. The celebrated author, who has long faced death threats, was stabbed by a 24-year old New Jersey man. Police said the motive was unclear.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/12/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbed-new-york...
Elizabeth A. Harris | Aug. 12, 2022 Updated Aug. 13, 2022
“The news is not good,” the author’s agent, Andrew Wylie, said in an emailed update Friday evening. He said Mr. Rushdie might lose an eye and his liver had been damaged. The celebrated author, who has long faced death threats, was stabbed by a 24-year old New Jersey man. Police said the motive was unclear.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/12/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbed-new-york...
3Molly3028
https://www.mediaite.com/news/texas-school-district-under-fire-for-removing-anne...
Texas School District Under Fire for Removing Anne Frank Adaptation From Libraries: ‘Proud Boys and Oath Keepers Won’
Texas School District Under Fire for Removing Anne Frank Adaptation From Libraries: ‘Proud Boys and Oath Keepers Won’
4margd
A mom’s campaign to ban library books divided a Texas town — and her own family
Mike Hixenbaugh | Aug. 11, 2022
Weston Brown had given up challenging his mother’s anti-LGBTQ beliefs. But that was before she started coming after library books.
...After watching the video of his mom at the school board last month, Weston skimmed through excerpts of the books she wanted pulled. It seemed to him that she and her supporters were pushing public schools to adhere to some of the same strict religious ideologies that he says he suffered under as a child.
He thought about all the students, at Granbury and across the country, who might benefit from reading the types of books that were off-limits to him growing up.
With tears in his eyes, he started to type a tweet on the afternoon of July 3.
“This is my mom,” he wrote, with a link to the school board meeting video. “Seeing her advocate for the erasure of queer representation is crushing. Coming up on the 5 year anniversary of being effectively cut off from my family and siblings after coming out in 2018.”
He hesitated, knowing he would be reopening old wounds for the world to see. He didn’t want to do anything to hurt the woman who’d raised him, he said.
But trying to get librarians arrested?
Weston added one more line to his post — “Much love to those standing up and pushing back for representation” — along with a rainbow flag emoji. And then he hit send...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/moms-campaign-divided-texas-town-family-rcn...
Mike Hixenbaugh | Aug. 11, 2022
Weston Brown had given up challenging his mother’s anti-LGBTQ beliefs. But that was before she started coming after library books.
...After watching the video of his mom at the school board last month, Weston skimmed through excerpts of the books she wanted pulled. It seemed to him that she and her supporters were pushing public schools to adhere to some of the same strict religious ideologies that he says he suffered under as a child.
He thought about all the students, at Granbury and across the country, who might benefit from reading the types of books that were off-limits to him growing up.
With tears in his eyes, he started to type a tweet on the afternoon of July 3.
“This is my mom,” he wrote, with a link to the school board meeting video. “Seeing her advocate for the erasure of queer representation is crushing. Coming up on the 5 year anniversary of being effectively cut off from my family and siblings after coming out in 2018.”
He hesitated, knowing he would be reopening old wounds for the world to see. He didn’t want to do anything to hurt the woman who’d raised him, he said.
But trying to get librarians arrested?
Weston added one more line to his post — “Much love to those standing up and pushing back for representation” — along with a rainbow flag emoji. And then he hit send...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/moms-campaign-divided-texas-town-family-rcn...
5margd
Texas School District Removes Bible and Anne Frank Adaptation in Back-to-School Sweep
Amanda Holpuch | Aug. 17, 2022
The Keller Independent School District in North Texas reviewed dozens of challenged books during the last school year. It is taking them off the shelves as it reviews them again...
Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl”
Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”
Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” *
...Parents, school board officials and lawmakers have recently challenged books at a pace not seen in years, with some of the most scrutinized books dealing with sexual and racial identity...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/us/texas-school-books-removed-bible.html
---------------------------------------------------------------
*How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country
Alexandra Alter | May 1, 2022
Maia Kobabe’s book, “Gender Queer,” was the most banned book in the U.S. in 2021, a year in which bans and challenges soared.
Maia Kobabe’s book “Gender Queer,” about coming out as nonbinary, landed the author at the center of a battle over which books belong in schools, and who gets to make that decision...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/books/maia-kobabe-gender-queer-book-ban.html
Amanda Holpuch | Aug. 17, 2022
The Keller Independent School District in North Texas reviewed dozens of challenged books during the last school year. It is taking them off the shelves as it reviews them again...
Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl”
Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”
Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” *
...Parents, school board officials and lawmakers have recently challenged books at a pace not seen in years, with some of the most scrutinized books dealing with sexual and racial identity...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/us/texas-school-books-removed-bible.html
---------------------------------------------------------------
*How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country
Alexandra Alter | May 1, 2022
Maia Kobabe’s book, “Gender Queer,” was the most banned book in the U.S. in 2021, a year in which bans and challenges soared.
Maia Kobabe’s book “Gender Queer,” about coming out as nonbinary, landed the author at the center of a battle over which books belong in schools, and who gets to make that decision...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/books/maia-kobabe-gender-queer-book-ban.html
6aspirit
For anyone who's interested, LibraryThing has a Banned Books group. Current news has been reported regularly there-- though often without article excerpts.
https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/671/Banned-Books
https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/671/Banned-Books
7theoria
>5 margd:
They banned the Bible because of stories which promote what NathanielCampbell called "disordered desire".
https://www.librarything.com/topic/162922#4449706
https://www.librarything.com/topic/162922#4451005
They banned the Bible because of stories which promote what NathanielCampbell called "disordered desire".
https://www.librarything.com/topic/162922#4449706
https://www.librarything.com/topic/162922#4451005
82wonderY
>7 theoria: I can’t find that detail in any of the news reports. They seem to be avoiding that part of the story. Hoping they return the Bible’s to the shelves; maybe with sections torn out. Wouldn’t that arouse some teen curiosity!
9John5918
>7 theoria:
I remember when I was in sixth form a maths teacher at our Catholic grammar school would tell us how when he did his national service in the army and all the other squaddies were reading dirty magazines, he would read the bible, and he said he found stories there to equal the "disordered desires" in their magazines.
I remember when I was in sixth form a maths teacher at our Catholic grammar school would tell us how when he did his national service in the army and all the other squaddies were reading dirty magazines, he would read the bible, and he said he found stories there to equal the "disordered desires" in their magazines.
10theoria
>8 2wonderY: >9 John5918: I can't find the article I read about the Bible ban, but I recall the complaint was about the amount of violence and sex in it.
11margd
In 1990s I bought my kids a copy of Catholic children's bible (the red one) that I remembered from my youth. Of course, I flipped to the story of the Maccabees and the illustration of the fellows with their fingertips chopped off. It wasn't there!
12aspirit
I'm fascinated by what's considered acceptable vs. unacceptable education. Deliberately exposing a young child to temple prostitution, child slavery, and extreme violence in stories in acceptable as long as the stories are adapted from the Bible. Yet allowing anyone the same age to choose to read a children's picture books such as Rainbow: A First Book of Pride by the American Psychological Association from a library collection is considered "child abuse".
By the way, guess which of the two linked books is apparently banned by state law in over 5,000 schools in Florida?
=====
edited far too many times (as this is setting off my anxiety from anti-LGBTQ censorship and past conversion attempts) with my apologies
By the way, guess which of the two linked books is apparently banned by state law in over 5,000 schools in Florida?
=====
edited far too many times (as this is setting off my anxiety from anti-LGBTQ censorship and past conversion attempts) with my apologies
13margd
Can Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz remain in libraries much longer?? :D
Alice: I've seen some weird sh*t.
Dorothy: Yeah, well, I stole shoes off a dead woman that I killed with my house.
Image https://www.facebook.com/DoYouRemember/photos/a.6135939153134765/634163211256546...
Alice: I've seen some weird sh*t.
Dorothy: Yeah, well, I stole shoes off a dead woman that I killed with my house.
Image https://www.facebook.com/DoYouRemember/photos/a.6135939153134765/634163211256546...
14aspirit
>13 margd: I wish that comic was still funny. Censorship news has impaired my sense of humor.
There are people who would try to ban Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz if they noticed both books werefeminist tales. (Yes, feminist movements were growing in the UK and USA at the time the respective books were written.) In addition, the Oz series features a transgender character. Alice's use of magic edibles is relevant today in conversations with children about medicine and recreational drugs.
In some places, we're not supposed to talk about any of that. Schools can be sued, teachers can be disciplined, and parents can be investigated if self-appointed censors find out these aspects of the classics are discussed. Chances are, this is happening closer to you than you think.
There are people who would try to ban Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz if they noticed both books were
In some places, we're not supposed to talk about any of that. Schools can be sued, teachers can be disciplined, and parents can be investigated if self-appointed censors find out these aspects of the classics are discussed. Chances are, this is happening closer to you than you think.
15kiparsky
>14 aspirit: Don't forget the opium trip in Oz....
16theretiredlibrarian
>3Molly3028 : I used to work at Keller ISD, from 2001-2008. It was a fairly (for Texas) progressive district. Paid very well, and very difficult to get a job there, because there was little turnover. It had such a good reputation, parents would move there to be in KISD, and more than a few lied about their address to get their kids in the schools. The libraries were well-funded, we librarians selected and purchased all materials with little to no interference. Now many librarians have left the district citing these restrictions. I only know of one I worked with, and she is doing her darndest to change the mindset of these parents. Which I believe are a very vocal minority.
17JGL53
The problem is ignorance of the bible, pure and simple, specifically ignorance of the highly pious christians of their own "holy book".
E.g., Numbers 31:1-18 - the sexual enslavement of girls under 12 and the slaughter (genocide) of all other children, babies and adults of a rival tribe by the Israelites, sanctioned by god through Moses.
E.g., Isaiah 36:12 - a discussion of the eating of human dung and the drinking of human piss is presented as just another day in the life. Nothing weird there.
Putting aside for the nonce any books with explicit photos of exploitive sex. no justification for the banning of any book other than the bible can be had if the bible is not also simultaneously banned.
I.e., either ban the bible and similar books - or do not ban any books at all. Such is the logical choice. Otherwise, it will be obviously unconstitutional discrimination (based in religion).
E.g., Numbers 31:1-18 - the sexual enslavement of girls under 12 and the slaughter (genocide) of all other children, babies and adults of a rival tribe by the Israelites, sanctioned by god through Moses.
E.g., Isaiah 36:12 - a discussion of the eating of human dung and the drinking of human piss is presented as just another day in the life. Nothing weird there.
Putting aside for the nonce any books with explicit photos of exploitive sex. no justification for the banning of any book other than the bible can be had if the bible is not also simultaneously banned.
I.e., either ban the bible and similar books - or do not ban any books at all. Such is the logical choice. Otherwise, it will be obviously unconstitutional discrimination (based in religion).
18aspirit
After a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and joint reporting by NBC News, ProPublica, and The Texas Tribune, the US Education Department has launched an investigation into Granbury Independent School District, in northern Texas.
Granbury's superintendent was recorded saying there's "no place" in the district's school libraries for books about "the transgender, LGBTQ and the sex — sexuality" of queer people. Under his persuasion, the district decided to remove dozens of library books pending a review of sorts.
The ACLU's has described this attempt to ban books based on content representing some students as creating a "pervasively hostile" educational environment.
The Education Department's Office of Civil Rights is now looking into whether the district went against the federal prohibition of schools discriminating on the basis of sex, gender, and sexual orientation.
This could be the start of investigations into the current book banning trend in US schools.
Source:
"A Texas superintendent ordered school librarians to remove LGBTQ books. Now the federal government is investigating." NBC News article by Mike Hixenbaugh and Jeremy Schwartz, Dec 20, 2022
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-investigation-school-library-books-...
Granbury's superintendent was recorded saying there's "no place" in the district's school libraries for books about "the transgender, LGBTQ and the sex — sexuality" of queer people. Under his persuasion, the district decided to remove dozens of library books pending a review of sorts.
The ACLU's has described this attempt to ban books based on content representing some students as creating a "pervasively hostile" educational environment.
The Education Department's Office of Civil Rights is now looking into whether the district went against the federal prohibition of schools discriminating on the basis of sex, gender, and sexual orientation.
This could be the start of investigations into the current book banning trend in US schools.
The ACLU of Texas made similar legal arguments in another civil rights complaint filed last month against the Keller Independent School District in North Texas in response to a policy banning any books that mention “gender fluidity.” The Education Department has yet to decide whether to open an investigation in Keller.
Source:
"A Texas superintendent ordered school librarians to remove LGBTQ books. Now the federal government is investigating." NBC News article by Mike Hixenbaugh and Jeremy Schwartz, Dec 20, 2022
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-investigation-school-library-books-...
19margd
Missouri House Republicans vote to defund libraries
Kate Lý Johnston – 4/11/23
Missouri House Republicans voted to defund all of the state’s public libraries, in a proposed $45.6 billion state budget that will soon move to a vote in the GOP-controlled state Senate.
The Missouri House debated for over eight hours last Tuesday on a budget that is roughly $2 billion less than the one Gov. Mike Parson (R) proposed last January, cutting not only the $4.5 million Parson had slated for libraries, but also costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs.
Missouri House budget committee leader Rep. Cody Smith (R-Carthage) proposed cutting library aid due to a recent lawsuit filed against the state last February.
The lawsuit — filed by the ACLU of Missouri on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association — seeks to declare Senate Bill 775 unconstitutional, a bill that has resulted in over 300 books getting banned from school libraries, many of which include LGBTQ characters or racial justice themes...
https://heartlandsignal.com/2023/04/11/missouri-house-republicans-vote-to-defund...
Kate Lý Johnston – 4/11/23
Missouri House Republicans voted to defund all of the state’s public libraries, in a proposed $45.6 billion state budget that will soon move to a vote in the GOP-controlled state Senate.
The Missouri House debated for over eight hours last Tuesday on a budget that is roughly $2 billion less than the one Gov. Mike Parson (R) proposed last January, cutting not only the $4.5 million Parson had slated for libraries, but also costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs.
Missouri House budget committee leader Rep. Cody Smith (R-Carthage) proposed cutting library aid due to a recent lawsuit filed against the state last February.
The lawsuit — filed by the ACLU of Missouri on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association — seeks to declare Senate Bill 775 unconstitutional, a bill that has resulted in over 300 books getting banned from school libraries, many of which include LGBTQ characters or racial justice themes...
https://heartlandsignal.com/2023/04/11/missouri-house-republicans-vote-to-defund...
202wonderY
Brooklyn Public Library will issue digital card to any student (aged 13 to 21) nationwide who asks for one, to give access to banned books.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrWzYayMw1X/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://www.cnet.com/culture/how-teenagers-can-borrow-banned-books-for-free-from...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrWzYayMw1X/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://www.cnet.com/culture/how-teenagers-can-borrow-banned-books-for-free-from...
21John5918
Third of UK librarians asked to censor or remove books, research reveals (Guardian)
I had thought book banning was a predominantly US sport, but sadly it seems to be taking off in the UK too.
Librarians are increasingly being asked to censor or remove books, and have also faced threats in discussions about the removal of books... such incidents “had increased significantly in recent years”, according to Cilip’s chief executive, Nick Poole. The most targeted books involve empire, race and LGBTQ+ themes. Some 82% of librarians said they were concerned about the increase in such requests... Books have increasingly been at the forefront of the so-called culture wars. Librarians in the US have found themselves in regular conflict with rightwing readers over book stock... The result, she said, is that librarians are having to take time away from their primary job to answer these requests. “There is no such thing as censorship in public libraries,” said Hunter. “We don’t know of any libraries that have trigger warnings.” Lucy Banks, reading development manager at Libraries Unlimited, a charity that manages libraries in Devon and Torbay, said: “We don’t censor, and we’re pleased to have that role within society as a hub of trusted information"...
I had thought book banning was a predominantly US sport, but sadly it seems to be taking off in the UK too.
22margd
Judd Legum @JuddLegum | 10:01 AM · May 8, 2023:
I write Popular Information, an independent newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655573751646306305
1. On March 8, @RonDeSantisFL held a press conference & insisted Florida wasn't banning books, it was simply removing PORN
He based it on a survey of 23 school districts
But the survey was kept secret
Until now
The books Florida is banning as "PORN" is absolutely wild
🧵
2. Duval County has banned "House and Homes" by Ann Morris as porn.
The book is a series of photographs illustrating different kids of homes around the world
It was named "one of the best books of the year" by Parents Magazine
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655574185068879872/photo/1
3. A Florida school district has decided this book is pornographic and adults that provide it anyone under 18 would be committing a felony.
That's because, on a couple of pages, the photos capture a child's naked buttocks
It's a reflection of the culture
Here's an example ( https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655574597901725697/photo/1 )
4. This is not an aberration. Another book banned in Duval as porn is The Sleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman. It's an illustrated version of the classic fairy tale.
On one page, there is a a drawing of the queen bathing in a lake.
This image is pornographic, apparently
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655575186270306307/photo/1
5. When @RonDeSantisFL was talking about removing pornography from school libraries THESE ARE SOME OF THE BOOKS HE WAS TALKING ABOUT
REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida
Judd Legum | May 8, 2023
https://popular.info/p/revealed-these-ten-books-are-considered
6. There are many more examples. Another book banned as porn is "Guess What?" by Mem Fox, a distinguished Australian author of children's books.
It is considered porn because of this innocuous image of a witch taking a bath in a sink
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655575964397477899/photo/1
7. Also banned as "porn" is "Jalani and the Lock" by Lorenzo Pace. This one is particularly mystifying. It's the story of a boy who was captured in Africa, enslaved in America, and eventually set free.
But there is no sexual content or nudity whatsoever.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655576529944936453/photo/1
8. The banning of "Jalani and the Lock" may be a reflection of the haphazard process used to classify and ban books
The report from the Florida Department of Education misspells the title and author of the book.
REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida
Judd Legum | May 8, 2023
https://popular.info/p/revealed-these-ten-books-are-considered
9. "Removing clear instances of pornography and sexually explicit materials, often within arms reach of our youngest kids, is not book banning," Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. said on March 8.
Now we know why they didn't release the actual survey
10. Also banned as pornography are numerous award winning novels with sexual content.
Under Florida and federal law a book with sexual content is not, by definition, PORN
11. For a book with sexual content to be considered porn under Florida law it must appear primarily to "prurient, shameful, or morbid interest," be "patently offensive," AND have no "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value"
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655577661899517952/photo/1
12. Nevertheless, numerous Florida school districts are banning award winning novels like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison (winner of the Pulitizer Prize) as PORN.
Other award-winning books banned as porn include The Kite Runner, Dreaming in Cuban, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower...
I write Popular Information, an independent newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655573751646306305
1. On March 8, @RonDeSantisFL held a press conference & insisted Florida wasn't banning books, it was simply removing PORN
He based it on a survey of 23 school districts
But the survey was kept secret
Until now
The books Florida is banning as "PORN" is absolutely wild
🧵
2. Duval County has banned "House and Homes" by Ann Morris as porn.
The book is a series of photographs illustrating different kids of homes around the world
It was named "one of the best books of the year" by Parents Magazine
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655574185068879872/photo/1
3. A Florida school district has decided this book is pornographic and adults that provide it anyone under 18 would be committing a felony.
That's because, on a couple of pages, the photos capture a child's naked buttocks
It's a reflection of the culture
Here's an example ( https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655574597901725697/photo/1 )
4. This is not an aberration. Another book banned in Duval as porn is The Sleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman. It's an illustrated version of the classic fairy tale.
On one page, there is a a drawing of the queen bathing in a lake.
This image is pornographic, apparently
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655575186270306307/photo/1
5. When @RonDeSantisFL was talking about removing pornography from school libraries THESE ARE SOME OF THE BOOKS HE WAS TALKING ABOUT
REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida
Judd Legum | May 8, 2023
https://popular.info/p/revealed-these-ten-books-are-considered
6. There are many more examples. Another book banned as porn is "Guess What?" by Mem Fox, a distinguished Australian author of children's books.
It is considered porn because of this innocuous image of a witch taking a bath in a sink
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655575964397477899/photo/1
7. Also banned as "porn" is "Jalani and the Lock" by Lorenzo Pace. This one is particularly mystifying. It's the story of a boy who was captured in Africa, enslaved in America, and eventually set free.
But there is no sexual content or nudity whatsoever.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655576529944936453/photo/1
8. The banning of "Jalani and the Lock" may be a reflection of the haphazard process used to classify and ban books
The report from the Florida Department of Education misspells the title and author of the book.
REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida
Judd Legum | May 8, 2023
https://popular.info/p/revealed-these-ten-books-are-considered
9. "Removing clear instances of pornography and sexually explicit materials, often within arms reach of our youngest kids, is not book banning," Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. said on March 8.
Now we know why they didn't release the actual survey
10. Also banned as pornography are numerous award winning novels with sexual content.
Under Florida and federal law a book with sexual content is not, by definition, PORN
11. For a book with sexual content to be considered porn under Florida law it must appear primarily to "prurient, shameful, or morbid interest," be "patently offensive," AND have no "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value"
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1655577661899517952/photo/1
12. Nevertheless, numerous Florida school districts are banning award winning novels like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison (winner of the Pulitizer Prize) as PORN.
Other award-winning books banned as porn include The Kite Runner, Dreaming in Cuban, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower...
232wonderY
>22 margd: Going out to order most of those books right now.
24lriley
>22 margd: I would say at least a good half of the books I have if the 'good people of Florida' took a deep dive on they would find reason to ban them and I'm kind of thinking there are a lot of members of LT and Goodreads in the same boat. Kind of got to think because they don't seem to like witches that something like Shakespeare's MacBeth might not pass muster either. Loads of people are driven by their own lunacy. Quite often they'll want to ban something more on hearsay that they never have taken a look at at all. I feel sorry for the residents of Florida who aren't among the maniacs but.......I've been to Florida one time and I don't ever forsee myself setting foot in that state again.
25aspirit
Millions (not an exaggeration) of book titles are subject to review under Florida's new school censorship laws.
Examples:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/thousands-books-including-black-hispanic-historical-ti...
More info on the laws: https://pen.org/florida-book-bans-empty-shelves/
There's a full thread dedicated to Florida in the Banned Books group.
Examples:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/thousands-books-including-black-hispanic-historical-ti...
More info on the laws: https://pen.org/florida-book-bans-empty-shelves/
There's a full thread dedicated to Florida in the Banned Books group.
27aspirit
>26 margd: so much so that he and his changed a state law this month to allow himself to run for POTUS or VPOTUS while continuing to control Florida.
Extremely disturbing.
Extremely disturbing.
28lriley
His legislature does whatever DeSantis asks. Most of the republican Florida delegation in the US House though has sided with the other guy. He has the state reps locked up but the other guy has almost all the federal reps and US republican congresspeople have spread quite a lot of not so nice shit about him. Even if the other guy got locked up I'm not so sure Ron will be his slam dunk replacement.
30prosfilaes
>29 aspirit: Not a chance. Trump would never run as VP, just like he never ran for any political office before President. And DeSantis and Trump have taken enough jabs at each other that there's no way either would subjugate their ego to be the other's VP. If nothing happens to stop Trump from running, and Trump doesn't get the Republican nomination, I'm expecting him to be an independent candidate.
31lriley
Unless Donald dies or goes to prison I just don't see him not locking up the republican nomination. He's killing DeSantis on endorsements and he's got a loyal nationwide base support that Ronald can only dream of. What's more I think if DeSantis somehow did get the Republican nomination Donald would rather run as an independent and fuck it all up for him and worry less about Biden winning again. He's not going to be loyal to the republican brand if republican leaders don't get behind him. Not going to put the party before himself and I think Republican leaders know that and know that kind of schism might set them back decades. They're still afraid of him....the ones that love him and the ones who don't.
32aspirit
>30 prosfilaes: >31 lriley: my initial phrasing was confusing. I'm sorry about that. I meant the opposite relationship.
DeSantis is uncharacteristically cautious in his speech while refusing to put legal pressure on Mar-a-Lago's owner, despite his willingness to abuse his gubernatorial position to attack companies and individuals he disagrees with.
Trump is meanwhile acting as his usual nasty-tempered, foul-mouthed self. Republicans continue to link up with him in an attempt for political gain regardless of how he treats them on social media. I see no reason DeSantis won't do the same in an attempt to influence all three branches of the federal government. Looking again at his bizarre world tour, he seems to already be setting himself up as the future VPOTUS (traditionally more internationally focused than the POTUS).
What does this mean for our topic? Acceptance of a candidate with DeSantis' record and known connections means acceptance of widespread book bans. The fight against censorship is heading toward much bigger battles.
DeSantis is uncharacteristically cautious in his speech while refusing to put legal pressure on Mar-a-Lago's owner, despite his willingness to abuse his gubernatorial position to attack companies and individuals he disagrees with.
Trump is meanwhile acting as his usual nasty-tempered, foul-mouthed self. Republicans continue to link up with him in an attempt for political gain regardless of how he treats them on social media. I see no reason DeSantis won't do the same in an attempt to influence all three branches of the federal government. Looking again at his bizarre world tour, he seems to already be setting himself up as the future VPOTUS (traditionally more internationally focused than the POTUS).
What does this mean for our topic? Acceptance of a candidate with DeSantis' record and known connections means acceptance of widespread book bans. The fight against censorship is heading toward much bigger battles.
33margd
Apparently, freedumb means allowing kids and creeps to tweet "cat in a blender" kinds of videos. Why aren't Repugs on top of THAT?? (BTW, mouse in a blender is a thing--or used to be--for certain kinds of studies. Never for fun unless immature creeps in the lab.)
ETA:
Cat and dog torture videos litter Twitter, adding to concerns about moderation
Twitter's search function suggested searches for animal abuse, leading some viewers to the video. As of Friday afternoon, Twitter appeared to have turned off all suggestions.
Ben Collins | 12 May 2023
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/cat-dog-torture-videos-litter-twitter-add...
ETA:
Cat and dog torture videos litter Twitter, adding to concerns about moderation
Twitter's search function suggested searches for animal abuse, leading some viewers to the video. As of Friday afternoon, Twitter appeared to have turned off all suggestions.
Ben Collins | 12 May 2023
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/cat-dog-torture-videos-litter-twitter-add...
34John5918
>33 margd:
It does remind me of a sick joke that was popular when I were wee lad. What's green and turns red at the flick of a switch? Kermit in a blender. Sorry, couldn't resist it.
It does remind me of a sick joke that was popular when I were wee lad. What's green and turns red at the flick of a switch? Kermit in a blender. Sorry, couldn't resist it.
35margd
Kids love that sort of thing but normalizing it, empowers the truly disturbed I fear... (Illustration of Maccabees with tips of fingers chopped off--in red-covered Catholic children's bible--is still stuck in my mind. The copy I bought for my kids no longer contained that particular illustration... Disney's Little Mermaid lost the oysters showing her rank... Live videos of animal cruelty go way further, though, than dark literature and jokes of our youth.)
36John5918
Indeed, I agree with you about normalising such things. Many things which were taken for granted as "normal" (and acceptable) when we were young are, thank God, no longer either normal or acceptable.
37margd
Florida school bans Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem after parental complaint
Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing | 05/23/2023
...According to documents released by the Florida Freedom to Read Project and first reported by The Miami Herald, the book was removed from circulation from the K-8 Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes after one parent complained in March that it “is not educational and have indirectly sic hate messages.” The same parent complained about four other books: The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids, Countries in the News: Cuba, and Love to Langston, citing “indoctrination” and “CRT.” The complaint also misidentified Oprah Winfrey as the author of The Hill We Climb...
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/23/florida-school-inaugural-poem-ban-00098...
Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing | 05/23/2023
...According to documents released by the Florida Freedom to Read Project and first reported by The Miami Herald, the book was removed from circulation from the K-8 Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes after one parent complained in March that it “is not educational and have indirectly sic hate messages.” The same parent complained about four other books: The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids, Countries in the News: Cuba, and Love to Langston, citing “indoctrination” and “CRT.” The complaint also misidentified Oprah Winfrey as the author of The Hill We Climb...
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/23/florida-school-inaugural-poem-ban-00098...
38John5918
>37 margd:
Just a question for clarification. Does a book get banned when only one single parent makes a complaint? If that's the case, then it means any single person effectively has a veto on what every other parents' children can read. That doesn't sound very democratic, nor compatible with the freedom of the individual, nor with freedom of speech, all of which are supposedly "American values".
Just a question for clarification. Does a book get banned when only one single parent makes a complaint? If that's the case, then it means any single person effectively has a veto on what every other parents' children can read. That doesn't sound very democratic, nor compatible with the freedom of the individual, nor with freedom of speech, all of which are supposedly "American values".
39margd
That's my understanding: one complaint gets a book pulled...
So much ugly stuff coming out of FL these days that I was pleased to learn that a new reading program (phonics, targeted early help) has them scoring well in national evaluations: "Florida's eighth grade reading proficiency standards are the second highest in the nation, and only 12 states have higher proficiency standards in fourth grade."
https://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/latest-news/204753-florida-reading-proficiency-st...
So much ugly stuff coming out of FL these days that I was pleased to learn that a new reading program (phonics, targeted early help) has them scoring well in national evaluations: "Florida's eighth grade reading proficiency standards are the second highest in the nation, and only 12 states have higher proficiency standards in fourth grade."
https://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/latest-news/204753-florida-reading-proficiency-st...
40margd
The Republican plan to take over school boards may be backfiring
New election results suggest voters are mixed at best on the GOP’s educational culture wars.
Nicole Narea@nicolenarea | May 17, 2023
...Nationally, parents have become increasingly worried about the GOP’s book-banning push and have cooled somewhat on the curriculum concerns that dominate Republicans’ education platform. An April Fox News poll found that 77 percent of parents are extremely or very concerned about local school board book bans, an 11-point increase since May 2022. Though 73 percent of those polled remained anxious about what is taught in public schools, that’s 7 points lower than last year. Other polls conducted in recent months show similar results. Actual election results also cast doubt on Republicans’ (national push to politicize once-sleepy school board races, using them as a vehicle to curb discussion of race and gender issues in the classroom and give parents more power over curriculums)...
https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/17/23727262/republican-book-bans-school-boar...
New election results suggest voters are mixed at best on the GOP’s educational culture wars.
Nicole Narea@nicolenarea | May 17, 2023
...Nationally, parents have become increasingly worried about the GOP’s book-banning push and have cooled somewhat on the curriculum concerns that dominate Republicans’ education platform. An April Fox News poll found that 77 percent of parents are extremely or very concerned about local school board book bans, an 11-point increase since May 2022. Though 73 percent of those polled remained anxious about what is taught in public schools, that’s 7 points lower than last year. Other polls conducted in recent months show similar results. Actual election results also cast doubt on Republicans’ (national push to politicize once-sleepy school board races, using them as a vehicle to curb discussion of race and gender issues in the classroom and give parents more power over curriculums)...
https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/17/23727262/republican-book-bans-school-boar...
41aspirit
>38 John5918: yes, that's in one of Florida's recent "parental rights" laws that's been reducing book access to millions of students regardless of whether or not other parents (including teenaged students with their children!) agree with the complaints.
>39 margd: Florida has a reputation for fake test scores. I've personally seen a graduating high school class that was mostly illiterate rank highly. I think it's been a common practice in Florida schools as old as Jeb Bush's legislation binding funding to test scores.
Also, remember that the current state government is known for (as in, its repeatedly been caught) lying about its statistics.
>39 margd: Florida has a reputation for fake test scores. I've personally seen a graduating high school class that was mostly illiterate rank highly. I think it's been a common practice in Florida schools as old as Jeb Bush's legislation binding funding to test scores.
Also, remember that the current state government is known for (as in, its repeatedly been caught) lying about its statistics.
42margd
>41 aspirit: Hope FL isn't fudging its test scores--my 2YO g'son just moved there...
AP says that, by following FL model, "Mississippi went from being ranked the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022. Louisiana and Alabama, meanwhile, were among only three states to see modest gains in fourth-grade reading during the pandemic, which saw massive learning setbacks in most other states."
https://apnews.com/article/reading-scores-phonics-mississippi-alabama-louisiana-...
I'm not saying states don't fudge data to some extent--just hoping not in this case!
(Looking at FL school evaluations, his parents are threatening to home-school g'son... I've only seen it done well a few times.)
AP says that, by following FL model, "Mississippi went from being ranked the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022. Louisiana and Alabama, meanwhile, were among only three states to see modest gains in fourth-grade reading during the pandemic, which saw massive learning setbacks in most other states."
https://apnews.com/article/reading-scores-phonics-mississippi-alabama-louisiana-...
I'm not saying states don't fudge data to some extent--just hoping not in this case!
(Looking at FL school evaluations, his parents are threatening to home-school g'son... I've only seen it done well a few times.)
43alco261
>37 margd: and >41 aspirit: I don't know the method used for score reporting but if it is the state that ultimately reports the result or has any control over the results before they are sent then it is very easy to cook the books - just don't report the poor scores.
44aspirit
>43 alco261: erasing wrong answers and filling in the correct ones appears to be the usual practice.
>42 margd: my opinion as a homeschooling parent who has tried public schooling is that home studies are a much better option than sending a child into a dangerous environment where they will be actively discouraged from learning about literature, history, politics, and science.
A loving but untrained teacher who provides as many decent resources in as a healthy settings as possible tends to be much more effective at providing an education than actively hostile professionals are. (This is especially true after the caring, well-trained educators have been pushed out of the school).
Note: This message has changed considerably to not take the topic off-track. Then again to correct a typo.
>42 margd: my opinion as a homeschooling parent who has tried public schooling is that home studies are a much better option than sending a child into a dangerous environment where they will be actively discouraged from learning about literature, history, politics, and science.
A loving but untrained teacher who provides as many decent resources in as a healthy settings as possible tends to be much more effective at providing an education than actively hostile professionals are. (This is especially true after the caring, well-trained educators have been pushed out of the school).
Note: This message has changed considerably to not take the topic off-track. Then again to correct a typo.
45margd
>37 margd: contd.
The Florida mom who sought to ban Amanda Gorman’s poem says she’s sorry for promoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion
Andrew Lapin | May 24, 2023
Months before a Miami-area mother {Daily Salinas} persuaded a local school to restrict access to an Amanda Gorman poem, she was posting antisemitic memes on her Facebook page...
https://www.jta.org/2023/05/24/united-states/the-florida-mom-who-got-amanda-gorm...
__________________________________________________
Florida Mom Behind Amanda Gorman Book Ban Has Proud Boy Links
BECAUSE OF COURSE
Decca Muldowney & Kelly Weill | May. 25, 2023
Daily Salinas attended multiple rallies with members of the far-right group {Proud Boys} prior to her activism against school library books...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-mom-behind-amanda-gorman-book-ban-has-prou...
The Florida mom who sought to ban Amanda Gorman’s poem says she’s sorry for promoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion
Andrew Lapin | May 24, 2023
Months before a Miami-area mother {Daily Salinas} persuaded a local school to restrict access to an Amanda Gorman poem, she was posting antisemitic memes on her Facebook page...
https://www.jta.org/2023/05/24/united-states/the-florida-mom-who-got-amanda-gorm...
__________________________________________________
Florida Mom Behind Amanda Gorman Book Ban Has Proud Boy Links
BECAUSE OF COURSE
Decca Muldowney & Kelly Weill | May. 25, 2023
Daily Salinas attended multiple rallies with members of the far-right group {Proud Boys} prior to her activism against school library books...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-mom-behind-amanda-gorman-book-ban-has-prou...
46alco261
>44 aspirit: That would be a god awful amount of erasing. Given that this is the approach then it would be child's play to spot the cooking - just run simple histograms of the data - the kind of cooking you describe will result in a truncated distribution - a sure sign of cherry picking/sample selection/book cooking.
47aspirit
>46 alco261: yes, and it's unpaid labor that people are pressured to do to keep their jobs. You can read descriptions of this process in news reports from the past twelve years—including quotes from teachers who were publicly caught this school year (might be paywalled without library access).
...it would be...
Have you seen what the State of Florida does to employees who are responsible for data management?
Higher test scores benefits the state's reputation in a way that makes it easier for its governor to promote himself. (Reminder: He announced his campaign for presidency yesterday.) That appears to matter more overall than whether or not the students know the test material.
...it would be...
Have you seen what the State of Florida does to employees who are responsible for data management?
Higher test scores benefits the state's reputation in a way that makes it easier for its governor to promote himself. (Reminder: He announced his campaign for presidency yesterday.) That appears to matter more overall than whether or not the students know the test material.
48aspirit
Washington Post published an article a couple days ago about "The Book Culture Wars".
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/23/lgbtq-book-ban-challengers/
For readers who don't recognize the name: Moms For Liberty is a GOP-funded group that started in Florida, where the "Don't Say Say" Governor DeSantis has repeatedly offered his support officially.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/23/lgbtq-book-ban-challengers/
In some cases, {a small number of} serial filers relied on a network of volunteers gathered together under the aegis of conservative parents’ groups such as Moms for Liberty.
The surge in anti-LGBTQ book challenges comes as Republican-dominated state legislatures are proposing and passing a record-breaking wave of laws and policies that restrict LGBTQ civil liberties, especially in the K-12 setting. At the same time, at least a half-dozen states have enacted laws giving parents more power over which books appear in libraries or circumscribing students’ access to books. And seven states have adopted laws that threaten school librarians with years of imprisonment and tens of thousands of dollars in fines for giving children “obscene” or “harmful” books.
For readers who don't recognize the name: Moms For Liberty is a GOP-funded group that started in Florida, where the "Don't Say Say" Governor DeSantis has repeatedly offered his support officially.
49John5918
Utah primary schools ban Bible for 'vulgarity and violence' (BBC)
Well, it can't be denied that there's a fair bit of sex and a lot more violence in the bible! When I was in the sixth form in a good Catholic grammar (high) school more than fifty years ago I recall one of our teachers telling us that when he was doing his compulsory military service as a young man, all the other squaddies were reading salacious magazines. As a good Catholic boy he eschewed such temptations, but found plenty of sexy bits in the bible to amuse himself!
A school district in the US state of Utah has removed the Bible from elementary and middle schools for containing "vulgarity and violence". The move follows a complaint from a parent that the King James Bible has material unsuitable for children. Utah's Republican government passed a law in 2022 banning "pornographic or indecent" books from schools. Most of the books that have been banned so far pertain to topics such as sexual orientation and identity. The banning of the Bible comes amid a larger effort by US conservatives in states to ban teachings on controversial topics such as LGBT rights and racial identity... According to the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper, the parent who complained said the King James Bible "has 'no serious values for minors' because it's pornographic by our new definition", referring to the 2022 book-ban law...
Well, it can't be denied that there's a fair bit of sex and a lot more violence in the bible! When I was in the sixth form in a good Catholic grammar (high) school more than fifty years ago I recall one of our teachers telling us that when he was doing his compulsory military service as a young man, all the other squaddies were reading salacious magazines. As a good Catholic boy he eschewed such temptations, but found plenty of sexy bits in the bible to amuse himself!
50lriley
>49 John5918: It was a matter of time. Right Wing crusaders look at book banning as a tool to get at their perceived enemies but they don't get that it's also a potential tool that can be used against them or their friends. The ultimate endgame is to ban all books---to ban the reading of anything altogether. Probably some conservatives would be okay with that endgame scenario though mostly they want to impose their beliefs including their religious beliefs on others. They would give the country some mix of the Bible and the atheist Ayn Rand etc.
51John5918
Utah school district that banned Bible considers removing Book of Mormon (Guardian)
A school district in Utah that last week banned the Bible from school libraries is now being asked to consider a further title for removal: the Book of Mormon...
52lriley
>51 John5918: Utah is a very conservative state but it's different from other conservative states. It's given the United States Mitt Romney (former governor of Massachusetts--a state clear across the country) as one of its two Senators--a nemesis of the MAGA crowd. And though the other Senator Mike Lee is firmly in the MAGA camp an independent conservative like Evan McMullin had Lee shitting himself with worry over his reelection last time around and McMullin won about 43% of the vote. McMullin by the way saying he wouldn't caucus with either major party. Not to say that Romney or McMullin are people I'd consider voting for but they don't fall into the typical blindly loyal that 98% of elected republicans these days.....and a very large % of Utah voters feel fine with that.
53John5918
The right wing is promoting a false narrative that freedom of thought and speech are being undermined by a left wing "woke" agenda, a "cancel culture". In fact it is the right wing, what we used to refer to as "the establishment", which has a long history of stifling thought and speech which don't fit into its established agenda. Book banning is just one example of this. The first article from the Guardian, below, is an example of "cancel culture" perpetrated by a right wing government against a respected civil society organisation, despite the right wing pledge to respect freedom of speech. However the second article gives a bit of positive news, that 86% of university students in England feel "free or very free to express their 'ideas, opinions, and beliefs'”, with only 3% feeling constrained.
Cancelling Greenpeace contradicts Tory free-speech pledge but suits anti-Labour campaign
Almost nine in 10 students in England feel free to express their views – survey
Cancelling Greenpeace contradicts Tory free-speech pledge but suits anti-Labour campaign
Cutting ties with green charity is part of culture war campaign to associate Labour with ‘lefty lawyers’ and ‘eco mobs’... The government ordered an immediate ceasing of ties with the group, which engages with departments on a range of policy issues... anyone with a cursory glance at Greenpeace’s history would know the organisation’s commitment to non-violent peacefulness during its direct action protests. Its policy experts are regularly consulted by Whitehall officials and they are regarded as an integral part of the non-governmental organisation ecosystem campaigning for global progress on the climate emergency. However, casting Greenpeace activists as extremists appears to suit the Conservative’s aims of trying to paint Labour as being allied to “woke” organisations. A culture war campaign is under way to associate Keir Starmer with “lefty lawyers” who support asylum seekers in their efforts to come to the UK, as well as “a criminal eco mob” of Just Stop Oil protesters because one of the group’s donors has also given money to the Labour party. The refusal to deal with Greenpeace is part of this drive...
Almost nine in 10 students in England feel free to express their views – survey
Nearly nine in 10 students in England feel free to express their opinions and beliefs, according to a government-backed survey that contrasts with claims of widespread “cancel culture” on campuses. A new question added to the Office for Students (OfS) national student survey found that 86% said they were free or very free to express their “ideas, opinions, and beliefs” during their studies. Only 3% of the more than 300,000 final-year students who responded said they were “not free at all” to express their views.... The results run counter to the narrative promoted by some MPs and commentators that campuses have become hotbeds of censure, with academics and students afraid to voice dissenting opinions on issues such as race and gender.
54aspirit
An article that could be helpful to people just now hearing about what's happening in the USA: "Everything You Need to Know About the Right-Wing War on Books" by New Republic.
"Here’s your guide to the heroes and villains—plus a list of the 50 most banned books."
https://newrepublic.com/article/175372/banned-books-republican-right-wing-war
Also, to add to the "Reading Rebels" list: Becky Calzada and Carolyn Foote, founders of the anti-censorship librarian support group FReadom (based in Texas).
https://people.com/books/meet-the-freadom-fighters-taking-on-book-bans-and-onlin...
"Here’s your guide to the heroes and villains—plus a list of the 50 most banned books."
https://newrepublic.com/article/175372/banned-books-republican-right-wing-war
Also, to add to the "Reading Rebels" list: Becky Calzada and Carolyn Foote, founders of the anti-censorship librarian support group FReadom (based in Texas).
https://people.com/books/meet-the-freadom-fighters-taking-on-book-bans-and-onlin...
