CULTURE CLASH (LGBTQIA+)
Banning Books BY AMY CATON THIS IS THE FINAL WARNING TO ALL FREE THINKERS BEFORE ANTI-FREEDOM MINDED POLITICIANS OVERREACH INTO EDUCATION AND CENSURE LIBRARIANS AND EDUCATORS FOR CREATING A DISTURBANCE, INSUBORDINATION, VIOLATION OF POLICIES AND FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS BY OFFERING FREE BOOKS! Which books sparked the ire of school boards and politicians? Why only literature helping youth cope with LGBTQIAP, race, or sexuality topics. Given our society today, youth are in dire need of learning spaces and communities that allow them to safely explore diverse perspectives without being attacked through hateful misinformation at school and on social media. The impact of these bans is intentional in sending a message that trans and queer librarians, teachers, and students are not welcome in school or in the community.
Second, Rep. Matt Krause is subjectively investigating and REMOVING 850 BOOKS in K-12 schools that might “make students feel discomfort” and demanded that Texas school districts investigate whether the books were in their libraries. The majority of the titles dealt with LGBTQIAP themes, and some were targeted for merely including LGBTQIAP characters, according to an analysis by BookRiot.
Libraries are in a political battle in Texas as Republicans strive to control access to information by reducing and removing literature dealing with racism or sexuality. Three officials specifically are censuring our right to read and teach and acting as gatekeepers against books and curriculum about sexual orientation and racial identity. First, Gov. Greg Abbott for calling for criminal charges against school staff members for offering books he deems “pornographic” a term that some politicians and district leaders have interpreted as a catchall for books on sexuality and sexual orientation.
WHAT BOOKS ARE THEY REMOVING? SCAN TO SEE THE LIST! 8
C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 2
