All of the children’s books in my Database of LGBTQ Family Books have been effectively banned by sweeping censorship laws in some states. Many titles have also been banned by name. I’m therefore marking Banned Books Week with a look at the scope and impact of book bans—and what we can do to stop them.
The Scope
Earlier this year, the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Office for Intellectual Freedom announced it had documented book challenges in schools and libraries to a record 4,240 unique titles in 2023, compared with 2,571 unique titles in 2022, 1,858 unique titles in 2021, and only 3,637 unique titles in the entire two-decade span between 2001 and 2020. A challenge is a request to restrict or remove library materials.
Seven of the ALA’s annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books were challenged for their LGBTQIA+ content—and Gender Queer, a memoir about growing up nonbinary and asexual, topped the list for the third year in a row.
Half of all reported challenges were of titles recommended for censorship on websites maintained by organized pressure groups, “whose lists of ‘bad books’ disproportionately target those books reflecting the voices and lived experiences of those who are LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, or persons of color.” While not every challenge results in permanent removal or restriction, they often mean a book is unavailable for months while the challenge is investigated.
PEN America, which looks just at books that have been removed or restricted (not just challenged) in schools, has recorded over 10,000 book bans since July 2021. “Overwhelmingly, book banners target stories by and about people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” it notes. Unsurprisingly, Florida and Texas lead the U.S. in the number of bans, but bans have occurred in at least 41 states and 247 public school districts.
The Impact
First and foremost, banning books keeps young readers from stories that reflect their own lives, their families, and the lives of others in their community and their world. Access to these books is not just a nicety; bans can negatively impact student mental health, create gaps in knowledge, hinder critical thinking; and limit the futures young people envision for themselves and their peers.
A recent report from the University of Washington gathered stories from young people participating in the Books Unbanned program, which gives them access to free e-books, no matter where they live (see below). Some of the young people shared:
“I identify as queer. I feel like the bans and culture surrounding LGBT+ stuff is isolating… I really like reading but want to read about people like me finally.” —Age 14, Ohio
“In my school, there’s really limited access to books addressing topics that the administrators deem controversial. I was trying to do research for a project last semester about inequality in the United States due to things like sexuality and gender, and I could find almost nothing in my school library that would help.” —Age 15, Illinois
“My school library has been entirely cleared out and locked in a closet, and the only public libraries nearby are outright removing every piece of LGBT… media [they] possibly can. I just want to read.” —Age 15, Ohio
“If it hadn’t been for the books available to me about different marginalized people’s perspectives in my school libraries growing up, I might have grown up to be a very different person.” —Age 16, California
“I have been using my library card to access digital books that unfortunately are rarely available in my library. These include books with LGBTQ+ and autistic representation, which has been lifechanging to me as an autistic queer kid.” —Age 19, Florida
Additionally, authors of banned books have experienced threats to their safety and lives, as well as cancellation of speaking engagements, which can affect their livelihood (and remove an educational experience from students). Librarians have been fired for standing up to book bans and challenges. And when public schools and libraries have to task staff with reviewing books and responding to bans, that can cost taxpayers tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars per school district, as USA Today has reported.
What We Can Do
If you are fighting book bans or potential bans in your community:
- Report censorship attempts confidentially to the ALA and/or to the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC).
- Visit Unite Against Book Bans, an ALA-led coalition that includes LGBTQ organizations, publishers, and others, for a toolkit of talking points, suggested actions, and more resources.
- Visit EveryLibrary’s Fight for the First site, which has tools to help organize a local group and create a campaign for fighting a book ban.
- Support challenged books by speaking up at town, school board, and library meetings. The ALA and PFLAG have created some helpful tips for testifying at such meetings. PEN America has suggestions, too.
To support the freedom to read:
- Recommend books about LGBTQ and other marginalized people to your local libraries to show there is community support and need for them.
- Borrow or purchase these titles for the young people in your life.
- Review LGBTQ- and BIPOC-inclusive children’s and young adult books on Amazon, Goodreads, and similar sites to counter reviews that claim they are inappropriate simply for having such content. (Be honest about a book’s literary and artistic quality; but always stand up for people’s right to access the title.)
- Run for school and library boards yourself if your time and inclination allow.
- Donate to organizations fighting book bans, if you have the means.
- Write to your elected officials and urge them to stand against censorship. PEN America’s current #DontCensorAmerica campaign allows you to do so easily, but you can also do this on your own.
- Vote, not just this November, but even in purely local elections after that. (Are you registered and ready for November? Visit Pride to the Polls to check your registration and find other voting resources.)
Other resources to know:
- The Books Unbanned initiative invites young people to apply for a free ecard via any participating library (Brooklyn Public Library, Boston Public Library, LA County Library, San Diego Public Library, and Seattle Public Library), allowing them to check out e-books no matter where they live. One can apply to any or all libraries (within their stated age ranges, which vary slightly), since their collections may differ.
- Several organizations and initiatives are offering free LGBTQ books to schools and educators, including Pride and Less Prejudice, Hope in a Box, GLSEN’s Rainbow Library, and Open Books.
- To keep up with all that’s happening with book censorship, I recommend Book Riot’s Literary Activism newsletter (though I’ll keep reporting on highlights, particularly LGBTQ-related ones, here at Mombian, too.)