Nearly 12,000 books were banned in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, according to PEN America, the highest number since the organization began tracking bans in 2021. That was sadly not the only book banning record broken, however.
This week marks Banned Books Week, which seems a good time to recap some things we all can do to fight book banning and censorship as they continue to run rampant. Here are my tips and resources.
Today starts Banned Books Week, and a new report from PEN America is blunt about the current wave of book bans in the United States: “Never before has access to so many stories been stolen from so many children.”
Nonprofit Pride and Less Prejudice has donated over 16,000 LGBTQ-inclusive picture books to elementary classrooms since 2019—and if their 2024 virtual auction meets its goal, they will be able to send 1,600 more. The auction runs today through Sunday (September 26 to 29), so check out some of the amazing celebrity items you can bid on!
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.
This week marks Banned Books Week, the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) annual event highlighting the value of the freedom to read and drawing attention to the harms of censorship. With record numbers of bans across the country, the need for such awareness is greater than ever. But I’m also here to remind us: It’s about more than just the books.
Non-profit Pride and Less Prejudice, which has donated over 10,000 LGBTQ-inclusive picture books to elementary school classrooms since 2019, is holding a virtual auction through this weekend so they can send 1,200 more. Check out some of the amazing offerings!
Non-profit Pride and Less Prejudice, which has donated over 7,500 LGBTQ-inclusive picture books to elementary school classrooms in the U.S. and Canada since its founding in 2019, is holding a virtual auction through this weekend so they can send 800 more. Check out some of the amazing offerings!
This week marks Banned Books Week, the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) annual celebration of the freedom to read—but this year feels more like a call to action than a celebration. Book bans and other attempts at censorship, largely targeting the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities, are raging across the country. Here’s what’s happening, how others are fighting back, and how you can help.
It’s Banned Books Week, during a year that has seen record numbers of bans and challenges. Let’s kick things off by looking at some of the picture books that have been targeted recently for being LGBTQ inclusive.
