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.
Melinda Beatty’s delightful new picture book, What Is a Pirate? isn’t even out until next week, but the elementary school she herself attended has already rescinded an invitation for an author visit because of concerns that some people might take offense to the story’s gender-nonconforming protagonist.
An LGBTQ student and a child of LGBTQ parents, with their parents and the ACLU of Minnesota, have filed a lawsuit against a Minnesota school district that banned rainbow “safe space” stickers as well as rainbow posters, flags, and buttons.
Several recent attempts to shame and deny LGBTQ families and young people reveal a web of hypocrisy and long-standing lies. Where can we find hope?
A federal bill that would ban books, activities, and programs that mention transgender people—and potentially all LGBTQ people—from K-12 public schools nationwide has moved ahead in the House and been introduced in the Senate, while two other school censorship bills have also advanced in the House in recent weeks.
The U.S. House is set to vote today on a bill that would require schools to censor any mention of trans and nonbinary identities, and to out trans and nonbinary students to parents. And the FCC is considering warning labels for “transgender and gender non-binary programming” on TV. Take action now against these moves.
Books with LGBTQIA+ and/or BIPOC representation were again among those most targeted for censorship last year, as book challenges stay near record levels, according to the American Library Association’s latest data. And 92% of all titles challenged were targeted by pressure groups and government officials rather than individuals.
As a queer mom who started my family via assisted reproduction in a doctor’s office, I’m tired of my son being exposed at school to stories of heterosexual families, most of whom were created via sexual intercourse.
House Republicans have introduced a bill that would ban books, activities, and programs that mention trans people—and potentially all LGBTQ people—from K-12 public schools nationwide.
