censorship

LGBTQ handprints

Reclaiming the Narrative: Think of the Children

Like many in the LGBTQ community, I am still grieving over those murdered at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month. I am also thinking about how much anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has created a climate in which such violence can germinate, and how much a purported concern over children’s well-being has played into that rhetoric. We need to reclaim the narrative of what it means to think of the children.

Renewing the Fight Against Book Banning

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.

“Unsuitable” Warnings on Books Are Really About Erasing Identities

A Florida school district has put labels on over 100 books warning that some people feel they are “unsuitable for students.” They include a book that depicts same-sex parents caring for their babies, picture books about transgender and gender creative children, and the real-life story of a same-sex penguin pair. What’s next? Warning labels on LGBTQ students and those with LGBTQ parents?

LGBTQ Children's Books

The New Yorker Looks at the Past, Present, and Future of LGBTQ Children’s Books

“What Should a Queer Children’s Book Do?” asks Jessica Winter today in the New Yorker. It’s a good question, which she carefully explores through the history of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books and the ongoing attacks on them. The piece echoes much of what I’ve said about the genre over the years. Here are a few additional thoughts and further readings, if the topic intrigues you.

Lil Miss Hot Mess Is “Reimagining the World” Through Drag

Drag queen storytimes are under attack from politicians and white supremacists. Drag queen and children’s book author Lil Miss Hot Mess has been a target, but also a leading voice opposing this onslaught. She thinks kids and drag have a natural rapport.

Books with rainbow flag

Library Reverses Decision to Ban Pride Displays in Children’s Sections

Never underestimate the power of protest. After public outrage and an imminent investigation by the state Division of Human Rights, a Long Island library board reversed its decision to remove Pride displays from its children’s sections. Displays will now stay up through at least July 15.

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