{"id":36768,"date":"2023-06-16T10:45:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T17:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rop.org\/?post_type=update&p=36768"},"modified":"2023-12-10T05:58:32","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T13:58:32","slug":"11-people-responsible-for-majority-of-us-book-challenges","status":"publish","type":"update","link":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/update\/11-people-responsible-for-majority-of-us-book-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"11 ng\u01b0\u1eddi ch\u1ecbu tr\u00e1ch nhi\u1ec7m cho ph\u1ea7n l\u1edbn c\u00e1c th\u00e1ch th\u1ee9c v\u1ec1 s\u00e1ch c\u1ee7a Hoa K\u1ef3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you have a loud but small group of people fear-mongering about queer and trans people at school board meetings? On a community Facebook group? Or at the library in your town? We\u2019ve been hearing stories from across the state (some of which we\u2019re excited to share over ROPnet soon!) about how everyday folks are organizing against these groups and making sure that there\u2019s a vocal majority speaking out in defense of human dignity for everyone in their communities. We read this article about how<\/strong> just 11 people have brought forward the majority of book challenges in the country<\/strong><\/a> and wanted to share it with you all. They might be loud and dedicated, but we have strength in numbers, and together we can overcome this wave of anti-democratic attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for the full article!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An analysis of book challenges from across the nation shows the majority were filed by just 11 people.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Hannah Natanson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Books about LGBTQ people are fast becoming the main target of a historic wave of school book challenges \u2014 and a large percentage of the complaints come from a minuscule number of hyperactive adults, a first-of-its-kind Washington Post analysis found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A stated wish to shield children from sexual content is the main factor animating attempts to remove LGBTQ books, The Post found. The second-most common reason cited for pulling LGBTQ texts was an explicit desire to prevent children from reading about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary and queer lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Post requested copies of all book challenges filed in the 2021-2022 school year with the 153 school districts that Tasslyn Magnusson, a researcher employed<\/a> by free expression advocacy group PEN America, tracked<\/a> as receiving formal requests to remove books last school year. In total, officials in more than 100 of those school systems, which are spread across 37 states, provided 1,065 complaints totaling 2,506 pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Post analyzed the complaints to determine who was challenging the books, what kinds of books drew objections and why. Nearly half of filings \u2014 43 percent \u2014 targeted titles with LGBTQ characters or themes, while 36 percent targeted titles featuring characters of color or dealing with issues of race and racism. The top reason people challenged books was \u201csexual\u201d content; 61 percent of challenges referenced this concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of 986 total challenges in school libraries, 598 listed \u201csexual\u201d content as a reason. The seventh most common reason was that the book featured LGBTQ people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In nearly 20 percent of the challenges, petitioners wrote that they wanted texts pulled from shelves because the titles depict lesbian, gay, queer, bisexual, homosexual, transgender or nonbinary lives. Many challengers wrote that reading books about LGBTQ people could cause children to alter their sexuality or gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe theme or purpose of this book is to confuse our children and get them to question whether they are a boy or a girl,\u201d a North Carolina challenger wrote of \u201cCall Me Max<\/a>,\u201d which centers on a transgender boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Texas challenger wrote that \u201cKing and the Dragonflies<\/a>,\u201d which tells the story of a Black 12-year-old in Louisiana grappling with his attraction to men, will give \u201cideas to children [on how to] discover that they are gay [and] how to persuade others they may be gay as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in Georgia, a challenger wrote of \u201cThe Poet X<\/a>,\u201d which features a same-sex couple: \u201cBooks like this is where teens get the idea it\u2019s ok!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

986 total challenges were filed against 386 different books, with some books receiving multiple complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small number of people were responsible for most of the book challenges, The Post found. Individuals who filed 10 or more complaints were responsible for two-thirds of all challenges. In some cases, these serial filers relied on a network of volunteers gathered together under the aegis of conservative parents\u2019 groups such as Moms for Liberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surge in anti-LGBTQ book challenges comes as Republican-dominated state legislatures are proposing and passing a record-breaking wave of laws and policies<\/a> that restrict LGBTQ civil liberties, especially in the K-12 setting. At the same time, at least a half-dozen states have enacted laws giving parents more power<\/a> over which books appear in libraries or circumscribing students\u2019 access<\/a> to books. And seven states have adopted laws<\/a> that threaten school librarians with years of imprisonment and tens of thousands of dollars in fines for giving children \u201cobscene\u201d or \u201charmful\u201d books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unknown how many of these requests resulted in the books\u2019 temporary or permanent removal from school, although a previous Post analysis<\/a> suggests the majority of challenged books remain on the shelves. Nonetheless, library and free speech advocates warn that the rise in book challenges, especially those targeting LGBTQ texts, will imperil teachers\u2019 ability to do their jobs, undermine the mental health of LGBTQ students and rob children of exposure to lives different from their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese censorship attacks on books have real-life human impacts that are going to resonate for generations,\u201d said John Chrastka, cofounder and executive director of library advocacy group EveryLibrary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in interviews, book challengers say they are fighting for children\u2019s innocence, sanity and well-being \u2014 and, some believe, for their souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cindy Martin, a mother of four in Georgia\u2019s Forsyth County schools, challenged three books last school year. In one complaint, lodged against \u201cCheck Please! Book 1: #Hockey<\/a>,\u201d a graphic novel about a college hockey team whose protagonist comes out as gay, she demanded that school officials \u201cremove all copies and burn it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin said in an interview that she stands by her call to burn \u201cCheck Please!\u201d which she criticized for \u201cusing the f-word, and it\u2019s in the sexual sense.\u201d She said titles available in school libraries promote casual sex and degrade women. She predicted letting children read those books will lead to pregnancy, abortion<\/a>, sexual harassment, rape and sexually transmitted diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has no place in the school system. It really has no place in society,\u201d she said. \u201cI am a believer in Jesus Christ, and I feel he has put this passion in me to protect children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LGBTQ books draw unprecedented attacks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Opposition to LGBTQ books is not a new phenomenon in America. But the current wave is likely unprecedented in scope and scale, according to a Post analysis of data provided by the American Library Association, which has tracked book challenges by calendar year for more than two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the 2000s to the early 2010s, LGBTQ books were the targets of between less than 1 and 3 percent of book challenges filed in schools, according to ALA data. That number rose to 16 percent by 2018, 20 percent in 2020 and 45.5 percent in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges targeting LGBTQ books drastically spiked in the past two years<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The American Library Association has tracked school book challenges since 2003. At The Washington Post\u2019s request, the ALA analyzed i\/Tts data to assess how many books were challenged for LGBTQ content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Pippin, a mother and book challenger in Florida\u2019s Indian River County and a founding chairman of Moms for Liberty, attributed the concern over LGBTQ books not to homophobia but to the texts\u2019 sexually explicit nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the past 10 to 13 years, the LGBTQ books have gotten very sexually graphic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pippin mentioned the frequently challenged \u201cGender Queer<\/a>,\u201d a memoir about being nonbinary, which depicts oral sex and masturbation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf that book was made without the strap-on dildo,\u201d Pippin said, \u201cthat book wouldn\u2019t be challenged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Post\u2019s analysis of school book challenges partly supports Pippin\u2019s argument: In 62 percent of objections to LGBTQ titles, challengers complained of \u201csexual\u201d content. But many challengers were also uncomfortable with LGBTQ books for other reasons. In 37 percent of objections against LGBTQ titles, challengers wrote they believed the books should not remain in libraries specifically because they feature LGBTQ lives or stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cries to remove books from classrooms and library shelves is nothing new. Some of what has shifted are the storylines, characters and authors being silenced. (Video: Allie Caren\/The Washington Post, Photo: Illustration: Brian Monroe\/The Washington Post)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book challengers\u2019 attitudes in some respects track with the views of American adults, who widely favor<\/a> limits on some classroom conversations about gender identity, a Post-KFF poll found. Roughly 70 percent of adults believe it is inappropriate for teachers to discuss trans identity in kindergarten through fifth grade, the poll found, while slightly more than 50 percent believe it is also inappropriate in sixth through eighth grade. Meanwhile, a third of trans adults said in the Post-KFF poll<\/a> that they began to understand their gender<\/a> identity when they were 10 or younger, and another third realized it between the ages of 11 and 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The developments across the nation contain a message, said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and chief executive of LGBTQ rights group GLAAD: \u201cBeing gay or transgender is somehow something to avoid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One woman who challenged two LGBTQ books in Georgia\u2019s Cherokee County School District \u2014 and who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job \u2014 said she did not object to the texts because she believes homosexuality \u201cis a bad thing.\u201d But, she said, it is dangerous to allow students unfettered access to such titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just put it out there as if it\u2019s okay for everybody,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause if people think it\u2019s okay, then what are they going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Georgia woman\u2019s fears were repeated across dozens of complaints. Eight percent of the challenges lodged against LGBTQ books said they would \u201cgroom\u201d children, priming them to adopt an LGBTQ identity and\/or to become sexually deviant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is little research into the effects of LGBTQ literature on children, said Amy Egbert, a University of Connecticut assistant professor who studies youth mental health, partly because books about LGBTQ people have only recently become widely available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u201cwe do have a lot of data about other topics that doesn\u2019t lead us to think that reading a book would make a child suddenly become gay,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egbert pointed to a 2014 study<\/a> that found discussing suicide with adults and adolescents did not increase suicidal ideation (several<\/a> studies<\/a> have<\/a> since concluded that asking screening questions about suicide is one of the best ways to protect against death by suicide<\/a>). Egbert also referenced a 1996 study of lesbian families<\/a>, in which children grew up constantly exposed to same-sex marriages, that found a large majority of the children nonetheless identified as heterosexual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, she said, there is a clear risk to removing LGBTQ books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny time a certain identity is stigmatized, that tends to lead to more discrimination, more bullying, increased mental health challenges,\u201d Egbert said. \u201cEverything we know suggests this is very harmful to LGBTQ kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of serial book challengers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The majority of the 1,000-plus book challenges analyzed by The Post were filed by just 11 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these people brought 10 or more challenges against books in their school district; one man filed 92 challenges. Together, these serial filers constituted 6 percent of all book challengers \u2014 but were responsible for 60 percent of all filings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small number of people file a disproportionate number of book challenges<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

60% of challenges came from individuals who challenged at least 10 books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of them, Michelle Teague in North Carolina\u2019s Catawba County schools, submitted 24 challenges against books in her district\u2019s library last year, targeting titles from Vladimir Nabokov\u2019s \u201cLolita<\/a>\u201d to Khaled Hosseini\u2019s \u201cThe Kite Runner<\/a>\u201d to Toni Morrison\u2019s \u201cThe Bluest Eye<\/a>.\u201d She found the books through research online, she said, then checked them out from her public library and read each one cover to cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did spend some time doing it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teague, 55, had a granddaughter in the district at the time. She said she didn\u2019t mind pouring hours into inspecting and challenging books because she is determined to prevent children from reading about adult subjects such as rape, sex and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other school districts, serial book challengers had assistance from a well-organized group of volunteers \u2014 such as Pippin, the Moms for Liberty chairman in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pippin recalls seeing excerpts posted on Facebook in 2021 from \u201cAll Boys Aren\u2019t Blue<\/a>,\u201d a memoir about growing up queer and Black, featuring what she called a \u201cgraphic anal rape\u201d scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She immediately emailed the superintendent and the full school board asking how to check whether Indian River County schools had the book in its libraries. A board member provided the link to an online catalog, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd we did have it in one of our high schools here,\u201d Pippin said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what got us started looking into the library.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within weeks, her shock and outrage had spread to a group of 20 mothers, fathers and grandparents, the inaugural members of a Moms for Liberty book-challenge subcommittee. These volunteers began spending five to 10 hours per week hunting for problematic books in the school\u2019s library catalog, typing in keywords such as \u201cincest,\u201d \u201crape\u201d and \u201cpedophilia.\u201d They also identified targets by looking up troublesome books on Amazon.com and seeing what other, similar titles the website\u2019s shopping algorithm suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every member brought his or her findings to Pippin \u2014 and every challenge went out under Pippin\u2019s name. This strategy, she said, protects other members from public exposure, professional retaliation and harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last school year, Indian River County schools received 68 book challenges bearing Pippin\u2019s name. So far this school year, the tally is up to 251 pending challenges, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pippin does read books and file some challenges personally, she said, snatching time while her children are doing their homework. \u201cWhile they\u2019re reading books for school, I\u2019ll pop open a book for school,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Moms for Liberty chapters are taking notice of Pippin\u2019s system for churning out challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a lot of districts across the country where they are just having one or two people file,\u201d she said, \u201cbut there are many, many people doing the legwork.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challengers argue books are illegal<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Post found that a significant portion of book challengers are turning to state laws as they argue for removing texts from school libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sixteen percent of all objections claimed that school books violated either state obscenity laws or legislation passed in the past three years restricting education on race, racism, sexuality and gender identity. Calling books \u201cillegal\u201d was the ninth-most common reason employed by book challengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tactic was especially popular in Florida and Texas: Of the 153 complaints contending books were illegal, 56 percent were brought in Florida and 18 percent in Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Florida passed<\/a> a law<\/a> mandating that school books be age-appropriate, free from pornography and \u201csuited to student needs.\u201d In late 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) directed<\/a> state agencies to develop statewide standards to \u201cprevent the presence of pornography and other obscene content\u201d in schools \u2014 leading the Texas Education Agency to issue guidelines<\/a> giving parents more power<\/a> over book selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, Florida and Texas also saw far more book challenges than most other states included in The Post\u2019s analysis. Texas school districts received 32 percent of all challenges in the database, and Florida\u2019s drew 17 percent. The next closest state was Missouri with 11 percent, followed by Pennsylvania with 5 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Post also analyzed the identities of people challenging books, as well as how they became aware of the titles. The data is limited because not every book challenge form asked about these issues, and sometimes challengers neglected to answer if asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 499 challengers who gave an identification, 21 percent said they were parents, 15 percent said they were filing on behalf of a group of concerned parents and\/or residents and 14 percent said they were filing on behalf of a Moms for Liberty chapter. Just eight challenges were brought by self-identified school staffers, and two by self-identified students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 198 challengers who specified where they heard about the book they were targeting, 51 percent reported learning of the title through news reports. Thirty percent said they learned of the title from other parents. Eleven percent said their school district provided the book in the classroom or as suggested reading, and 8 percent reported that their child brought the book home of their own volition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graphics by Shelly Tan. Story editing by Adam B. Kushner. Copy editing by Phil Lueck. Design by Lucy Naland. Graphics editing by Reuben Fischer-Baum.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you have a loud but small group of people fear-mongering about queer and trans people at school board meetings? On a community Facebook group? Or at the library in your town? We\u2019ve been hearing stories from across the state (some of which we\u2019re excited to share over ROPnet soon!) about how everyday folks are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":36769,"template":"","areaofwork":[41,40,42],"class_list":["post-36768","update","type-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","areaofwork-advancing-democracy-for-all","areaofwork-defending-human-dignity","areaofwork-lgbtq-justice"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update\/36768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/update"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update\/36768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40342,"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update\/36768\/revisions\/40342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"areaofwork","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rop.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/areaofwork?post=36768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}