"In part due to the targeting of sexual content, the stark increase includes books featuring romance, books about women's sexual experiences, and books about rape or sexual abuse as well as continued attacks on books with LGBTQ+ characters or themes, or books about race or racism and featuring characters of color," says a PEN America press release.
"Iowa's law prohibits books with any depiction of a sex act, and this has been interpreted to ban books with any content related to sex or gender, and the law also contains 'don't say gay' language that has been used to ban LGBTQ+ content. The statute went into effect in July 2023, leading to thousands of titles being banned in the 2023-2024 school year, up from just 14 in the previous two academic years combined."
"Florida's law, which became effective at the same time, states that any book that is challenged has to be removed while it's under review, and this 'has been linked to a significant rise in book bans during the 2023-2024 school year,' PEN America reports.
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