"Over the last four years, LGBTQ+ people-especially transgender people-have been attacked from every angle: bans on healthcare, restrictions on bathrooms, even attempts to restrict driver's license gender markers. But one of the earliest and most revealing features of this backlash was the push to strip books about queer and trans lives from classrooms and libraries. At first, these bans cloaked themselves in neutrality, prohibiting vague "gender and sexuality" discussions-rules that always seemed to allow depictions of straight marriage while quietly targeting anything queer."
"Alongside pornography and graphic material, a new provision tells libraries what they cannot make available to anyone under 18. It reads (emphasis added): "Under this section, any material that promotes, encourages, or positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders shall be considered inappropriate for children and youth." In other words: positive depictions of transgender people are forbidden, while negative depictions remain perfectly acceptable."
Over recent years, LGBTQ+ people—especially transgender people—faced coordinated attacks including healthcare bans, bathroom restrictions, and limits on gender markers. An early tactic targeted books about queer and trans lives in classrooms and libraries. Initial policies used neutral language banning vague "gender and sexuality" discussions while leaving straight depictions untouched. A new Alabama provision would classify any material that promotes, encourages, or positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or more than two biological genders as inappropriate for anyone under 18, forcing positive portrayals off general shelves and into adult sections. Anti-LGBTQ+ groups advocated for the change, aiming to control youth reading access.
Read at Advocate.com
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