"Her gay son has other ideas. The heroes of the film are the librarians. Ordinarily, it would be tempting to insert a joke here. But these (mostly) women risk being fired from their jobs, and are routinely targeted with hateful vitriol. Pornographer! Paedophile! yells one man at a meeting, blood vessels popping. Another guy brings along a firearm: I know where you live."
"Usually that means titles about LGBTQ+ issues or race, and books about girls getting their period aren't safe either. The most recent purge began in 2021 with a list of 850 books circulated by Texas state representative Matt Krause (over 60% were books with LGBTQ+ themes). Rightwing Florida governor Ron DeSantis piled in, followed by Moms for Liberty, a rightwing parents' rights group (don't ask them about big dollar funders)."
Book-banning campaigns have escalated in red states such as Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, focusing on titles about LGBTQ+ themes, race, and puberty. An 850-book list circulated in 2021 by Texas representative Matt Krause included over 60% LGBTQ+ themed books. Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Moms for Liberty supported removal efforts. Libraries and librarians have faced sustained harassment, threats, and attempts at dismissal, including accusations of pornography and paedophilia and direct threats of violence. Examples include a Tennessee school board ban of Maus over mouse nudity and local demands that religious leaders determine library collections. Librarians emphasize libraries as safe spaces for youth identity discovery.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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