Political movements to control information have led to increasing book bans, particularly in Tennessee public schools. Notable authors and works have been purged based on a strict interpretation of what constitutes inappropriate material. The 2024 amendment to the "Age-Appropriate Materials Act" prohibits any content associated with nudity, sexual conduct, or violence, without considering the context of the material. These censorship efforts undermine the role of educators and librarians in providing diverse literary collections and reflect an authoritarian approach disregarding democratic principles.
The real story here is that a bunch of cowardly state and federal politicians are placating the desires largely of the religious right, who are seeking to tightly control the books that children have access to in public, secular schools.
In 2024, the state legislature amended the "Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022" to specify that any materials that "in whole or in part" contain any "nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse" are inappropriate for all students.
These attempts at censorship always eventually reveal themselves as absurd, illustrating the antithesis of our form of government.
This change means books are not evaluated as a whole, and excerpts can be considered without context, if they have any content that is deemed to cross these lines.
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