The Utah State Board of Education has ordered schools to remove 13 books, including works by award-winning authors Margaret Atwood and Judy Blume, from classrooms and libraries because their content is deemed “pornographic” or obscene under a new state law.
The following books are prohibited:
- Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maass
- Court of Mist and Fury Sarah J. Maass
- Wings and the Court of Ruin Sarah J. Maass
- Court of Frost and Starlight Sarah J. Maass
- Court of Silver Flame Sarah J. Maass
- Empire of Storms Sarah J. Maass
- What are girls made of? Elana K. Arnold
- Milk and Honey Rupi Kaur
- Forever Judy Blume
- Tilt Ellen Hopkins
- fall out Ellen Hopkins
- blanket Craig Thompson
- Oryx and Crake By Margaret Atwood
list, Published last Fridaywas created to comply with state law that went into effect July 1.
The law requires local educational agencies, including school boards and charter school trustees, to “give priority to the protection of children from the harmful effects of illegal pornography over other considerations.” The boards said they are committed to enforcing the law.
Traditionally, schools and librarians have considered the overall content and value of the book in question, rather than a selective selection of such works, when deciding whether to remove it from shelves or ban it outright.
However, the new law will not allow works that contain adult content if their literary, political or artistic merit prevails, meaning any work that contains depictions of sex or masturbation will be banned, as will LGBTQ-related books that opponents claim are “sexual.”
If a local educational agency removes a book for violating the law, it must notify the State Board of Education. If a book is removed by three school districts, or two public school districts and five charter schools, the book must reportedly be removed from the shelves of all school libraries across the state. The New York Times.
Currently there are only 13 titles on the list, but the number is likely to grow exponentially as conservative activists and parent groups in various states increasingly challenge books they deem inappropriate, and because the law has a low bar for what constitutes inappropriate content.
Opponents of book bans often argue that parents, not the government, should decide what is appropriate reading for their children and should not dictate what other children read.
PEN America, a free speech group that opposes book bans and has tracked efforts to remove books from school and public library shelves for years, said Utah’s move marks the first time a state has required all schools in the state to stop lending certain books.
The state board said it has been informing local education agencies (LEAs) of their obligations under the law.
“In terms of the state board, we’re just following the law and promoting what the law is asking us to do,” Davina Southof, library media specialist for the Utah State Board of Education, told the FOX affiliate in Salt Lake City. KSTU“I know there are different perceptions and views out there, but my goal is to help the school board implement the law in the best way possible.
“Once that’s done, I want to continue supporting school libraries and the librarians who are working to foster literacy and a love of reading in students,” Dauthof added. “So that’s what I’m focusing on. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of camp and the different perspectives. I want to support the librarians who are serving students.”
The law does not apply to public libraries, but public library officials point out that they have different procedures for responding to challenges about books, and some worry the state board’s action will simply impose a new form of censorship.
Other critics worry the bill could lead to legislation dictating what books public libraries can stock.
In Iowa, for example, Republican lawmakers have already proposed a bill that would prosecute public librarians who allow children to borrow books that contain allegedly “obscene material” and even require them to register as sex offenders.
“Many of the books that are being challenged or removed are by BIPOC authors or flaunt the LGBTQIA+ experience,” Quinn Smith, associate director of marketing and communications for the Salt Lake City Public Library, told KSTU.
“When you remove them from schools, you limit what kids can see – to have empathic experiences and to see things that reflect themselves – and that’s harmful either way, and it puts us on a dangerous path when we start to see what’s being removed in the future.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
