BACKGROUNDER: Education Censorship, Book Bans, and Attacks on Free Speech

Correcting the record in advance of Banned Books Week, September 18-24, 2022

WASHINGTON - As we approach Banned Books Week, which runs from September 18-24, 2022, LGBTQ+ youth and content is under attack in states across the country. All students -- no matter their background, sexual orientation, or gender identity -- deserve to feel safe and welcomed in schools, libraries, and bookshops alike. But power-hungry politicians like Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the "Don't Say Gay or Trans" and "Stop WOKE" bills into law in Florida, are using the levers of government to dictate to children, their parents, and educators what they can read, what they can learn, what they can say, and who they can be. The dangerous practice of banning books and silencing educators is not new and has always been used by those who want to roll back progress, sow fear and division, hide important truths, and induce moral panic. So while extremist politicians are seeking to advance an agenda of discrimination, they're triggering a larger backlash against their actions in states across the country. For those looking to affirm LGBTQ+ youth, the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC's) Welcoming Schools program provides age-appropriate book lists for Elementary and Secondary school students that affirm LGBTQ+ identities, as well as for their educators & caregivers.

Below is a brief snapshot of the issue including up-to-date resources from HRC and important context to better understand the current state of play, the impact of the policy, and the public's response.

As always, HRC spokespeople - including Welcoming Schools Director Cheryl Greene - are available for interviews on the topic.

Here's what you need to know:

• Each year, the American Library Association releases a list of the United States' "Top 10 Most Challenged Books." This year, five of the ten most challenged books were attacked for having "LGBTQ+ content."
• In prior years, books challenged and banned for having "LGBTQ+ content" have appeared frequently in this list.

• Attacks on LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise along with book bans. So far in 2022, three bills that censor LGBTQ+ content have been signed into law - the "Don't Say Gay or Trans" bill (HB 1557) in Florida, HB 322 in Alabama and HB 1012 in South Dakota.

• More than 70 discriminatory education bills have been introduced in 2022 - including the "Stop WOKE Act" (HB 7) in Florida, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022. Other curriculum censorship bills have previously been introduced in Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee, among other states.
• These bills, in effect, aim to prevent the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues or people in education settings.
• This also means teachers would be prevented from providing a safe, inclusive classroom for all students, and LGBTQ+ students would face retribution for talking about themselves or their lives.

• Americans overwhelmingly oppose censorship and book bans.
• A majority of voters are seriously concerned that politicians are banning books based on their own personal beliefs, according to a National Education Association survey. When ranking issues of importance, whether parents have enough say in book selections, and whether students are taught the negative parts of U.S. history are near the bottom of the list. These things do not matter to an overwhelming majority of voters [National Education Association survey, 9/9]
• 87% of Americans do not think books should be banned for discussing race or slavery. 85% do not think books should be banned for political ideas you disagree with. 83% do not think books should be banned for criticizing US history. [CBS poll, 2/15-18]
• 71% of likely voters - including 66% of Independents and 64% of Republicans - believe that local school boards should not have the authority to ban books from school curriculums. [Data for Progress poll, 2/11-13]
• By a 60-point margin, Americans oppose banning books in public schools. When described as "a growing push to remove certain books from schools across the country, including the graphic novel Maus about the Holocaust, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, and 1984," more than three in four Americans oppose the banning of books in public schools (16 percent support - 76 percent oppose). Opposition is strong across partisanship, with opposition from almost four in five Republicans (78 percent) and about three in four Democrats and Independents (74 and 76 percent, respectively). [Navigator poll, 2/17-22]
• 74% support adding more books in English classes by authors who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color. [PIE Network poll, 11/21]
• Based on National Parents Union's national polling and meetings with parents all over the country, Keri Rodrigues, co-founder and president of the organization, says restricting how teachers can talk about race or gender "is really at the bottom of the list" of parental priorities. [National Parents Union]

• This is yet another example of how LGBTQ+ youth, particularly trans- and non-binary youth, are under attack at the state level.
• At least 35 of the more than 250 bills proposed in 2021 would have unnecessarily regulated or prohibited transgender youth from being able to access best-practice, age-appropriate, gender-affirming medical care - and more even more were proposed in 2022.
• So far, two bills of this kind have become law -- in Arkansas, when the state House and Senate overrode Governor Asa Hutchinson's veto of House Bill 1570, which is aimed at denying medically-necessary, gender-affirming services to transgender youth, and in Tennessee, when Republican Governor Bill Lee signed SB 126, which unnecessarily regulates life-saving, best practice medical care for transgender youth.
• Such bills have proliferated in recent years, despite no evidence that there has been any issue with youth receiving inappropriate care. In fact, these bills are opposed by organizations dedicated to children's health, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the National Association of Social Workers, and more.
• These attacks on transgender youth are fueled by discrimination, not facts. These bills represent a cruel effort to further stigmatize and discriminate against LGBTQ+ people across the country, specifically trans youth who simply want to live as their true selves and grow into who they are.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation resources for students, families and educators:

• HRC Foundation's Welcoming Schools:
• Age-appropriate book lists for Elementary or Secondary school students that affirm LGBTQ+ identities, as well as for their educators & caregivers.
• Resources on creating gender inclusive classrooms.
• Creating inclusive learning environments in secondary schools.
• HRC Foundation's Project THRIVE:
• Project THRIVE is a multi-year national campaign to create more equitable, inclusive support systems and communities for LGBTQ+ youth. Project THRIVE will build the skills and capacities of all youth-serving professionals to better meet the needs of LGBTQ+ young people.
• Checklist for creating safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ youth
• Coming out resources for LGBTQ+ people and understanding LGBTQ+ identities
• Understanding digital and online spaces and communities for LGBTQ+youth
• A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools