Monthly Archives: November 2008

The Bumper Sticker Wars

By |2020-01-02T15:33:16-05:00November 26th, 2008|Blog|

Walla Walla, WA. A high school student is suspended for a bumper sticker on her car. Its contents: “I fucked your boyfriend” Camp Lejeune, NC. Civilian employee and Marine Corps veteran, Jesse Nieto, is ordered to remove stickers from his vehicle of a slightly more political charged nature: (AP) The messages displayed at least a half-dozen anti-Muslim decals including “ISLAM [...]

A Preventable Tragedy

By |2020-01-02T15:33:16-05:00November 26th, 2008|Blog|

President Thabo Mbeki’s suppression of scientific information about AIDS has led to the deaths of thousands of people in South Africa. According to a new study conducted by Harvard researchers, the South African government could have prevented 330,000 premature deaths of AIDS patients had it supplied them with antiretroviral drugs. Those same drugs could have prevented pregnant women from infecting [...]

Super sez: ‘TTYL’ has g2g

By |2019-03-12T18:30:39-04:00November 26th, 2008|Blog|

Something is missing from the school lib in Round Rock, TX. Last week, school Superintendent Dr. Jesús Chávez pulled TTYL by Lauren Myracle from district middle school libraries. All of ‘em. That equals a book ban. A.k.a. censorship! The super and some parents think the book is just ‘trouble’. But that’s up to each student 2 decide 2gether with his [...]

Academic Freedom and Student Press at DuPage

By |2020-01-02T15:33:15-05:00November 25th, 2008|Blog|

At DuPage College – a community college outside of Chicago – the board has recently proposed a policy change that would give far more power to the board of trustees. This would influence “such questions as the future of the curriculum, the role of the student newspaper, how outside speakers should be selected, and so forth”. And, perhaps most significantly, [...]

Letter Opposing Challenges to ‘Kaffir Boy’

By |2020-01-03T14:13:16-05:00November 24th, 2008|Incidents, Updates|

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane was challenged for use in ninth grade English classes at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, MN. Some parents objected to sexual violence and graphic language in the book. NCAC and ABFFE wrote a letter to the school board, urging that the book be retained in the curriculum.

Reform Jewish leaders testify against adding creationism/intelligent design

By |2019-03-12T18:31:02-04:00November 23rd, 2008|Blog|

by Sarah Falcon On Wednesday, three Reform Jewish leaders testified in Austin, Texas against a language change in the school curriculum which would require teaching "strengths and limitations" of scientific theories. Texas' current curriculum requires teaching the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories. Testimonies from two of the rabbis is excerpted below:

Good idea.

By |2019-03-14T17:32:03-04:00November 22nd, 2008|Blog|

We've addressed the study that links sex on TV to teen pregnancy, and came on the side of education rather than fear about content on TV. Not everyone agrees: In reference to the article, “Study suggests TV shows may spur teen pregnancies,” is censorship still in existence as it was many years ago? If not, perhaps it’s time to go [...]

Are you Offended?

By |2020-01-02T15:33:11-05:00November 21st, 2008|Blog|

Listening to: MC Luscious An 11th grade student was recently told to remove her bumper sticker from her car parked in the Walla Walla High School (WA) parking lot. The content of the sticker: “I Fucked Your Boyfriend.” There was little controversy about the student’s expression until she was told by school officials to remove the bumper sticker or face [...]

Freedom of Assembly?

By |2020-01-02T15:33:00-05:00November 21st, 2008|Blog|

In downtown LA, a new community space set up by the local chapter of Food Not Bombs (a group committed to “sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty”) was playing host to a hip hop concert last Sunday night. The goal was to raise money for an upcoming anarchist bookfair. Guests and performers at the [...]

The Controversy of Censorship

By |2020-01-05T23:16:13-05:00November 21st, 2008|Blog|

A study published this month in PLoS Medicine, documents self-censorship of scientists in response to a political controversy. According to Joanna Kempner, the study’s author, the controversy at issue began in July 2003 when Patrick Toomey, a Republican Congressman, proposed the discontinuance of five NIH grants that were unworthy of taxpayer funding.  As a result, the Director of NIH received [...]

Letter to Round Rock, TX, School Board Opposing Removal of ‘TTYL’

By |2019-03-15T16:26:19-04:00November 21st, 2008|Incidents|

TTYL‚ by Lauren Myracle was removed from middle school libraries throughout Round Rock (TX) ISD.  One student's parents challenged TTYL‚ because they objected to sexual content and profanity in the book.  Two review committees evaluated the book and recommended that it be kept on library shelves.  However, before the school board could review the matter, Superintendent Jesús Chávez had the book removed from middle school libraries throughout the district.  The Kids' Right to Read Project sent a letter to the school board opposing the book's removal.

Letter Opposing Challenges to ‘And Tango Makes Three’

By |2020-01-03T14:09:00-05:00November 21st, 2008|Incidents|

Two parents challenged the picture book, And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for use in elementary school libraries in Ankeny, Iowa.  The parents objected to the story of two male penguins who parent a chick because they say the book is not "age-appropriate".  NCAC and ABFFE wrote a letter to the Ankeny School Board opposing the challenges.

Letter Opposing Removal of ‘TTYL’

By |2019-03-15T16:26:18-04:00November 21st, 2008|Incidents|

NCAC and ABFFE sent this letter to the Editors of the Austin American-Statesman in response to the removal of TTYL from middle school libraries. Re: “Round Rock chief removes contested book from middle schools” (November 19) To the Editors: We strongly oppose the decision of Round Rock ISD Superintendent Dr. Jesús Chávez to remove TTYL by Lauren Myracle from district [...]

Shredding the evidence on friendly fire deaths

By |2019-03-12T18:31:36-04:00November 20th, 2008|Blog|

From Salon.com: Hours after Salon revealed evidence that two Americans were killed by a U.S. tank, not enemy fire, military officials destroyed papers on the men. Editor's note: On Oct. 14, 2008, Salon published an article about the deaths of Army Pfc. Albert Nelson and Pfc. Roger Suarez. The Army attributed their deaths in Iraq in 2006 to enemy action; [...]

Sterilizing Information about our Health

By |2020-01-02T15:33:00-05:00November 20th, 2008|Blog|

The Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule in August that values a religious doctor’s choice to refuse provision of services over a woman’s right to receive care. The proposed rule would protect the jobs of doctors who, on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions, refuse to provide abortion or sterilization services. In fact, those doctors [...]

YFEN Workshops

By |2019-03-15T16:48:52-04:00November 20th, 2008|Updates|

As part of a larger effort to educate students and educators about  censorship and how it affects our lives, we have developed interactive workshops for high school and college students and faculty.  Below are workshop agendas available for your use. Feel free to add to them, or adjust to your particular needs. Resisting Censorship on Campus A workshop for university [...]

Penguins Under Fire

By |2019-03-12T18:31:54-04:00November 19th, 2008|Blog|

Once again, picture-book penguins have come under fire. In Ankeny, Iowa, parents of one kindergartner want And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell banned from East Elementary School. At the very least, they want the book moved to a restricted section of the school library. Tango tells the true story of Roy and Silo, two male from [...]

Piercings ban student’s husband out of school dances.

By |2020-01-02T15:32:57-05:00November 18th, 2008|Blog|

Hubbard High School in Ohio is currently banning Casey Engstrom,19, from escorting his 17-year-old wife, Brittany, to any dances her senior year. The reason? Well apparently Hubbard High has a strict dress code policy against all forms of facial jewelry. Casey offered to remove the jewelery but Superintendent Richard Buchenic said that Casey will not be allowed to attend for [...]

Joint Letter to Burke County Board of Education Opposing Objections to Walker, Morrison in the Curriculum

By |2020-01-03T14:09:03-05:00November 17th, 2008|Incidents|

Some parents have objected to sexual content, profanity, and violence in The Bluest Eye and Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini in Burke County, NC, schools. The Kite Runner was reviewed (and subsequently approved for use in classrooms) in February 2008. The Kids' Right to Read Project sent a letter to the school board regarding the challenges.

Gang Activity? Or Just Trying to Keep Warm?

By |2020-01-02T15:32:56-05:00November 14th, 2008|Blog|

After a student-led protest in Montgomery, NY, Valley Central High School lifted a blanket ban on neck scarves, which had been interpreted as "gang paraphernalia" by the school administration.   The protest, which included a refusal from many students to obey the new “no-scarf” policy, as well as a petition garnering 300+ signatures, resulted in the school board investigating [...]

Scott Eckern: from the Commentariat

By |2020-01-02T15:32:55-05:00November 14th, 2008|Blog|

Comments from the blogosphere: wildrumpus 1 point Please login to rate. Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment. OK then. As a gay man in Michigan my reaction to this is: Wow, you got a $1000 donor to quit his job! What have you actually fixed other than punishing someone from exercising his 1st amendment [...]

Musical Theatre Drama: The Scott Eckern Saga

By |2020-01-02T15:32:53-05:00November 13th, 2008|Blog|

Artistic director of California Musical Theatre, Scott Eckern, resigned Monday after his donation towards Proposition 8 – which will overturn gay marriage in California – was disclosed. Following the discovery of his $1000 contribution, many in the theatre community began calling for a boycott of Eckern and the theatre.  Despite an apology from Eckern, pressure continued and he ultimately resigned [...]

Grendel kept in the curriculum

By |2020-01-02T15:32:52-05:00November 13th, 2008|Blog|

We were delighted to hear that the Sherwood, Oregon School Board voted last night to keep the novel, Grendel by John Gardner, in Sherwood High School’s 10th grade accelerated English curriculum.  Some parents object to sexual content and violence in the book, but their children were offered a different book to read.  Their views are not shared by all – [...]

Racism, Obama and free expression

By |2020-01-02T15:32:48-05:00November 12th, 2008|Blog|

The victory of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election has shown us signs of improving race relations in this country. Sadly this isn't the case some areas of the south where the election of the United States first black president have increased already high racial tensions. In North Carolina State University, four students spray-painted threatening and racist graffiti aimed at the [...]

Cuba and Academic Freedom

By |2019-03-12T18:32:21-04:00November 12th, 2008|Blog|

There’s been a new development in the ongoing debate about whether colleges should be allowed to have study abroad programs in Cuba. On November 10th a federal appeals court upheld a decision that has limited academic travel to Cuba. Currently, a Bush administration federal rule only allows academic travel to Cuba if the trip lasts over ten weeks, and states [...]

ACLU sues school for violating First Amendment

By |2020-01-02T15:24:57-05:00November 12th, 2008|Blog|

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against Fall Brook High School for violating free speech rights by getting rid of its journalism class and removing the faculty advisor to the school's newspaper after disputes over two articles. The first article was about the school board's refusal to close Fall Brook High School during the wildfires last year and [...]

Letter in support of keeping ‘Grendel’ in high school curriculum

By |2020-01-02T15:32:49-05:00November 12th, 2008|Incidents|

Re: Sherwood School Board upholds use of novel Grendel (November 12) To the Editors: The Sherwood School Board should be applauded for its decision to keep the novel, Grendel by John Gardner, in Sherwood High School’s 10th grade accelerated English curriculum.  Some parents object to sexual content and violence in the book, but their children were offered an alternative assignment.  [...]

Portrait Scandale: Picasso’s Stalin drawing at Cooper Union

By |2020-01-02T15:24:57-05:00November 11th, 2008|Blog|

Cooper Union takes down a banner of Stalin, a reproduction of a drawing by Picasso that was part of an exhibit designed by Norwegian artist Lene Berg. The explanation: In a statement issued to Cooper Union staff members and students, the university said it removed the banner after the Buildings Department, which had received complaints about it, pointed out the [...]

Rogue censorship

By |2019-03-12T18:32:33-04:00November 10th, 2008|Blog|

Editorial from the Detroit Free Press: Television broadcasts shouldn't be filled with curse words uttered without regard to purpose, time of day or relevance. But it's equally true that the Federal Communications Commission, which has adopted increasingly aggressive but vaguely defined standards for punishing broadcasters who air curse words, shouldn't have such a free hand in suppressing speech. [...] Assuring [...]

Barack Obama on stem cell research

By |2019-03-12T18:33:04-04:00November 10th, 2008|Blog|

From Agence France-Presse: Barack Obama holds his first post-election meeting with President George W. Bush Monday even as aides said he would reverse current White House policy on oil drilling and stem cell research. [...] But as both incoming Democrats and outgoing Republicans struck a tone of civility, Obama's transition chief signaled that the president-elect could wipe away some hallmarks [...]

Blame TV.

By |2020-01-02T15:24:56-05:00November 7th, 2008|Blog|

As the Washington Post reported earlier this week, a recent study that correlates pregnancy rates among sexually active teens to the amount of TV sex they watched disregards a key issue: teen access to contraceptives and information on contraception. According to the study, which was published in Pediatrics, the more sexual content on TV that sexually active teens watch, the [...]

Internet Censorship

By |2020-01-02T15:24:52-05:00November 7th, 2008|Blog|

From Good Magazine. A beautifully-made video on international internet censorship. Two of the companies cited for supporting internet censorship systems - Microsoft and Google - have joined other companies and organizations to support the Global Network Initiative: The Initiative is founded upon new Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy – supported by specific implementation commitments and a framework for [...]

Stem Cell Research in Michigan? Yes we can!

By |2019-03-15T15:15:56-04:00November 6th, 2008|Blog|

On November 4, Michigan voters enacted a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in their state. The amendment allows the use of human embryos for research in Michigan so long as the embryos: (1) were created for fertility treatment; (2) are in excess of those required for implantation; (3) are not suitable for implantation; (4) [...]

YFEN Voices: Once Upon a Time (Not So Long Ago)

By |2016-01-15T12:08:21-05:00November 6th, 2008|Updates|

Once Upon a Time (Not So Long Ago) By Shajiah Jaffri, for the Youth Free Expression Network October 3, 2008   Once upon a time (not so long ago) a book was written. It was an excellent book, listed in the Top Ten of the New York Times Best Seller’s List.  It was a realistic book that narrated the teenage [...]

2007 YFEN Film Contest

By |2019-03-08T00:03:51-05:00November 6th, 2008|Updates|

How Does Censorship Affect Me?   First Place Mute By Helen Gebregiorgis     Second Place Gay/Straight Alliance By Jamie Li    Third Place The Dangers of Promiscuity By Sean Brekke-Miesner and Nam Pham     Film Contest Home |  2006 Winners  |  2005 Winners  |  2004 Winners     

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