Health education that consists of only an abstinence-only message has disturbing consequences. By depriving teenagers of access to information about their health and bodies in schools, it makes them vulnerable to STD/s and unwanted early pregnancies. The problems of censoring sexual health education are reflected in a recent report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The report [...]
When I first heard that Fred Phelps, the famous anti-gay activist, planned to protest the funeral of one of the modern heroes of journalism, the late Walter Cronkite, I thought I had missed something in The New York Times obituary. I combed through it again, revisiting those classic moments in broadcast history that have been replayed over and over: the [...]
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed this week in an important Supreme Court free speech case, NCAC, joined by the College Art Association, warned that a law banning depictions of animal cruelty violates the First Amendment right to free speech, and the exemption it provides for work with “serious value” rings hollow, given the long history of censorship of disturbing or unpopular [...]
NCAC filed an amicus brief last week in U.S. v. Stevens, warning that a law banning depictions of animal cruelty violates the First Amendment right to free speech and that the exemption it provides for work with “serious value” rings hollow, given the long history of censorship of disturbing or unpopular images.
This morning NCAC woke up to a mailbox full of hundreds of complaints against AT&T’s blocking access to img.4chan.org. The mass outrage over AT&T’s action had by that time also reached the company and led to the rapid unblocking of the site. AT&T denied any attempt to censor based on content and issued the following statement justifying the block as [...]
Kids’ Right To Read’s Jamie Chosak interviewed Francesca Lia Block, author of many young adult novels, including Baby Be Bop, which the Milwaukee branch of the Christian Civil Liberties Union is currently calling for the right to publicly burn West Bend Public Library's copy. When asked about responding to challenges, FLB said: I keep writing. To me that is the [...]
In May, the Kids’ Right to Read Project reported on the censorship of Jayson Tirado’s poem, "Diary of an Abusive Stepfather", after Landis Intermediate School principal, Don Kohaut, literally ripped the poem out of the school's only copy of the nationally-acclaimed anthology, Paint Me Like I Am. One mother of a thirteen year-old student had raised concerns over the age-appropriateness [...]
The fight continues in Wisconsin where parents are calling to ban (and possibly burn) books from a public library. This time they face a library board friendlier to their cause, now that the four pro-First Amendment members weren’t reinstated. CNN reports that parents who object to a list of 82 books in the young adult section, including The Perks of [...]
Since neither Tom nor I had our own story to tell, we decided to film a documentary about a fictional but disturbingly realistic situation where a student's fundamental rights were clearly violated in a Chicago public high school. Because of writing an intellectual and thought-provoking paper on adolescent views towards sex, the student is unjustly punished by his teacher for [...]
My topic is called help me help you help americaWell for some reason I love helping the homeless. I just love them. So everyone knows about “tent city?” well let me sum this up there kicking out homeless from a certain spot. And I think it’s idiotic. I admit when I was a little late to find out Regina called [...]
The phrase “safe libraries” should always raise a red flag. Proponents for “safer libraries” argue that some information is inherently dangerous, but the First Amendment is designed to ward off the suppression of information. In the case of internet filters intended to block sexually explicit material, librarians and community members have to ask the questions, “Safe for whom?” and “Safe [...]
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich is demanding that Los Angeles Opera overhaul the Ring Festival L.A. planned for next year, calling Richard Wagner a, “Nazi composer.” He is, of course, wrong. The Nazi's may have used Wagner, but Wagner was already long dead. Yet, the issue remains, Wagner held rather despicable anti-semitic views (along with the majority of his [...]
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Kids’ Right to Read Project Director Jamie Chosak interviewed author Chris Crutcher about his experience as one of the most challenged young adult authors of all time. Here’s an excerpt: Kids’ Right to Read Project: Challenges against your books have been raised over numerous “themes” and issues.” Some commentators have identified efforts to ban “pro-gay literature” as an increasing trend. [...]
The Kids' Right to Read Project Interviews Author, Chris Crutcher
The video entitled “Freedom of Tape” is about the struggles students have to go through in order to have their opinions be taken seriously in school. The video features a teacher who strongly believes that students should be seen, not heard. When each student walks in tape is placed over their mouths to enable them from talking. The tape is [...]
A court Tuesday upheld the University of Colorado’s firing of professor Ward Churchill after controversy arose from his essay which referred to victims of the 9/11 attacks as “little Eichmanns.” Judge Larry Naves ruled that Churchill would neither get his job back nor receive financial compensation. According to the LA Times, in ruling, the Judge stated “I am bound by [...]
On Monday, October 19, 2009 we celebrated NCAC’s 35th Anniversary Celebration with A Night of Comedy with Judy Blume & Friends. We invited fearless writers, artists, actors, comedians, musicians and filmmakers who have fought back against censorship to share a brief tale or riff on growing up. Check out photos and videos from the evening!
The Kids’ Right To Read Project sent a letter today to the Chair of the Litchfield District’s School Board opposing the removal of several titles from Campbell High School’s upper-class elective “Love/Gender/Family” unit. KRRP also interviewed Andy Towne, a member of the Class of 2007 at Campbell High School after he authored an op-ed for The Nashua Telegraph about the [...]
Campbell High School story flap selling its students short
By ANDY TOWNE
On June 18, the Litchfield District School Board in New Hampshire decided to remove four short stories from the “Love/Gender/Family” unit of an upper-class elective English class at Campbell High School. The stories, including "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, "Survivor Type" by Stephen King, "The Crack Cocaine Diet" by Laura Lippman, and "I Like Guys" by David Sedaris.
I recently had the chance to watch The Education of Shelby Knox, a documentary chronicling a high school student’s campaign to bring alternatives to abstinence-only education to her school in Lubbock, Texas. A lot happens in eight years. Shelby has since graduated from both high school and college; she is now 23 years old and living in New York City. [...]
The Kids' Right To Read Project sent a letter today to the Leesburg Public Library Advisory Board applauding their decision to keep two challenged books on the shelves in the Young Adult section without labeling or restricting them in any way. We also urged the Board to uphold its decision during an appeals process. Libraries serve every member of the [...]
The removal of "Walking Man" from the public space in front of the Anton Art Center because of individual complaints is a disturbing violation of both the artist's free speech and the rights of the public to have access to a wide variety of artistic expression ("Mount Clemens has gallery move nude statue indoors," June 23).
Leesburg 'Thank you for doing the right thing' letter July 09
Kids’ Right to Read Project Director Jamie Chosak interviewed author Maureen Johnson about her experiences with censorship, including the recent challenge against her book, The Bermudez Triangle, in Leesburg, Florida. Here’s an excerpt: The Kids’ Right to Read Project: Challenges against The Bermudez Triangle have focused on ‘homosexual themes.’ Some commentators have identified this as an increasing trend. Would you [...]
Kids' Right to Read Project Interview with Author, Maureen Johnson
I chose this topic because issue of free speech is extremely important as Americans. As we get older we as students must learn the differnce of free speech and just being rude. The opinions that I optained give their honest opinion on how to best obtain the free speech in school as well as if they feel that it exists [...]
I choose the topic that I did because I believe that having free speech in our schools will open communication between not only students but between students and teachers. It is important that students learn that there is a fine line between being rude and expression your opinion.
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Two weeks ago in a round-up of tales of student press censorship around the nation, we mentioned the case of PULP magazine, a publication produced by a journalism class at Orange High School. Just a recap of the highly sensitive items that raised red flags for the school’s, principal, SK Johnson: a Top Ten list that playfully advocates skinny-dipping and [...]
On Monday, The Telegraph reported on Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s talk at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. In it, he chastised censorious governments, saying completely effective internet censorship was unattainable and governments trying to do so were doomed to fail. Schmidt’s comments neatly skirt Google’s complicity with governments’ censorship by claiming that they warn governments that internet censorship can fail, [...]
