LGBTQ Stories Top Banned Books List
ALA's Most Challenged Books list for 2018 is dominated by LGBTQ stories and characters, reflecting a growing trend.
Washington State’s Decision to Ban Book Donations to Prisons is Harmful
We join PEN America, a member of our coalition, in opposing Washington State’s decision to restrict access to used books in prisons.
Statement on Trump’s Campus Speech Executive Order
NCAC will closely monitor policy changes that result from this Executive Order and will continue to support colleges and universities in maintaining their institutional autonomy and celebrating diverse inquiry.
Panel Addresses the Challenges of #MeToo and the Morally Compromised Artist
A discussion of what to do with the art of morally compromised artists, how morally compromised is "too" morally compromised, whether it matter if the artist is alive and, ultimately, who decides upon these issues of what is acceptable
Proposed Florida Bills Threaten Students’ Rights
Proposed Florida legislation threatens to weaken academic freedom, chill the work of educators, interfere with students' rights to access information, and cost school districts time and money.
Coalition Urges Congress to Review Surveillance Powers
Thirty-nine organizations are pressing for Congress to investigate whether the government has exceeded the limits of what is allowed by Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Filmmaker’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
An overview of what you can, and can't, use in a student film.
Resources for First-Time Filmmakers
We’ve collected all the information you’ll need to make a great 4-minute film on a shoe-string budget!
Proposed Executive Order Threatens Academic Freedom
The National Coalition Against Censorship is gravely concerned about President Trump's vague announcement of a proposed executive order tying federal research funding to universities' adherence to a free-speech code.
Art Schools Must Prepare Artists to Resist Self-Censorship
NCAC is offering support to Allegheny College in encouraging its student artist to re-display their work after social media controversy and to offer students support in navigating such controversies around their work.
Defend LGBTQ Stories: A Resource
Despite hard-won progress towards LGBTQ equality, books centering LGBTQ characters and stories remain among the most frequently challenged and banned in schools and libraries. The freedom to read stories about people of diverse sexual and gender identities can validate and empower all youth, especially those who may identify as LGBTQ. When LGBTQ youth do not see themselves represented in [...]
NCAC Protests Political Censorship at Ground Zero
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey relocated an art installation depicting the Saudi Arabian flag after public complaints.
Attempt to Ban “Obscene” Material in Maine Schools
Maine lawmaker's attempts to label educational material obscene threatens intellectual freedom.
Anti-BDS Legislation in Senate Disregards Free Speech
The Senate considers a bill expressing federal support for state and local anti-BDS laws.
Remembering Marvin Rich
Marvin Rich helped found NCAC and dedicated his life to civil rights and equality.
NCAC Urges Queens Library to Restore Canceled Photography Exhibition
Image courtesy of Drew Kerr The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) urges Queens Library to restore an exhibition of photographs it canceled and allow it to run for three weeks as originally planned. Drew Kerr’s exhibition, Faces of The 7 Train, consists of 32 black-and-white photographs that the artist shot of passengers on the 7 train over the course of [...]
Tumblr Adult Content Ban Will Chill Free Expression Online
On December 17th, Tumblr permanently banned adult content from its platform. Under the new community guidelines, any image that depicts sex acts, real-life human genitalia, or (with a few exceptions) female nipples will be hidden from public view. Despite the company’s claims, the new guidelines will not create a “better, more positive” Tumblr.
Of Monuments and Power: Public Art Debates Are More Than Just Free Speech Vs. Censorship
This article originally appeared in Censorship News Issue 128 The fall of socialism came unexpectedly for all of us who grew up in what appeared as a regime built to last forever, its permanence embodied in the weight of Stalinist architecture and the monumental roughly-hewn statues of communist leaders. The removal of those statues and of the giant red star shining [...]
NCAC Opposes Removal of Mural at Los Angeles School
The superintendent of a Los Angeles school district has unilaterally decided to remove a mural on display on the exterior wall of RFK Community Schools’ theater after some members of the surrounding community complained that visual elements of the mural resembled the Rising Sun flag of Imperialist Japan.
Student Art Exhibition Challenged at University of Colorado Boulder; UPDATE: the University Comes to a Resolution with the Student
A student artist at CU Boulder may have been censored by his university. Investigation in progress.
Florida Department of Corrections Blocks Distribution of Socialist Newspaper
Florida prisons impounded four times more issues of The Militant in the past two years as in all the other prisons in the country over the last decade.
NCAC Protests Political Censorship at Cleveland State University
NCAC urges Cleveland State University to remove the cover the University used to block from view a political text featured on a sculpture displayed on campus.
North Carolina District Bans ‘Beartown’
The novel by Fredrik Backman has been banned district-wide after parents complained about vulgarity and graphic scenes.
NJ School District Restricts Library Circulation
Mahwah Township elementary schools have instituted a new policy that limits students' ability to check out books to once every two to three weeks.
DC Commission on Arts & Humanities Limits Artistic Expression UPDATED
The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities has issued an amendment that sets limits on the content of their grantees' work, in clear violation of viewpoint neutrality.
NCAC Joins Coalition Urging Utah Schools to Restore Library Access to Information Database
The Utah Education Network voted to deny access to EBSCO, a longtime, well-respected distributor of educational content that is used nationally in libraries and schools.
Smart Tactics: Curating Difficult Content
SMART TACTICS: Curating Difficult Content examines the internal and external pressures curators must navigate when considering potentially controversial material. Combining decades of advocacy experience with extensive interviews and curatorial surveys, this volume includes both a report on what happens behind the scenes in art institutions and a handbook for confronting the challenges of curating difficult content.
NCAC Opposes Attempts to Ban Drag Queen Story Hour in Houston
NCAC supports the Houston Public Library’s commitment to open and diverse programming.
City of Thieves Removed from Florida High School
Fort Myers High School in Florida has removed City of Thieves, a 2008 novel by David Benioff, one of the creators of HBO’s Game of Thrones, from the 10th grade curriculum.
PEN America Sues President Trump for Violating Journalists’ First Amendment Rights
NCAC shares PEN America’s grave concern about the President’s use of the levers of government power to retaliate against media companies for the content of their coverage.
NCAC Opposes Proposed Protest Fees on National Mall
In August, the National Park Service issued a proposed rule to introduce fees for holding protests on the National Mall, posing a serious threat to Americans' right to free speech and assembly.
Wisconsin High School Cancels Production of To Kill A Mockingbird
Shorewood High School canceled the production hours before it was scheduled to debut, to the dismay of both supporters and planned protesters.
NCAC Supports Prison Legal News in Fight Against Florida Department of Corrections
NCAC has joined with 17 other organizations in filing a brief with the US Supreme Court in the case of Prison Legal News v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections.
Remembering Robert M. O’Neil
Former NCAC board member and leading First Amendment attorney Robert O'Neil leaves behind a legacy of inclusion and equal rights.
Art Auction 2018
The National Coalition Against Censorship is auctioning a selection of artworks donated by generous artists.
Local Pastors Attempt to Ban Books from Banned Books Display at Maine Public Library
The National Coalition Against Censorship supports Rumford Public Library’s display and freedom to choose how best to serve their community.
NCAC Urges Swift Consideration of Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Nominees
The PCLOB has now lacked a quorum for over 19 months, hamstringing its ability to function.
NCAC Supports Louisiana Library Hosting Drag Queen Story Time | UPDATE: Success!
Controversy arose over the announcement that the library would host the family-focused program, which features reading, singing and crafts presided over by drag queens.
NCAC Joint Statement on President Trump’s Effort to Intimidate Book Publisher
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) joins 16 other organizations in condemning President Trump’s effort to intimidate a book publisher by threatening legal action. The joint statement states that the President’s attempts to intimidate book publishers will fail.
Free Expression and LGBT Rights Groups Oppose LGBTQ Display Ban in Southern Utah
NCAC is calling on public libraries of Washington County, Utah to reconsider a ban on LGBTQ displays. Joined by the National Council of Teachers of English and Lambda Legal, the letter warns that the ban poses a serious threat to equal rights and freedom of expression and sets a dangerous precedent by perpetuating a culture of prejudice and intolerance. “A [...]