Remembering Phil Harvey: Free Speech Defender
The free speech community lost a great champion on December 2, 2021, with the passing of Phil Harvey.
Keller, Texas, School District Censors Library Books in Violation of Policy
Keller Independent School District in Keller, TX, recently appeared to violate its own policies when it removed several books from school library shelves.
NCAC Protests District’s Removal of Gender Queer from School Libraries in Pinellas County, Florida
The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Board of Education of Pinellas County Schools in Largo, FL, to protest the recent removal of Gender Queer from school libraries shelves. This is the latest in a series of book removals across the country that ignore policy and best practice in removing books before a formal review takes place.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Lawn Boy and Gender Queer from Fairfax, Virginia, School Libraries | UPDATED
Fairfax County, Virginia, school district removed two books, Lawn Boy and Gender Queer, from school libraries after a parent complaint.
Kansas City, Missouri, District Censors Fun Home and All Boys Aren’t Blue in School Libraries | UPDATED
North Kansas City Schools improperly censored two books--Fun Home and All Boys Aren't Blue--from district libraries in violation of their book review policy.
School District in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Reviewing Gender Queer in School Libraries | UPDATED
Superintendent in Harrisonburg, Virginia, unilaterally removed Gender Queer from school libraries in violation of district policy and free expression principles.
New Jersey School Censors Student’s Black Lives Matter Poster in African American Culture Display | Updated
A student’s Black Lives Matter poster was censored at Hillsborough Middle School in New Jersey because of apparent disagreement with the political views it expressed.
Florida’s Brevard County Public Schools Remove Gender Queer from Library Shelves Without Review
Brevard County Public Schools in central Florida recently removed Maia Kobabe's graphic novel/memoir Gender Queer from school library shelves without regard to its own book challenge procedures.
Orlando, Florida, School District Ignores Procedures in Removing Gender Queer from Libraries | Updated
A school district in Orlando, Florida, violated its book challenge procedures in removing Gender Queer from libraries without formal review.
Spotsylvania County Public Schools Issue Unconstitutional Order to Remove “Sexually Explicit” Books from Libraries | UPDATED: Order Revoked
NCAC has objected to an unconstitutional order from Spotsylvania County Public Schools in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that “sexually explicit” books be removed from district libraries.
NCAC Criticizes Brooklyn School’s Censorship of Student Mural | UPDATED
The principal at the elementary school in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood removed a mural created by several fifth graders because of apparent discomfort with some of its content.
NCAC and Dramatists Guild Object to Cancellation of School Play with Gay Character in Hillsboro, Ohio
Hillsboro High School in Ohio cancelled a production of Qui Nguyen’s play, She Kills Monsters, due to “inappropriate language, profanity, homophobic slurs, sexual innuendos and graphic violence," but likely also because it features a gay character.
Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon School District Censors Gender Queer in School Libraries
In violation of district policy, Wissahickon School District in Pennsylvania censored Gender Queer from library shelves.
Utah School District Censors School Library Books | Updated
Canyons School District in Utah has censored several award-winning books from school libraries in violation of its own district policies.
Northampton Arts Council Wrong to Cancel Biennial Over Criticism from Indigenous Artist
The Northampton Arts Council cancelled its 2021 biennial exhibition days before it was to open following criticism from an Indigenous artist about a particular work and the overall selection process.
New Jersey School District Omits Librarians from Review of Several LGBTQ+ Library Books | UPDATED
A New Jersey school district did not include any librarians in its review of several challenged award-winning LGBTQ-themed library books.
Toni Morrison Book Among Those Removed from Virginia Beach School Libraries
Virginia Beach City Public Schools removed several books, including such award-winning books as A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, The Bluest Eye by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, from school libraries.
Hudson, Ohio, School District Preemptively Removes Lawn Boy From School Libraries
Hudson, Ohio, school officials improperly removed Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison from school library shelves before a review of the book was complete.
NCAC Urges Texas School District to Keep Jerry Craft Books in Libraries
Katy Independent School District in Texas removed two books by Jerry Craft from school libraries because of a parent complaint about "promoting Critical Race Theory", possibly violating the First Amendment
Parents Call for Censorship of It’s Perfectly Normal at Cass County, Missouri, Public Library
NCAC urges Missouri's Cass County Public Library to resist calls to censor It's Perfectly Normal, a book about puberty.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Out of Darkness from Lake Travis, Texas, School Libraries
NCAC has written to officials in Lake Travis Independent School District in Austin, Texas, after reports emerged that a historical novel has been removed from libraries before an official was completed, in violation of district policy.
NCAC Urges Central York, Pennsylvania, School District to Improve Policy After Diverse Book Ban Controversy
Students in York, Pennsylvania, successfully challenged a district-wide ban on diverse resource materials.
NCAC Responds to Troubling Censorship of College-Level Writing Class in Ohio High School
NCAC has written to the mayor and joined with FIRE and PEN America in a letter to the superintendent of Hudson City Schools after controversy erupted in Hudson, Ohio, over the appearance (but not use) of writing prompts that allude to sexual experience in an optional, college-level writing course, the school seized the books from students and the mayor threatened to prosecute the school board.
Artists, Curators and Advocates Condemn Florida Mayor’s Political Censorship of Coral Gables Public Art Show
In July 2021, echoing the rhetoric of the 1950s McCarthy era and in flagrant disregard of fundamental constitutional principles, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago urged the city’s commissioners to condition city funding for Illuminate Coral Gables, a public art show, on the exclusion of two of the participating artists because of their purported political views. As artists, arts professionals and free speech organizations we are deeply troubled by demands to censor a public art show so as to penalize political viewpoints.
NCAC Applauds North Carolina Governor’s Veto of Bill Aimed at Censoring Teaching on Racism
The National Coalition Against Censorship applauds North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s recent veto of House Bill 324, which would have regulated the teaching of certain concepts commonly (and often mistakenly) associated with Critical Race Theory.
NCAC Criticizes Censorship of LGBTQ History Exhibit at Missouri State Capitol
The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to Missouri Governor Michael L. Parson after state officials removed an exhibit about LGBTQ history from the Missouri Capitol.
Coalition Calls for Biden Administration to Prioritize Privacy and Civil Liberties in Filling Vacancies
NCAC has joined a coalition of 20 organizations led by the ACLU in urging the Biden Administration to appoint privacy and civil liberties-minded candidates to fill the existing vacancies on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) and uphold government transparency. The PCLOB, created based on a recommendation of the 9/11 commission, was charged by Congress in 2007 to [...]
NCAC Joins 90+ Organizations in Urging Apple to Abandon Plans to Weaken Digital Privacy and Security
NCAC joined with more than 90 civil society groups, led by the Center for Democracy and Technology, in submitting a letter to Apple urging the company to abandon its plans to build surveillance capabilities into iPhones, iPads, and other Apple Products. The plans, announced on August 5, 2021, are designed to protect children and reduce the spread of child sexual abuse [...]
NCAC Joins Letter Calling on Arkansas Superintendent to Reprint Censored Yearbook Pages
The National Coalition Against Censorship has signed on to a letter by the Student Press Law Center calling on the Superintendent of Arkansas’s Bigelow High School to reprint yearbook pages that were censored after alleged “community backlash.” The letter also asks that the Superintendent apologize to the yearbook staff and former adviser Meghan Walter who resigned due to the censorship. [...]
NCAC Objects to PBS Censorship of LGBTQ+ Children’s Program
NCAC asks PBS for a policy change after it removed from its national website an LGBTQ+ children's program featuring a drag queen.
Instagram Censors, Then Uncensors, Almodóvar Movie Poster
NCAC applauds Instagram's reversal of its censorship of the movie poster for Pedro Almodóvar's Madres Paralelas and calls for the same standard to apply to all artistic content on the platform.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Artwork by Public Officials in California
The National Coalition Against Censorship is concerned that the City of Encinitas’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts has removed several works from an exhibition because of apparent discomfort with some of the content of those works. The censored artist, Elena Karavodin, was selected by the city to produce a number of works for an exhibition in one of [...]
Bullock Texas State History Museum Censors History Book Event
NCAC objects to Bullock Texas State History Museum cancellation of an event for "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of An American Myth" under pressure from a number of state politicians, including Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
Supreme Court Rules on Off-Campus Student Speech Rights in Mahanoy vs. B.L. Case
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a student's First Amendment rights for off-campus speech, but the Mahanoy decision left questions unanswered.
Non-Partisan Coalition Statement Opposing “Divisive Concepts” Legislation
Non-partisan coalition statement in a response to attempts to limit teaching related to critical race theory, under a broad umbrella of "divisive concepts," including free speech and First Amendment framework for opposition advocacy.
Don’t Delete Art Hosts Workshop for Artists on How to Avoid Instagram Censorship
On June 2, 2021, artists Dina Brodsky, Savannah Spirit, and Spencer Tunick hosted a conversation to share advice on how to tag, contextualize, or modify artwork on Instagram so as to improve its chances of not being removed. The webinar is part of Don't Delete Art, a gallery, resource center and campaign advocating for artistic freedom on social media. [...]
NCAC in Publishers Weekly: Publishing and Censorship
NCAC's Executive Director, Chris Finan, wrote two columns for Publishers Weekly looking at the long history of book publishing's role in fighting censorship and promoting free expression.
Censorship Tarnishes Veteran Voices Show at Walt Disney Family Museum
An exhibition, Veterans' Voices: Painted Realities, at Walt Disney Family Museum left out two controversial images by artist Amos Gregory.
North Carolina School District Appears to Ban Book One of a Kind, Like Me for Acknowledging Gender Identity Issues
NCAC is concerned by the treatment of Laurin Mayeno's One of a Kind, Like Me in a North Carolina school district based on the perception that the book addresses gender identity issues.
NCAC Asks New Jersey School District to Clarify Overly Broad Material Vetting Policy
The National Coalition Against Censorship is concerned about a new policy at Montclair Public Schools that threatens to chill teachers' ability to select instructional material that deals with race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality.