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.
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 [...]
NJ School Official Who Banned–Then Unbanned–A Book Has a New Plan
Banning a John Green novel didn't work out. But the superintendent's new idea to rate library books would create enormous problems.
Mayor Appoints Would-Be Censor to Library Board
Can a trustee be trusted when he has tried to censor in the past? Residents of Downers Grove were asking that questions when the mayor nominated Arthur Jaros, Jr. to the village’s Library Board.
LGBT Library Censorship Effort Fails in Texas
Would-be censors in Texas lose in their effort to remove LGBT children's books from the public library. But the fight in Hood County may be far from over.
Graphic Novel Isn’t Banned– But Isn’t in the School Library
A graphic novel was challenged in a New Mexico high school. A review committee voted to keep it. So why isn't the book on the shelves? A local reporter dug into the story.
Texas Library Battle Over LGBT Books
Residents of one Texas town want two LGBT books removed from the children's section of a public library. That is unconstitutional. But a plan to move the books to the adult section is similarly problematic.
Police Groups React to ‘Don’t Shoot’ Library Art
Provocative art about police brutality in a Madison, Wisconsin library is causing controversy.
Censored Art: Profanity and Police Brutality
The Charlie Hebdo massacres prompted worldwide calls to embrace and celebrate artistic freedom. But actions speak louder than words. As demonstrations in support of free speech were held in Paris and we all reconfirmed our commitment to an open exchange of ideas, two cultural spaces in the United States-– one a library, the other a university-– censored artwork.
Video: “Fifty Shades of Grey” Fans Speak Out Against Library Ban
We spoke to fans of Fifty Shades of Grey about libraries that have banned their beloved trilogy, and erotica in general. This video was shot at an appearance by Grey author E.L. James at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in NYC. What do you think about libraries that have chosen to exclude all erotica, even while they carry works [...]
Kudos to a Courageous Kentucky Librarian
Two library employees were fired at the Jessamine County Public Library for violating library policy. Deciding that the graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: The Black Dossier was inappropriate for young patrons, they conspired to keeping the book on permanent “checked-out” status and removed a “hold” one young patron placed on the book so that she would [...]
Parents ready to try banning books again in West Bend, WI; this time with a new library board
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 [...]
NCAC Joins Book Groups in Protesting Restrictions on Books in Topeka Library
We’ve been covering challenges to several books about sex in the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. In February, the library board voted to restrict The Joy of Sex, The Joy of Gay Sex, The Lesbian Kama Sutra, and Sex for Busy People, removing them from general circulation in the health section of the library. Svetlana wrote then, While restricting [...]
The Joy of CENSORED
A woman in Topeka, Kansas, has requested that the library board restrict other adults' access to four books in the adult section of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. The sexual content in The Joy of Sex, Sex for Busy People, The Lesbian Kama Sutra, and The Joy of Gay Sex is fully protected under the First Amendment. The [...]