Truthout
Book Bans
![Protesters turn their backs to the Houston school board](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1661900504-400x300.jpg)
Texas Education Officials Reject Textbooks Over Climate Science
Some board members also objected to textbooks that did not include alternatives to the theory of evolution.
![A hand removes a book from a library shelf](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/11/2023_1106-book-400x300.jpg)
Arkansas Librarian Who Was Fired Over Refusal to Enforce Book Bans Speaks Out
“I'd rather be fired for upholding the First Amendment instead of sued for violating it,” librarian Patty Hector said.
![MoveOn Political Action’s Banned Book Mobile stops for an event with local authors and teachers on October 1, 2023, in Decatur, Georgia.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1712144233-400x300.jpg)
Banned Black History Can Teach Us How to Fight Right-Wing School Censorship
As “Banned Books Week” comes to a close, it’s crucial to acknowledge right-wing censorship’s deep roots in U.S. history.
![A person looks at books at a Miami-Dade Public Library on July 19, 2023, in Miami, Florida.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/09/2023_0928-florida-1-400x300.jpg)
FL Superintendent Orders Librarians to Purge LGBTQ Books From School District
“These characters and themes cannot exist,” the school district superintendent told librarians.
![Library bookshelves, dark aisle leading to light](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/09/2023_0921-library-400x300.jpg)
Report: Attempts to Ban Books in 2023 Are Outpacing Previous Year by 20 Percent
Far right groups are targeting books with LGBTQ and/or racial themes, a new report stated.
![Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe, is one of the banned and challenged books on display during Banned Books Week 2022 at the Lincoln Belmont branch of the Chicago Public Library on September 22, 2022.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/09/2023_0918-Banned-Books-400x300.jpg)
Here’s How Illinois and California Are Resisting Right-Wing Book Bans
Both states’ legislation set a strong precedent of protecting avenues of public knowledge and education.
![](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/09/GettyImages-1177460348-400x300.jpg)
Florida Parents Struggle With State’s Ongoing Public Education Censorship
In the new school year, some are organizing to make sure conservative materials like PragerU stay out of the classroom.
![Teenage girl sitting at desk in high school classroom](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1345022793-400x300.jpg)
Most US Students Say Their School’s Curriculum Doesn’t Include LGBTQ Topics
LGBTQ kids across the country have had to learn about their history from sources beyond textbooks and classrooms.
![Children read a book at Riverside Main Library in downtown Riverside, California, on January 31, 2023.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/08/2023_0818-library-400x300.jpg)
GOP Book Bans and Democratic Divestment Both Created Crisis for Public Libraries
The current battle over libraries doesn’t tell the larger truth about decades of disinvestment by both parties.
![Students raise hands in class](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/08/2023_0815-class-400x300.jpg)
Despite Reversing AP Psychology Ban, Some Florida Schools Still Won’t Teach It
Florida students continue to struggle with a board of education more interested in political ideology than academics.