Republicans Propose Federal “Don’t Say Gay” Bill: Book Censorship News, October 21, 2022
It was only a matter of time before the “Don’t Say Gay” bill of Florida and the wave of similar anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed throughout the country made its way to the federal level.
Congressman Mike Johnson (Louisiana) introduced the “Stop the Sexualization of Children” Act into the House this week. The bill would “prohibit the use of Federal funds to develop, implement, facilitate, or fund any sexually-oriented program, event, or literature for children under the age of 10, and for other purposes.” The bill would disallow funding for any organization — from libraries to schools to medical facilities and more — offering any materials or programming related to “sexually oriented material” to people under the age of 10. The vagueness of this definition is precisely the point, as it would open the door for vast interpretation and would not only lead to censorship but would lead to the persecution of any individual who does not align with perceived notions of “appropriate.”
As writer Alejandra Cabarello points out, the provision within the bill for “Private Right of Action” is an open bounty for individuals to file lawsuits against anyone using federal funds, banning any and all discussion of LGBTQ+ people and topics wherein there might be children under 10.
This means a queer elementary school educator may be unable to do their job, simply because they are queer. Or because they show a film that one parent may disagree with and choose to interpret as sexual indoctrination.
It means a queer doctor in a public hospital could be sued simply for being queer. A logo that looks too suspiciously “like a rainbow flag” could trigger lawsuits.
And it means anyone could file a lawsuit against a library for having queer materials in the children’s area, even if those materials are age-appropriate.
So many of us have seen this coming, and now that it’s here, if you haven’t been making calls and sending emails to your representatives, this needs to be the reason that you do. Every beat in the bill is laden with the language being used by groups like Moms For Liberty and their ilk, creating a moral panic about the sexualization of children that does not exist.
Whether or not such a law passes is moot right now. That it was drafted says everything you need to know. That it is being considered is a frightening reality of where we are as a society right now. We are not progressive nor open minded, and we never have been.
Now, it’s simply being legislated.
Below is the list of every individual who cosigned the bill, which will help you in the midterm elections.
Absolutely none of this should be surprising if you’ve been paying attention. It was coming.
Remember: it was never, it is never, and it will never be about the books.
It’s about the systematic erasure of people who do not fit the white, cishet, able bodied Christian nationalist mold.
Book Censorship News: October 21, 2022
Moms For Liberty met with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (NC) to propose their homegrown book ratings system as a way to solve book challenges. The same book ratings system they claim over and over they didn’t create but that they did create. This story was buried under a paywall by the newspaper, which is disturbing — why? I’ve got it saved here for full access. You should know what this group and others like it are doing without having to jump through hoops. The right to knowledge and information is at stake.You’ve heard the cat boxes myth spread around by right-wing folks, including dozens of GOP candidates. Here’s the real story behind it, and it is incredible how a need that arose because of gun violence perpetrated by the right can now be twisted to fit their next agenda item.Texas High School students in Texarkana, Texas, uncovered dozens of books pulled from the school library. Their story is a must-read. These student journalists are doing better work than most professionals.Parents and “parents” in Spring Lake, Michigan, are fighting to get Gender Queer removed from the school district’s shelves. They refused to follow meeting protocol and the meeting ended early.The book above was then banned from the library.But they came to a compromise! “If students want to read the graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir, they’ll have to meet with a school counselor who will then call their parents for permission.” Call. Their. Parents. For. Permission.“An Owasso [OK] parent says he was banned from school grounds for trying to keep pornography out of the school library.” There’s not a mention of the book but my guess is it’s either Let’s Talk About It or Gender Queer and the news here could do a better job of explaining that this sort of behavior is absolutely inappropriate.A voluntary community read put together by the Bedford Teachers Association (NY) made people mad because one of the books on the list was The Poet X.“Libraries receiving state funds in Missouri would be required to determine what material is ‘age-appropriate’ and restrict minors from accessing some books under a proposed rule submitted by the secretary of state Monday.” More bigotry masquerading as “parental rights” in Missouri. And below, please note the language:Copyright
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