According to PEN America, Pennsylvania ranks #6 in the country for book bans with a total of 27 instances in 2022. Most of the banned titles are books centered on race, history, sexual orientation, and gender.
The toxic hate group Moms for Liberty (M4L) has taken over school boards across the state, fueling the book banning hysteria that is trying to erase the identity of LGBTQ+ students and students of color while promoting Christian nationalism.
Fascist-friendly extremists are attempting to whitewash our country’s narrative and erase marginalized communities, and they’re doing it by banning books under the guise of “protecting children.”
Recently the Central Bucks School District banned two LGBTQ+ books, “Gender Queer” and “This Book is Gay” shortly after ordering teachers to remove Pride flags and punishing those who speak out against the anti-LGBTQ+ directives.
The bans were the result of a policy review by a conservative Christian law firm with ties to Family Research Council, an anti-LGBTQ+ Christian nationalist hate group.
History informs us that book bans are just the first step in the suppression of freedom.