Book Bans and Bullshit
A brief history of moral panic and the people who profit from it.
The beginning of October was Banned Books Week!
Book banning is not new, but the United States has seen a massive surge in challenges over the past decade. Studies by PEN America and the American Library Association (ALA) show that far‑right and conservative groups have teamed up to target books that discuss race, LGBTQIA+ identities, gender, and social justice.
These campaigns often leverage moral panic about “obscenity” or “sexual content,” but taking a deeper look reveals political motivations. Similar ideologically driven bans have emerged elsewhere, from Hungary to China, illustrating that when political power intersects with conservative moral agendas, free expression suffers.
In recent years, book bans have mostly been orchestrated by conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty, No Left Turn in Education, and conservative think‑tanks. (You may have heard of them - sorry if you threw up in your mouth.) These groups have national structures and hella funding to lean on while progressive groups typically rely on more….localized efforts (which is a nice way to say “our side is broke.”)
PEN America is one of my favorite resources for investigating this stuff. They put out an awesome report, “The Normalization of Book Banning,” which points out that these groups use words like “indoctrination” to weasel their way into political influence by removing books from schools. But the thing these “conservative activists” don’t say out loud is that they equate LGBTQIA+ identities with sexual content. And in doing so, they weaponize sexualized language to stigmatize marginalized communities and paint public education as morally corrupt.
It might be easier to combat if these clowns were only doing this at the local level, but they’re not. In 2020, Trump signed an executive order barring federal contractors from diversity training that advanced “divisive concepts”; in response, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) removed nearly 600 titles from military school libraries. The order was later rescinded.
At the state level, heavyweight book banning champ: Florida has enacted multiple laws for book banners. The Stop WOKE Act restricts instruction that suggests collective responsibility for past oppression (though major portions have since been blocked in federal court.) The Parental Rights in Education law (“Don’t Say Gay”) bans classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for younger grades, using vague “age-appropriateness” language that has been used to justify removing LGBTQIA+ themed books. And House Bill 1069 (2023) extended that ban through eighth grade, prohibited pronoun discussions, and created a book-removal process that led to hundreds of titles by LGBTQIA+ and Black authors being purged from Florida libraries (portions of which were ruled unconstitutional this year.)
Utah enacted House Bill 374 in 2022, banning “pornographic or indecent” materials in K‑12 libraries. (Spoiler: The removed books were mostly just by Black, Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ authors and not porn.) In 2024 the legislature passed HB 29, allowing any three school districts (or two districts plus five charter schools **NOT A JOKE**) to deem a book “sensitive,” triggering a statewide ban with no appeals process. In practice, laws like these lead to a chilling effect. That means educators censor themselves before anyone even tells them to.
Texas also recently enacted major censorship-style laws - obviously. In 2023, House Bill 900 required school-library book vendors to rate every title for “sexually relevant” or “sexually explicit” content and banned libraries from holding materials rated “sexually explicit.” While parts of the law were blocked by a federal court as unconstitutional, the rest remains. In 2025 the legislature passed Senate Bill 13 which gives school boards the final say on library acquisitions and removals, creates parent-majority advisory councils, and gives parents greater direct power to challenge and remove books.
Many other states have pushed similar measures. In Idaho, a bill was introduced that would have made librarians criminally liable for distributing “harmful materials,” though that version didn’t pass - thank god. Unfortunately, a related law requiring libraries to ban disputed books and exposing libraries to lawsuits did become law in 2024. In Arkansas, Act 372 created criminal liability for librarians who furnished “harmful” content to minors, though key sections of the law have since been struck down by federal courts. Locally, in California, counties such as Fresno have proposed citizen review committees for library books. Classic Fresno.
So, why do they do this shit? Well, I have some theories. None of them are unique.
First of all: white supremacy. Florida’s Stop WOKE Act restricted teaching that individuals are responsible for past racial oppression, and Texas’ HB 3979 limits teachers’ ability to discuss systemic racism.
We can trace this white supremacy thing all the way back to the McCarthy Era. Organizations like the Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Legion waged campaigns against “subversive” literature where they would intimidate librarians and purge texts that criticized capitalism or promoted racial equality.
Also, I think book bans are a political strategy to mobilize conservative voters. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: if you can convince people their kids are in danger, you own their ass. Parents will do anything to keep their children “safe” - whatever that means to them.
The John Birch Society was an influential far‑right group in the 1960s who sought to police library and school content, warning that “communistic” and “pornographic” materials eroded moral fiber. (These people are obsessed with communism. Libraries once purged “communist” titles, teachers and librarians faced intimidation, and free speech was chilled just like it is today.)
In the Kanawha County textbook war of 1974, fundamentalist Christians and conservative activists protested new multicultural textbooks, claiming they undermined traditional values. The fact that “Christians” were crusading against integration never fails to boggle the mind. But we saw the Christian Right galvanized by this conflict.
And then, it was in the 1990’s that the modern culture war was born! Religious right groups campaigned against books like Heather Has Two Mommies and Harry Potter for promoting homosexuality or witchcraft.
If we look back at these historical episodes around book banning, we can see the pattern: conservative book bans often coincide with broader political movements. Anti‑communism in the Cold War, the rise of the Religious Right, and the modern anti‑“woke” sentiment.
I know I don’t have to tell YOU, dear Reader, but this shit is bad!
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop described books as “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.” A mirror lets a child see themselves (their culture, their family, their feelings, etc). A window lets them look into someone else’s world, sparking empathy and understanding. And a sliding glass door invites them to step through and imagine life from a different point of view entirely.
When we ban some peoples’ stories, we cut off the opportunity for kids to see themselves and each other. This sends a message that some peoples’ identities are inappropriate, somehow. Or it makes kids feel like THEY are inappropriate.
So what happens after the bans? Well, school districts have to expend resources to respond to challenges, form review committees and navigate conflicting laws. Texas’ HB 900 requires vendors to rate each book, imposing significant costs and deterring smaller publishers. Florida’s HB 1069 and similar statutes force libraries to relocate or catalogue books under age restrictions. Lawsuits challenging these statutes (in Iowa and Florida) incur legal expenses.
Book bans obviously also exacerbate polarization by framing education as a culture‑war battleground. It’s worth noting that parents on both sides of the aisle do not want schools to be on the frontlines of the culture war. But conservative parents are conditioned to view schools as ideological indoctrination centers, while us progressives see bans as authoritarian.
Speaking of authoritarianism…book censorship is not unique to the United States. In Hungary, their government promotes a “child protection” law which keeps minors from being able to see any type of LGBTQIA+ representation. In Russia, their anti‑gay propaganda law was expanded in 2022 to outlaw positive depictions of LGBTQIA+ relationships. This year, authorities there seized thousands of books and placed publishers under house arrest because distributing these books could lead to 12‑year prison terms. In Belarus, bookstores face raids. In Hong Kong, authorities target children’s books portraying sheep resisting wolves, seen as allegories of protests.
Are you catching my drift?! I could go on. China, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Turkey… Whether justified by “child protection,” anti‑extremism, or religious law, the result is always suppression of dissenting or minority voices.
These global examples coupled with historical parallels allows us to see that censorship often intensifies during periods of political fear: Cold War anti‑communism, civil‑rights struggles, post‑9/11, etc. Education, as always, is a battleground where conservative actors seek to shape the next generation’s worldview.
But we can push back. Civil‑rights organizations (ACLU, PEN America, etc.) sue state governments for these policies that violate citizens’ First Amendment rights. Teachers, librarians, and students organize read‑ins and awareness campaigns. Lawmakers can enact protections for educators. Internationally, solidarity networks and free‑speech watchdogs can pressure governments to end these repressive practices.
All that to say, this fight isn’t really about books - it’s about power. Every time a book is pulled from a shelf, someone is trying to shrink the world our kids are allowed to imagine.
But the thing about stories is, they survive! Be it bonfires or school board meetings. They always have.
To fight back, we just need to keep reading, showing up at school board meetings, and supporting organizations like PEN America and the ACLU. Because the only thing more dangerous than an educated child with access to stories is an entire generation that’s been taught not to ask questions.
See you next time,
Frazz