Censorship Sucks
Banned Books Week was started in 1982 by the American Library Association (ALA) in response to the overwhelming number of books that were being challenged in schools, bookstores, and libraries. It is a time to celebrate the freedom to read and highlight the value of open access to information. This year, the theme for Banned Books Week, September 18-24, is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”
Annually, in the months leading up to Banned Books Week, the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom publishes a list of the 10 most challenged books from the previous year. In 2021, five of the 10 most challenged books were banned or challenged because of LGBTQIA+ content: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson and Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin. This is troubling. To ban these books is to participate in erasure and harm.
I recall being a high school student and picking up Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris for the first time. I couldn’t put the book down. It was the first time I’d read a book that centered same gender loving Black men who weren’t just stereotypes but real people, living, loving, and learning as they navigated life. The central character had dealt with some of the emotions that I’d experienced. Reading how he was negotiating his intersecting identities helped me unpack and understand myself better and gave me hope about the road ahead. I was no longer invisible.
It is difficult for me to imagine my latter teenage years without that book. Books are powerful. Books can educate, entertain, expand imagination, inspire, and transform people’s lives and the world.
Toni Morrison, American novelist, Nobel Laureate, and one of the greatest writers of any time, penned two books that have appeared on the list of the top 100 most frequently challenged books of the decade for the last three decades. In an interview with her for a documentary about her life, Morrison said, “I have a little framed document in my bathroom, a letter from, I think Texas Bureau of Corrections, saying that Paradise was banned from the prison because it might incite a riot. And I thought, how powerful is that? I could tear up the whole place!” Likely, access to books like hers would simply bring more people together.
Literature written by and about people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and people with other diverse points of view based on their lived experiences should be celebrated, not censored. In college, I interned with the ACLU of Ohio. One of my favorite projects was helping the director of education plan and execute a series of Banned Books Week events across the state.
Some of the events were held at coffeehouses and community centers. Others were held at and in partnership with local libraries. After the programs were over, I’d stand at the door and give away lollipops attached to a card that read, “Censorship Sucks” on one side, and on the reverse, it provided information about freedom of speech.
Decades later, that declaration about censorship remains true and the commitment to the vigilance that we must all maintain to ensure that it doesn’t happen in our local community remains constant. In the current political climate, we must also extend our vigilance and support to communities all over the United States.
Last year, the ALA tallied over 700 book challenges targeting 1,597 titles. Almost all of them were because their content dealt with racism, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This is not by coincidence or accident. These are deliberate attempts by those who wish to divide and oppress, and we cannot let that happen.
Books unite us. There is power, comfort, and connection in picking up a book where you can find a true and nuanced reflection of yourself. More people, not less, should be able to have that encounter with the written word. You can learn more about Banned Books Week and find some great titles to read on bannedbooksweek.org. September is Library Card Sign-up Month. If you don’t already have one, or if yours expired, now is a great time renew. Let’s read! ▼
Clarence J. Fluker is a public affairs and social impact strategist. Since 2008, he’s also been a contributing writer for Swerv, a lifestyle periodical celebrating African American LGBTQ+ culture and community. Follow him on Twitter: @CJFluker or Instagram: @Mr_CJFluker.