Thirteen popular books among young people have been banned from all Utah public schools, under the first wave of a new law that bans a book when at least three of the state’s 41 school boards say it contains “pornographic” or “indecent” material.
Allowing just a few districts to make statewide decisions makes the law one of the most restrictive book banning laws in the United States, according to PEN America, a free speech organization that tracks book bans in the country.
The Utah State Board of Education this month released its first banned book list, which includes several popular young adult novels by author Sarah J. Maas in the series A Court of Thorns and Rose. Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel Oryx and Crake2003) and books by Judy Blume are also on the list.
Utah’s two largest school districts, which are located in conservative parts of the state, have led the charge to ban books. The Davis School District voted to ban all 13 books on the list, and the Alpine School District banned seven, including Maas’s series.
The books are still available at Utah public libraries.
The state’s moves come amid a renewed push by conservatives in the United States in recent years to ban more books, despite concerns from free speech advocates, some teachers and parents.
“Allowing a handful of districts to make statewide decisions is undemocratic, and we are concerned that implementation of the law will result in reduced diversity on library shelves for all Utahns,” said Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read program at PEN America.
Three other states
At least three other states – Tennessee, Idaho and South Carolina – are moving toward having state governments ban books, rather than leaving the issue to local communities, PEN America said.
Under Tennessee law, a single complaint filed by an individual with a school board can be referred to a textbook commission, which could ban the book from school libraries statewide if the commission finds the book is not appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students.
Idaho law requires school and public libraries to move material deemed “harmful to minors” to an adult section or face prosecution. The new law uses Idaho’s definition of “obscene material,” which includes any act of homosexuality.
The Utah law, which went into effect on May 1,er July, requires school districts to report to the state Board of Education which books they have banned from their school libraries that would meet the criteria set by the new law. More books are likely to follow, Ms.me Meehan, from PEN.
Public school libraries must dispose of the books, which cannot be sold or distributed elsewhere, the state government said.
“Books literally have to be thrown away: I think that’s an alarming illustration of where we’ve come to,” says Mr.me Meehan.
Only a member of the Utah Board of Education can appeal a decision by asking the full board to hold a hearing within 30 days of a book being placed on the banned list to vote on whether to remove it. So far, no appeals have been filed, said Sharon Turner, a spokeswoman for the Utah Board of Education.
Racial and/or LGBTQ+ themes
Protests and book bans have reached levels not seen in decades in the United States. Public and school libraries have been flooded with complaints from citizens and conservative organizations such as Moms for Liberty.
More and more elected officials are considering new penalties – crippling prosecutions, heavy fines and even prison sentences – for distributing books that some deem “inappropriate.”
The trend comes as authorities seek to define terms like “obscene” and “harmful.” Many of the disputes involve books with racial and/or LGBTQ+ themes, such as Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye and the memoirs of Maia Kobabe, Gender Queer. And while no librarians or teachers have been jailed so far, the threat alone has led to greater self-censorship.
PHOTO RICK BOWMER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE – Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books, including “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison, that have been the subject of complaints from parents in Salt Lake City on Dec. 16, 2021. The wave of book bannings around the country has reached a level not seen for decades. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) – USA2605Flo
Already this year, lawmakers in more than 15 states have introduced bills to impose tough penalties on libraries or librarians. Some Republicans are calling for nationwide penalties and restrictions.
Referring to “pornography” in the foreword to “Project 2025,” the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a possible second Donald Trump administration, the right-wing group’s president, Kevin Roberts, writes that “the people who produce and distribute this pornography should be imprisoned.”
“Teachers and public librarians who distribute it should be classified as registered sex offenders.”