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USA Today
12-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Most banned books feature people of color and LGBTQ+ characters: Graphics explain the data
Most banned books feature people of color and LGBTQ+ characters: Graphics explain the data The majority of books banned last school year highlighted stories featuring people of color and LGBTQ+ characters and subjects. A recent analysis of thousands of banned titles by PEN America found that more than a third of unique banned titles featured people of color or fictional characters of color. A quarter of banned titles included LGBTQ+ people or characters. PEN America is a nonprofit organization that tracks book bans. The organization said that commonly censored books portray themes of race, sexuality and gender identity. They also show young people dealing with substance abuse, suicide, depression and other mental health issues. Across all genres and reading levels ‒ including fiction, history, biography, memoir and picture books ‒ characters and people of color were disproportionately affected by book bans in the past school year. Of all the history and biography titles, 44% featured people of color, according to the report. Some of the titles removed include "Fences," a Pulitzer-prize winning play, "Another Brooklyn" by Jacqueline Woodson, as well as "A is for Activist," a children's picture book. 'When we strip library shelves of books about particular groups, we defeat the purpose of a library collection that is supposed to reflect the lives of all people. The damaging consequences to young people are real," said Sabrina Baêta, senior manager for PEN America's Freedom to Read program. Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them. Moms For Liberty, a right-wing political activist group, has been a powerful crusader within the parents' rights movement, with a major focus on restricting access to books with sexual content. The advocacy group previously posted online that, 'age appropriate is not banning,' The organization wrote, "Schools have the responsibility of keeping obscene and pornographic materials out of the hands of children. Our moms are working within their communities to make sure books in public schools are age appropriate for all children.' In their analysis, PEN America found that 31% of banned titles had references to sexual experiences but with minimal detail, they added. Another 13% described the sexual experiences 'on the page." States with the most book bans A different PEN America report shows that Florida was the state with the most book bans during the 2023-2024 school year, followed by Iowa. The organization said laws in both states censor certain books in public schools. In Florida, legislation dictates that titles including sexual content, even if it is not pornographic, are subject to removal. Teachers in the state can be charged with a felony for possessing and distributing inappropriate books. 'Inappropriate' can be hard to define. Mentions of race or an LGBTQ+ person or relationship and sexual violence in any context have fallen under that term. Book bans nearly tripled during the 2023-2024 school year with more than 10,000 books banned in public schools, according to PEN America. The spike reflects a renewed effort since 2021 to ban or restrict books in the U.S. Top banned books of the previous school year: According to PEN America, these are the most commonly banned books in schools: Suzanne Trimel, senior adviser for communications and media at PEN America, previously told USA TODAY that the group tracks bans through school board minutes, local news stories and reports from organizational partners across the country. PEN America notes on its website that it does not document book challenges that do not result in bans. This story was updated to add new information.
The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Most banned books feature people of color and LGBTQ+ people, report finds
The majority of banned books in US public schools last year dealt with people of color, LGBTQ+ people and other demographics, according to a new study from PEN America. The report also counteracts claims by conservative lawmakers that books being removed from classrooms are sexually explicit and that book bans are altogether a 'hoax', an assertion made by Donald Trump. There were more than 10,000 instances of books being banned in the 2023-24 school year, PEN America reported, a sharp increase from the previous year, as Republican-led states implemented new censorship laws. Out of 4,218 book titles that were banned, 1,534 – or 36% – featured people of color, the most censored identity group in book bans. Some removed titles included August Wilson's Pulitzer-prize winning play Fences and Innosanto Nagara's A is for Activist, a picture book for children about social issues. Books featuring people of color were disproportionately targeted in all banned-book categories, the report found, especially in removed historical and biographical titles. Of such banned books, 44% included people of color; more than one-fourth, or 26%, of those books featured Black people. Advocates with PEN America noted that at the same time as the onslaught of book bannings, more than 50% of young people in the US are children of color, according to 2021 data from the Children's Defense Fund. 'This targeted censorship amounts to a harmful assault on historically marginalized and underrepresented populations – a dangerous effort to erase their stories, achievements, and history from schools,' said Sabrina Baêta, senior manager for PEN America's Freedom to Read program, in a press release about the report. 'When we strip library shelves of books about particular groups, we defeat the purpose of a library collection that is supposed to reflect the lives of all people. The damaging consequences to young people are real.' Titles featuring LGBTQ+ characters also made up a sizable number of book bans: 1,066 books, or 25% of all banned titles, included LGBTQ+ people. Transgender or genderqueer characters were specifically targeted in such book bans, as 28% of removed books featuring LGBTQ+ characters included that demographic. Beyond people of color and LGBTQ+ people, books including disabled people were also affected by nationwide bans. About 10% of all removed titles included characters with physical, learning or developmental disabilities or who were neurodivergent. Several affected books with disabled characters focused on 'confidence, self esteem, or experiences with ableism', PEN America reported. Meanwhile, only 13% of removed titles included 'on the page' instances of sexual experiences. Inferred or 'off the page' instances of sexual encounters were included in 31% of banned books. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The vast majority of banned books (85%) were fiction, with 14% being non-fiction and 1% poetry. About 67% of removed books were for younger audiences, PEN America reported. The ongoing banning of books comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in US public schools and universities. In a memo last week, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from any schools that refused to eliminate diversity initiatives, such as scholarships for students of certain identity groups and school programming.
