Utah has ordered the removal of 13 books from school libraries and classrooms, including works by Margaret Atwood and Judy Blume.The state believes these books contain content that is pornographic or indecent according to a new law.
This decision, announced on Friday, aligns with a law effective from July 1. This law directs schools and charter schools to focus on shielding children from the harmful effects of illicit content.
Books that describe sex or masturbation are now in violation of this rule. If a book is removed for this reason, the school must inform the state board of education. If the same book is banned by three school districts, or by two school districts and five charter schools, it must be removed from all schools in Utah.
The Utah State Board of Education said they had to compile the list by law and were dedicated to following the regulations.
PEN America, a free speech advocacy group, noted that this is the first instance of a state mandating a universal ban on specific books in schools.
Jonathan Friedman from PEN America highlighted the gravity of this situation, saying, “This is literally the government saying that ‘Oryx and Crake,’ by Margaret Atwood, cannot be shelved in public schools.”
Utah’s new law is one of several new regulations on book access implemented this summer. people suggest these measures are crucial to prevent children from facing these sensitive subjects alone in the library or classroom.
banned books including by author Sarah J. Maas, Judy Blume’s Forever, Blankets by Craig Thompson, Tilt by Ellen Hopkins’s book A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury.
which explores issues like adult teen romantic relationship between two young men, one of whom is HIV positive.
