Free Republic

As books are banned and challenged across the country, they might have a much larger impact than the removal of a few titles: They may be changing the makeup of entire school libraries, due to the chilling effect they create. That’s according to new research that in 2022 analyzed hundreds of titles from more than 6,600 public school libraries across the country. The contents of school libraries are not often public even as a record number of books continue to be challenged across the country. But the availability of books about topics considered controversial, such as race and racism, LGBTQ...

Kirk Cameron came out with a new children’s book, and was shocked to find that when he approached libraries about doing a story time event for kids, they rejected his offer outright. When Cameron reached out to libraries, 55 of them rejected him outright. Cameron told The Post Millennial that his book, As You Grow, out from Brave Books, "teaches kids biblical wisdom, through the seasons of life and how to grow the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control." "You think everybody would be thrilled with something like that,"...

Marian the Librarian, the prim, bespectacled love interest of con artist Harold Hill in the classic musical, “The Music Man,” wouldn’t recognize her profession today. Libraries, for decades the ultimate safe spaces, have become ground zero in the ongoing culture wars, with battles over banned books, drag queen story hours and free access to porn raging all over the country — from Louisiana to Idaho to Washington State as well as cities like New York and LA. “The average person has no idea of this but librarians have been targeting children in recent years and trying to turn them into...

This display shows some of the books that have been banned all over the world as well as well as throughout the US. The words covering the books are the quoted reasons each book was banned. Take a look and see which of your favorite books have been banned and why.

The argument from the NYC Dept. of Education, under Schools Chancellor David Brooks, is that Maia Kobabe's "Gender Queer" "is well written," and that "Students with a similar experience will feel affirmed." A New York mom reached out to the New York City Department of Education to find out why a book featuring child pornography was allowed in the libraries of New York City public schools and to ask for it to be reconsidered for inclusion in the collection. The response she got was that it is both appropriate and beneficial for students to have graphic sexual imagery featured in...

“The whole apparatus for spreading knowledge, the schools and the press, wireless and cinema, will be used exclusively to spread those views which, whether true or false, will strengthen the belief in the rightness of the decisions taken by the authority; and all information that might cause doubt or hesitation will be withheld.”Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom (1944) I just received a remarkable invitation to an upcoming lecture series entitled, “Weeding out Neutrality,” the advertised speakers being “activist librarians” who aim to destroy “old myths about libraries and neutrality” so they can curate collections that are openly and...

Seattle Public Libraries (SPL) is reporting $434,000 in damage over the last 18 months, citing an increase in loitering, vandalism, and homeless encampments surrounding several of their branches. SPL laid out the most recent data in a memo to Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez. That includes reports of $170,000 in damage to the Central library branch on Fourth Avenue, in the form of seven shattered window panels damaged by a pellet gun. Other damage to that branch included one instance where an uninsured motorist ran into the building on its Madison Street side, breaking four large window panes and bending...

[WARNING: This article contains strong language and content] A Virginia mom found that books graphically depicting pedophilia were in her child’s school as part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion — so she read from them, verbatim, to the school board. The Visio is riveting and should be brought to the attention of Mark Levin where it can get some attention.

The Bluest Eye. To Kill A Mockingbird. The Hate U Give. Stamped. George. What do these books have in common? Yes, they’re classics—and future classics. But they’re also some of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020. Join One World on Wednesday, September 29 at 8:00 PM ET on Zoom for a special Ideas & Action virtual event where we investigate—and celebrate—Banned Books Week, the freedom of ideas, and the necessity and power of even the most discomforting truths. Hosted by Chris Jackson, publisher and editor-in-chief, and co-sponsored by the American Library Association, Ideas & Action: Banned Books will...

‘Whiteness … has permeated every aspect of librarianship’ Many people see libraries as citadels of knowledge and learning, but some scholars and academics are claiming that there is too much “whiteness” in them. “Libraries in this country have always been white,” Louisiana State University School of Library and Information Science Professor Suzanne Stauffer told The College Fix in an email. “Public and school libraries in particular have been a means of assimilation into white American middle-class culture. Founders of public libraries were quite explicit about this.” One of the most popular efforts to remedy this perceived fault is the University...

A Missouri lawmaker said he has never experienced so much”vitriol” and “hate” as he has faced after introducing a bill against drag queens reading to children in public libraries. Republican Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker’s bill, which seeks to ban Drag Queen Story Hour in public libraries, has been met with opposition from local librarians, the American Library Association, Drag Queen Story Hour defenders and LGBTQ proponents.

The Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, sponsored by state Sen. Paul Bailey and state Rep. Andy Holt, would establish a five-member review board for each public library to determine “whether any sexual material provided to the public by the public library is age-inappropriate sexual material.” Voters would elect the members. The board would hold public hearings, during which time “members of the community may present concerns to the board,” according to the bill’s text. The bill is HB 2721 in the House and SB2896 in the Senate. Holt said it would provide local control on controversial issues. “There haven’t...

A council in Newham, a borough of London, England, has announced its plans to host a series of Drag Queen Story Times for preschoolers in the community. According to Infowars, however, Newham has a bustling population of Muslims, who vehemently and vocally oppose all expressions of homosexuality and gender confusion. This should go over well. “The first of our Drag Queen Story Times for under 5s & their parents & carers at @NewhamLibraries this #LGBTHM20 is on Friday,” Newham Council said in a tweet earlier this week. “Come & listen to fabulous stories, beautifully told.”

A Missouri Lawmaker says he wants to keep sexual materials at libraries out of kid’s hands. But a lot of people are pushing against the idea, saying it’s a form of censorship. “The main thing is I want to be able to take my kids to a library and make sure they’re in a safe environment, and that they’re not gonna be exposed to something that is objectionable material,” says State Representative Ben Baker. “Unfortunately, there are some libraries in the state of Missouri that have done this. And that’s a problem.” On January 8th, Baker filed the Parental Oversight...

Rep. Eric Swalwell’s surplus shoelaces have now tied up a place in history. At the end of the Dublin Democrat’s short-lived presidential campaign, Swalwell was left with $7,000 worth of branded shoelaces. The excess swag was transferred to his congressional campaign, as detailed in a campaign finance report filed at the end of the fundraising quarter. Now, two sets of those shoelaces will be preserved for future generations at the California State Library.

When people in a community find out that their local public library is hosting a “Drag Queen Story Hour” – bizarre men in garish women’s clothes reading LGBT-themed books to young children ages 3-8 – their first reaction is usually shock and disgust. They wonder, “How is this happening?”

A video of a "Drag Queen Story Hour" in Washington state has gone viral on social media. The video is of a drag queen stripper, and although it reportedly occurred over the summer at the King County Public Library in Renton, it was only recently posted to Twitter. One Blogger reported the June 2019 event was advertised as being for "teens and tweens." To date, the video has received nearly 2 million views and many people who posted comments about it asked, "What does this have to do with reading?" Some pro-family groups and "Activist Mommy" Elizabeth Johnston have criticized...

Trans and LGBTQIAP activists will tell you that you have no right to question their ideology or actions. They are the keepers of the new and unassailable religion. Their religion is called Queer Theory and it’s adherents are radical misogynistic zealots that have created their own queer caliphate. Their god is perversity, transgender “women” are their high priestesses, and drag queens are their temple dancers. At their unholy altar of misogyny they sacrifice the dignity of women and sexualize children in their pedophilic fantasies. American women need to wake up and realize that Queer-Marxists are doing everything they can to...

Our public libraries have been taken over by liberal ideologues and nowhere has this been more evident than at the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference held last month in Washington DC. The world’s largest library conference, attended by 21,460 people, featured over 100 workshops with the theme “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” As you would expect, these workshops included topics such as Drag Queen Storytimes, LGBT issues, non-traditional families, minors’ “rights” to privacy, and gender confusion. According to The Federalist, “Politically charged talks and workshops like these formed at least one-third of the conference offerings.” Of all the different themes...

Workers in Johnson County could have hundreds of additional dollars taken out of their paychecks annually to help pay for roadwork in the county and an expansion of the county jail — work expected to cost more than $130 million in the next five years. The Johnson County Council unveiled an income tax increase proposal to fund $110 million in road, bridges and infrastructure improvements across the county, mainly due to the construction of Interstate 69, and an estimated $20 million jail expansion project that would address a frequently overcrowded jail that the state has ordered the county to fix....