ysabetwordsmith | Book Bans (Reply)

6 states expand library protections amid surging book bans: 'The freedom to read... is supported and protected'

New Jersey joined at least five other states — California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington — that have passed legislation within the past two years that aims to preserve access to reading materials that deal with racial and sexual themes, including those about the LGBTQ+ community.

So let's be blunt:

You have a right to read or not read whatever you choose. You do not have a right to take books away from other people who prefer different reading material than you do, because that leads to empty libraries, ignorant people, and even worse problems than we have already. Other people's reading choices are none of your business.

Unless you are a librarian or the sponsor of a special collection, the contents of a public library are not your personal responsibility. If you are an official member, the library will likely offer you forms to request adding books or topics should they lack materials you need. But you should not be trying to take books out of the library, as other people may need them.

If you are a parent, you have the legal right to control what your own children read, although depending on your choice of censorship, this could cripple or kill them, so choose mindfully. Ethically, you should be encouraging your children to learn everything need to stay safe, healthy, and happy in this life. You do not have a right to control what anyone else reads, of any age, as it is none of your business.

And what people read is not the state's business either, for the same above reasons regarding ignorant people and worse disasters.

Things You Can Do:

Are you a bookworm? Reading three books on a topic will make you an expert compared to average people. Go absorb something. You can easily annoy bigots and censors by consuming and transmitting information they wish to stamp out. You never even need to face them; you can attack their worldviews from a safe distance. On Dreamwidth check out Books communities, especially

50books_poc and

pluralstories. See challenges for Reading, Writing, Community Thursdays, and Fannish 50.

Are you a person of color? Read everything you can. Nothing scares the shit out of white people like a black man with a book in his hands.

Are you a datahoarder? You are needed now. Observe what people are trying to ban or destroy, determine which of those topics are dear to your, and gather them into your hoard for protection. Especially favor ephemera and small-press titles that are easily wiped out in pogroms and other purges. See