Chad Comello

Bye bye, book bans

My adopted home state of Illinois has got 99 problems but now book bans ain’t one:

Illinois has become the first state to legislate against the banning of books in public libraries, a practice that has been on the rise across the United States as conservatives look to suppress some books dealing with race, history and LGBTQ topics.

Under the new law, Illinois public libraries can only access state grants if they adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which stipulates that “materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”

From Gov. Pritzker’s press conference:

Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies.

This is a big win for freedom. More states please!

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4 responses to “Bye bye, book bans”

  1. Richard P Avatar
    Richard P

    Hooray!

    Reply
  2. Brendan Murphy Avatar
    Brendan Murphy

    Let it be noted that attempts at censorship are not limited to a political party or worldview.

    Not only “conservatives look to suppress some books.” People across political and social spectra, including those who define themselves as liberals or progressives, also seek to ban books they deem to be offensive or authors with whom they disagree (ref. Abigail Shrier, J.K. Rowling, Matt Walsh, et al.).

    It is a big win for freedom when ALL attempts at banning books are regarded equally.

    Reply
    1. Chad Avatar
      Chad

      Couldn’t agree more. Illiberalism and censoriousness can and does come from anywhere.

      Reply

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