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There are a lot of bad takes this week on the whys and hows of the growing firestorm of book challenges. Im not going to link to them, but the reality is this isnt new, media thats reporting on firsts for any area are behind the curve by months (thanks, death of local journalism), and no, its not school boards who are willy nilly banning books. These complaints are coming from grown adults who may or may not live in a community and more often than not, theyre aligned with right-wing groups funded by a lot of dark money. Moms of Liberty currently putting a bounty on teachers who talk about systemic racism is but one of many of such groups across the United States, typically spearheaded by a failed or hopeful politician. They share information across public and private social media tools (heres a great example of an extremist group gearing up their followers to at protest one school board meeting this week). These groups put board members in a position of being on the defense, and in many cases board members need to be escorted to their vehicles after a meeting because their literal safety is at risk.

Are there folks on the inside starting these censorship calls? Sure. But the vast majority are not, and in a not-insignificant number of cases lately, the adults who are complaining arent parents of students in the district.

Rather than offer any insights or clear up any misconceptions roaring around this weeks censorship news, Im just going to list them. In many ways, this is a really useful way to see just how widespread this issue is. Im going to miss many stories, and thats part of the point: its impossible to keep up. Note that this may be mostly not-great news, but there ARE some positive developments here.

As always, heres the tool kit for what you can do to combat censorship in your community and beyond. Spend an hour this weekend writing letters, planning a visit to your local school and library board meetings in support of intellectual freedom, and requesting books for and from your local library.

Something else to be aware of: the same groups that are pushing anti-antiracism with their anti-CRT movement that conveniently includes anyone who isnt straight, too, is going to start coming hard for mental health. Theyre already protesting social emotional learning, and the next logical step is the books that talk about mental health. (This is, of course, the same groups that complain students are miserable and why wont anyone help them. The fault lies, conveniently, in mask mandates or virtual learning or any other anti-science scapegoat).

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Two more links before the mega list: a comic about some light book banning and George M. Johnson responds to their book being challenged and banned on MSNBC.

Lets end with something that feels like the right place to end. Malinda Lo, who took home the honor of National Book Award winner in this years category for Young Peoples Literature with her queer, Asian American historical novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club, shared a powerful message about censorship going on right now. The parallels to some of the discussions in her book to whats happening across the country with censorship are chilling:

See original here:
Wake Up: The Censorship Has Been Alive Forever. Its at Fever Pitch Today. - Book Riot

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, RevolutionaryPeople's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

See more here:
How far will LCSD1 allow censorship of materials to go? - Wyoming Tribune

Image from social media

Famous DJ Natalia Paris has once again turned social networks on through a photo she posted on her Instagram account, in which she invited her followers to visit her website where they can find her new book, as well as exclusive content for the businesswoman.

In the shot, the model is shown wearing a white blouse with one of her open breasts open and without a bra, defying Instagrams privileged censorship of content deemed explicit by the social networks algorithm. It is worth noting that Paris covered part of the nipple with a label in Spanish, censorship or censorship.

In addition to the shot, the artist announced the launch of her new book, which she described herself as: A collection of Erotic Photography Made with the best photographers in the country. A piece of art to collect, and according to her, it is available on her website http://www.nataliaparis.com.co.

Look here at a picture of Natalia Paris:

The post that was shared two days ago on the official profile of Natalia Paris on Instagram already has more than 152,250 copies, exceeds 16,600 likes and garnered about 160 comments, of which the artists beauty stands out with qualifiers such as Beautiful and Beautiful. precious.

I want one like this for Christmas, Beauty should never be restricted or censored, I love you, Why are men allowed to go shirtless naturally and women are forbidden, The most beautiful thing of the day is Natalia, Always beautiful , Do not change, every day is better, Book? What is Natalia planning, The most beautiful woman in Colombia , She has always been beautiful, blessed and abundant for her , Among other things.

It is worth noting that the artist topped the news on various occasions due to her statements about the Covid-19 virus, vaccination, and the various theories that she deals with in her life. One of them was when he asserted that young men became gay due to eating chicken, stating that the hormones injected into the animals and their subsequent human consumption affected sexual development.

Regarding these statements, Natalia Paris referred to this in an interview with Diva Rebeca, a character played by Omar Vazquez, where the DJ confirmed: Suddenly it was said wrong, but it has a lot to do with hormones, the truth is I still think so.

However, the case went further, after Antioqueas statements the interviewer laughedly stated that she had a slightly far-fetched theory, alluding to the fact that the food was of a different kind, alluding to the masculine male organ. With a term used in Spain.

On frequent occasions, Natalia Paris has been called stupid for her statements and tone of voice that characterizes the 48-year-old model, by users of social networks.

However, she recently made reference to the issue and strongly demanded that prejudices be put aside, through her Instagram Stories where she highlighted her accomplishments as a businesswoman with skincare products, as well as being a model, DJ and now with his book.

I know it was hard for a lot of people to think that women who are notoriously stupid are not able to do things well, The model noted and added, These are biases that we really should let go, because if we have a sophisticated, open mind, connected to abundance, we understand that. A woman is capable of many things.

Read on:

How and where do you see Leonids in Colombia, the most anticipated meteor showers of this year

From this Tuesday, a vaccination card is required in Colombia: we tell you what you need to know

Original post:
Natalia Paris defied the censorship of Instagram with a picture without covering her chest and opened the networks - Persia Digest

Removing books from library shelves is not what America is supposed to be about.

Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are two of our countrys core ideals. Writers are free to express themselves as they so desire. Readers are free to read a book, or not.

Yet every year, we read or hear the news that parents or citizens somewhere earlier this week, in west suburban Downers Grove are clamoring to have a book they deem offensive taken off the shelves of their childs school library or their local public library.

It happens scores of times every year, when words or stories make people uncomfortable and Americas culture wars flare up. The American Library Association publishes an annual list of the top 10 Most Challenged Books those most likely to be condemned and targeted for removal. In 2020, 273 books were targeted and among the top 10 were three acknowledged literary classics: John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men, Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird and Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye.

In case readers are not aware: Morrison and Steinbeck both won the Nobel Prize for literature. To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.

On Monday, as the Sun-Times Nader Issa reported, the issue flared up in Downers Grove when about 200 people packed a school auditorium to demand that the book Gender Queer: A Memoir be removed from the libraries at Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South high schools. According to protesters, the book exposes children to homoerotic or pornographic content.

The book is the story of author Maia Kobabes journey of gender identity and sexuality as a teenager and young adult. A few pages include illustrations of sex acts, but the books publisher says it is appropriate for high school-aged students.

Gender Queer: A Memoir has come under fire elsewhere too. Virginias largest school district removed it from its high school libraries earlier this fall while it considers parents concerns. A Florida district banned it altogether. Schools in New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington have had the book challenged. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told the states education department to investigate the book, which he considers sexually explicit and pornographic.

Its worth noting that Gender Queer is not mandatory reading at either Downers Grove high school. In fact, theres only one copy available for students to check out at each schools library at Downers North and Downers South high schools.

Lauren Pierret, a senior at Downers Grove North, said at the meeting that she didnt even know Gender Queer existed until last week.

This isnt being forced upon your kids, Pierret said, but it gives kids who would be interested in this story a choice to read it.

It is not the job of this editorial board to judge whether a book is too sexually explicit, profane, violent or otherwise unfit for a child, teenager or another adult to read.

Nor is it the job of conservative culture warriors or anyone else.

Some of the past attacks on Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird, it should be noted, came from people who were bothered by racial stereotypes and slurs they said would have a negative impact on students, according to the ALA.

Good literature can sometimes make us uncomfortable, for any number of reasons. Censorship is never the right response.

Besides, once it starts, where does it end?

Consider the case of Texas Rep. Matt Krause, who is running for attorney general in his state and made headlines when he compiled a list of about 850 books that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex, as the Texas Tribune first reported. Most of the books on his list were written by women, people of color and LGBTQ authors.

Weve got to ask: Did Krause bother to read all 850 books? Or is his list just for political theater?

Books in our schools and libraries must be protected. Even when we dont approve of them.

Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.

See the original post:
We need to protect books at our schools and libraries | Editorial - Chicago Sun-Times

A Sandown Town councillor has accused the Mayor, Cllr Paddy Lightfoot, of censorship and an unreasonable response to effective councillor scrutiny.

Cllr Emily Brothers says that at Mondays Town Council meeting the Mayor prevented her from making a statement, and also refused to allow for a hard copy of her statement to be circulated to fellow town councillors, as well as members of the public or press who attended.

Reason for investigation unknownCllr Brothers told News OnTheWight,

This is a form of censorship.

During the meeting the Mayor confirmed that an investigation into me is underway, but to date I have not been informed as to the terms of the investigation, why it has been initiated and who will be conducting the investigation.

News OnTheWight has emailed the Mayor and the Clerks of Sandown Town Council a series of questions in relation to the incident and will update once we hear back.

Brothers: Willing to co-operate with a fair and transparent investigationCllr Brothers went on to say,

I am willing to co-operate with a fair and transparent investigation, enabling me to move forward in representing residents and ensure accountability for the electorate of Sandown.

Thats why I would like to make my statement clear and available for them to read.

Cllr Brothers statementThe statement that Cllr Brothers had intended to share at the meeting reads:

I received an e-mail on 10/11/21 from the Town Clerk notifying that I would be subject: to have 2 members of staff present at any future meeting, and a note taken of any discussion and future action, and this note shared with the mayor.

What power is being applied by the Town Clerk?

No apparent process has been applied in reaching this decision.

This is an unreasonable response to effective Councillor scrutiny.

I am grateful to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor agreeing to meet me on 11/11/21 despite no resolution being reached.

The Mayor agreed to clarify by 15/11/21 the status and authority for the Town Clerks decision, which he endorses. No clarification has been received, so I now ask for clarification. Therefore, I will not adhere to the sanctions as no justification has been given for this action and I do not believe them to be lawfullyimposed.

I referred the matter to the Monitoring Officer, who advises that his powers are limited to member conduct not the process applied by a Town Council. Thus, no intervention is offered.

I will continue to observe the Members Code of Conduct, whilst not accepting the Town Clerks unfair restriction.

I remain determined to speak up for positive change in Sandown and will not be silenced by bullying and intimidation.

Image: Google Maps/Streetview and Sandown Town Council Website

See original here:
Sandown Town council accused of censorship and unreasonable response to effective councillor scruti ... - On The Wight