British author Juno Dawson is a top target for US censors. Her books unpack LGBT+ themes and she is a trans woman. They're the perfect recipe when it comes to things to get irate about – if you’re one of the US’s many book challengers, of course.
I was interviewing Dawson for nonprofit Index on Censorship, where I am the assistant editor, when she told me she had no idea whether her books were being taken off the shelves in the UK because we haven’t got a method for tracking library censorship over here. Well then, I thought. I’d better find out.
Fast forward nearly a year, and we have an answer. Yes, Juno, your books are being removed from UK school libraries. And you’re in the company of authors including Simon James Green, Philip Pullman and comedian Rosie Jones.
The Index on Censorship investigation, where 53 per cent of school librarians who responded to our survey said they had been asked to remove books from their shelves and – even more worryingly – 56 per cent of those librarians were forced to actually remove those books, paints a concerning picture. More than half of the requests are coming from parents, and it’s largely around LGBT+ content.
Esta historia es de la edición August 19, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 19, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Coalition government likely in Ireland as count proceeds
Fianna Fail say decisions on power-sharing for another day’
How Syria's forgotten war is back on the world's agenda
Many believed the country was lost in an unsolvable conflict, until everything changed in a matter of days, writes Bel Trew
Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance
Civilians reportedly killed by Russian and Syrian airstrikes
Mother of poisoning victim says she knew she would die
Lawyer Simone White succumbed to the effects of methanol while backpacking in Laos with two of her childhood friends
Pensioner, 95, left on cold.pavement with broken hip
A 95-year-old woman was left on a cold pavement for more than five hours waiting for an ambulance after the emergency services told a bystander trying to help her that she wasn’t a priority.
Snow and frost forecast as parts of the UK face 7C
The Met Office has warned Britons to expect more snow this week as temperatures plunge to below-freezing in some regions.
Man arrested in relation to rape claim at Groucho Club
A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an alleged incident at one of Soho’s most famous private members’ clubs, Metropolitan Police have said.
Eight injured after car hits crowd at Christmas market
Two children are among six people taken to hospital after a car crashed into a group of pedestrians at a Christmas market.
Will this 'plan for change' reverse Labour's fortunes?
Sir Keir Starmer's time in government was summed up yesterday by Sky's Trevor Phillips as \"the Taylor Swift tickets, the suits, the dresses, the glasses, the No 10 passes, the chief of staff sacked inside six months\".
PM warned on 'destructive' food trade deal with the US
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned a comprehensive trade deal with the US under Donald Trump would \"destroy our family farms and healthy food standards\".
