A six-month investigation by Index on Censorship, the results of which have been shared exclusively with The Independent, found that 53 per cent of UK school librarians polled had been asked to remove literature and in more than half of those cases books were taken off shelves.
The snapshot survey found that more than two dozen librarians had experienced such censorship, with one saying they had been told to remove every book with an LGBT+ theme after a single complaint from one parent about one book.
The responses revealed that specific titles removed from school libraries included This Book Is Gay, by Juno Dawson, a memoir about a young person discovering their sexual identity; Julián is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love, a picture book about a gender nonconforming boy who dreams of being a mermaid; and the alphabet book ABC Pride, by Louie Stowell, Elly Barnes and Amy Phelps, which introduces young readers to the alphabet while they learn more about the LGBT+ community.
LGBT+ charities, MPs and authors have warned the move represents a worrying regression on gay rights, “returning us to that world of prejudice that most of us thought we had moved on from”. Former MP Elliot Colburn, who received homophobic death threats while serving in Parliament, said preventing children from accessing material that speaks to their experiences represented a “clear and present danger to young LGBT+ people”.
Simon James Green, one of the UK's leading writers of LGBT+ teenage fiction, had his visit to a Catholic secondary school in south London cancelled in 2022 and was subsequently trolled online, including being told he “deserved to die and burn in hell”.
Denne historien er fra August 19, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 19, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Council squeezes homeless family into a one-bed flat
A mother of two has been forced to sleep with her daughter in their living room for over a year after a London council put the homeless family in a one-bed flat. S
Rishi reflects on his biggest mistakes in Downing Street
Rishi Sunak has spoken for the first time about his relatively brief and challenging time as prime minister, his record on migration, and his pledge to stop the boats”.
US tariffs will push down growth’ in blow to Reeves
Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on US imports will shrink the British economy, Rachel Reeves has been warned by Britain’s top economists.
Almost half of Britons want Trump state visit cancelled
Poll shows anger at US president over stance on Ukraine
Rapist may have attacked scores of women, say police
A serial sex predator is suspected of raping more than 60 women while studying in London, as the Met Police launch an urgent appeal for victim-survivors.
Man wins 700,000 battle over mother’s deathbed will
An electrician has won a 700,000 will fight after a video emerged of his younger sister holding and propelling” their dying mother’s hand as she signed over her fortune on her deathbed.
Meet the six rookies racing to the future on the F1 grid
Last year was all about the old guard. Now Kieran Jackson savours what’s in store from a young, quick new generation
Justice secretary opposes two-tier’ sentencing plans
The justice secretary is calling for new guidance for judges to consider a defendant’s ethnicity when deciding whether to send them to prison to be reversed over concerns of two-tier sentencing”.
‘Austerity chancellor’ plans to cut billions from welfare
Rachel Reeves is planning billions of pounds of cuts to benefits and other public spending ahead of this month’s spring statement, it has emerged.
Royal Ballet breathes new life into Romeo and Juliet
Decades on, Kenneth MacMillan’s classic production still has the power to move audiences. Zoe Anderson swoons
