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.
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin August 19, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin August 19, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
'Sometimes tears come out, you have to be an animal'
Whether you want him to or not, 40-year-old heavyweight Derek Chisora isn’t ready to stop yet
Legacy of 'transcendent' Senna finds another gear
There’s something about sport, and the global fandom the lead protagonists generate, which triggers a propensity to heroworship.
Misfiring Madrid struggling to find European safety net
After beating the team 20th in the Premier League, Liverpool defeated the side 24th in the Champions League. The similarities may end there: it is scarcely a surprise Southampton occupy that station in England. But Real Madrid, the reigning champions of Europe, find themselves 24th after five rounds.
Hojlund brace secures win in chaotic performance
The banner in the Stretford End was written in Ruben Amorim’s native Portuguese. “Bem vindo a casa,” it read. Welcome home.
Insurance 'mega merger' is no great deal for consumers
The City loves a deal. Consumers, not so much. For them, a tieup between insurance giants Aviva and Direct Line, at a time when car insurance prices are at historic highs, is a far from enticing prospect.
Is the British car industry on the skids once more?
As Vauxhall plans to close its Luton plant putting 1,100 jobs at risk, Howard Mustoe asks if government policy is to blame
Brat girl's down and dirty
Charli XCX starts her victory lap in Manchester with a live show that’s as brazen as it is brilliant
Obsession and darkness at centre of Hitchcock classic
The 1964 psychodrama Marnie’ was blighted by its director’s behaviour towards the lead star Tippi Hedren, resulting in dramatic results on and off screen
CARDINAL SINS
The twisty, Oscar-tipped Conclave’ needed more than shock and awe, writes Clarisse Loughrey, while the beautiful loneliness of All We Imagine as Light’ will speak to your soul
MasterChef host faces the heat away from the kitchen
Gregg Wallace is stepping back from the long-running BBC show while claims of misconduct are probed. Nick Hilton looks at the story of the greengrocer-turned-TV presenter
