Banned Books Week will take place the week of October 1 – 7. Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association to help bring awareness to the harms of book censorship.
B-CC librarian, Mr. Baczkowski has dedicated a section of the library to banned books. In addition, he has planned a lesson for English classes to teach students about the risks that book banning poses to their education.
Bazkowski pointed out a concerning trend, stating “In 2023, even though it isn’t over, we will have had over 1600 challenges on books, almost a 25% increase from last year.”
LGBTQ+ themes are the most common subjects of challenges. Currently, there is an ongoing lawsuit against Montgomery County, brought by a group of local Muslim and Catholic parents, that challenges MCPS’s “no-opt out” policy on the reading of books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes at elementary schools.
A local political organization, Moms for Liberty, focuses on challenging the inclusion of educational content related to LGBTQ+ and race-related topics in schools. They have advocated for the removal of certain books addressing gender and sexuality from school libraries.
MOCO chapter chair of Moms for Liberty, Lindsey Smith, commented on the recent litigation, noting “Moms for liberty advocates for parental rights at all levels of government. As such we support the fundamental rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children including their education.”
In August, a Maryland district court denied the reinstatement of the “no-opt out” policy. The decision read, in part, “A constitutional violation is not likely or imminent, [and] it follows that the plaintiffs are not likely to suffer imminent irreparable harm…”
Books in the Banned Books display are available for check out in the media center.
