AllΒ of these attacks exemplify pushback against inclusion and welcome for βthe otherβ: βThe first and most fundamental way in which white Christian nationalism threatens American liberal democracy is that it defines βthe peopleβ in a way that excludes many Americans. White Christian nationalism is a form of what is often called βethno-nationalism.β Liberal democracy rests on what is usually called βcivic nationalismβ It defines the nation in terms of values, laws, and institutions.’β (The Flag and The Cross, p. 114)
Throughout the book the authors explore and re-explore the meaning of the deep story of white Christian nationalism: βWhite Christian nationalism is our term for the ethno-traditionalism among many white Americans that conflates racial, religious, and national identity (the deep story) and pines for cultural and political power that demographic and cultural shifts have increasingly threatenedβ¦. (T)he term Christian in white Christian nationalism is often far more akin to a dog whistle that calls out to an aggrieved tribe than a description of the content of oneβs faith.β (The Flag and The Cross, p. 44)
This may be one of the best short videos from a religious leader on why some people get stuff wrong when reading the bible.Β He explains how the bible shouldn’t be taken literally because it was first oral stories, then written down in one language, then translated over and over, often by people who did not get the exact word means correct.Β Β He talks about the wrong idea the bible says life begins at conception.Β Β Well worth the listening to even if you are not religious.Β Hugs.Β Scottie
To those using the Constitution to justify why we should be living under outdated & archaic laws. The Constitution was created to evolve, you might want to try the sameβ¦
It is a case of I don’t want my child to read these books so your child can’t read them either.Β These people want control over everyone, every child, they demand to rule your life.Β Hugs.Β Scottie
Hundreds of new books featuring characters of color and LGBTQ+ themes were found by the trash at a Staten Island elementary school, outraging some parents and sparking an education department investigation.
Gothamist obtained photos from a Brooklyn book lover that showed boxes of kidsβ books left with the garbage at PS 55, known as the Henry Boehm School. Some had sticky notes on them detailing themes and content in the books, which appeared to be part of a 2019 initiative to diversify school materials. The city education department launched an investigation after Gothamist shared the images.
A note on βMy Two Border Towns,β about a boyβs life on the United States-Mexico border, read βOur country has no room and itβs not fair.β A note on βThe Derby Daredevils,β about a girlsβ roller derby team, read βNot approved. Discusses dad being transgender. Teenage girls having a crush on another girl in class.β And a note on βWe Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Knowβ read βnegative slant on white people.β
A note on a copy of “My Two Border Towns” taken from the school reads “Our country has no room and it’s not fair.”
Holly Spiegel
Even books about the Marvel Comics hero Black Panther and legendary singer and activist Nina Simone were discarded.
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It was unclear whether the removal of the books resulted from an objection raised by staff or parents. The education department said no formal challenge to the books was raised through official channels, though a part-time librarian had inquired about the process.
Until this incident, New York City had seemed largely immune from the high-profile efforts to ban books that are roiling school communities in Florida, New Jersey and other parts of the country.
βOur public schools do not shy away from books that teach students about the diverse people and communities that make up the fabric of our society,β education department spokesperson Nicole Brownstein said, noting the removal of the books was not sanctioned.
The school principal and PTA president did not respond to inquiries.
Many PS 55 parents were surprised to learn the books had been removed.
The education department said it was investigating why the books were discarded from the PS 55 library.
Jessica Gould
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βI don’t believe in banning books at all,β said Angela Hartje, whose daughter is in third grade.
βItβs one step closer to βFahrenheit 451,ββ she added, referencing the classic sci-fi novel by Ray Bradbury about a dystopian America where books have been outlawed.
‘Not approved’
Holly Spiegel, of East Flatbush, alerted Gothamist to the controversy. Her neighbor, who was working near the school in November, retrieved hundreds of the books from the trash and gave them to Spiegel, knowing she could use them for the free βLittle Librariesβ she manages around their neighborhood. Spiegel then got in touch with the school and made two additional trips where she recovered hundreds more books in boxes marked βnot approved.β
Sticky notes on the books pointed to apparent reasons why they were censored. A note on βJulian Is A Mermaid,β about a boy who dresses as a mermaid, read βBoy questions gender.β A post-it on βChester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talkerβs Story,β cited a specific page, along with the question βwhite manβs world?β
A copy of “Derby Daredevils” had a note reading “Not approved. Discusses being transgender. Teenage girls having a crush on another girl in class.”
Holly Spiegel
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Notes on pages of βBlack Panther: The Young Princeβ read βWitchcraft? Human skullsβ and βPact with Devil. Burned in fire.β
A note on βNina: A Story of Nina Simoneβ read βThis is about how black people were treated poorly but overcame it. (Can go both ways).β
βAt its heart, this feels like censorship,β Spiegel said. βIt feels like book banning.β
City statisticsΒ show the student body at PS 55 is 78% white, 11% Hispanic and 8% Asian. The teachers are 92% white.
Two parents at the school, located in Staten Island’s Eltingville neighborhood, said they had heard rumblings about some controversy over books. But Gothamist was unable to confirm who led the effort that led to the books being tossed.
An unusual book battle
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School controversies over books are rare in New York City. Since 2019, there have been only three challenges of books at other schools under an official protocol that involves the formation of a committee of parents, librarians, teachers and administrators, the education department confirmed. None of those books were removed.
βShould a parent feel concerned about the literature in their childβs classroom, they are encouraged to reach out to the teacher, principal, or superintendent,β said Brownstein, the department’s spokesperson.
Itβs more common for discussions in the city to focus on ensuring access to the materials. The Brooklyn Public LibraryΒ runs a programΒ where local students talk about controversial books with students in other parts of the country where they’re actually being banned.
Alissa Barakakos, a PTA member at PS 55, said she was surprised that books about race, culture and sexuality had been removed β and that she would have opposed the effort if sheβd known about it. She noted her sonβs class just finished a series of discussions on Black History Month, and a unit on Native Americans.
βI don’t know why the books would be thrown out,β Barakakos said. βI want my kid to be a part of the school community where everything is open and honest and kids are being educated.β
Spiegel said she was upset to see the books were kept from children. βThe books aren’t getting into the hands of kids who would identify with the characters, but theyβre also not getting into the hands of kids whose worldview would be broadened by reading about people who aren’t like them,β she said.
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βMosaicβ problems
Some of the boxes Spiegel retrieved were labeled βMosaic,β the name of a $200 million initiative launched late in the de Blasio administration to diversify school lessons and materials. An analysis by the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice found in 2019 that only 16% of elementary and middle school booksΒ were by authors of color.
“Black Panther: The Young Prince” was also removed from the Staten Island elementary school.
Holly Spiegel
De Blasio called for a total rethinking of the K-12 curriculum with an eye toward diversity. Mayor Eric Adams then scaled back the Mosaic plan, launching his own literacy initiative and supplementing lessons with materials reflecting LGBTQ+, Asian American and Black communities.
Thousands of Mosaic books were still sent to school and classroom libraries. But Natasha Capers, the director of the Coalition for Educational Justice, said schools receivedΒ little guidanceΒ about what to do with the new books.
βThey just were like, βhereβs a big box of books,ββ said Capers, whose group advocates for more equity in public schools.
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She added that she was glad to know the books found with the garbage at PS 55 were “rescued.β But she said she was outraged to hear they had nearly been discarded.
βI watched my children throughout their schooling read so many books that used horrific language about Black people,” Capers said. “Thereβs a book [that] used the N-word. You just had to suck it up because itβs part of the βcanon.'”
She scoffed at the apparent discomfort with witchcraft and human skulls in the Black Panther book.
βYou read Shakespeare, and [“Macbeth”] starts out with three witches around a cauldron,β she said. “Hamlet,” she noted, βis legitimately talking to a skull.β
Tagged
BOOKS
EDUCATION
STATEN ISLAND
Jessica Gould
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Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nationβs largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email jgould@nypublicradio.org
Read theΒ full article. The bill has the backing of the βChrist-centeredβ anti-LGBTQ hate group, theΒ Kansas Family Voice. Its author is GOP Rep. Susan Humphries, whose bio notes that she is a graduate of Texas Christian University.
I saw this story.Β I tried to post it from the newspaper but it was impossible.Β Then I see that Joe My God posted it.Β So here it is.Β Β Β
The author of the bill is a fundamentalist Christian and graduated from a Christian college.Β On democrat claims the bill is written too vague by mistake and would basically keep young people from any website that even mentions gay couples / LGBTQ+ information.Β Β Dude that is not a mistake it is what they want to use the law for.Β The goal is to remove any and all positive mentions from anyone under 18 in society.Β The further goal is to wipe the LGBTQ+ from society totally.Β The people behind these bills hate that LGBTQ+ people are treated with respect, affection, and equality.Β They hate that kids accept and like their LGBTQ+ fellow students.Β The right wants those kids to hate and target any other kid who is different for harassment and harm.Β Beat and scare those kids straight and cis.Β Β Hugs.Β Scottie
A Kansas bill could consider a photo of a same-sex couple holding hands pornographic, some Democratic lawmakers warn. They say a bill aimed at barring children from accessing online material considered harmful to minors could carry serious unintended consequences for LGBTQ+ communities.
The bill would require users to verify they are over 18 years old to enter any website where more than 25% of its content is deemed βharmful to minors.β It aims to restrict childrenβs access to pornography. However, homosexuality is listed in the statute alongside overtly sexual acts as harmful to minors.
The statute has raised questions about whether the law could be applied to censor LGBTQ+ content in books, chat rooms, and non-explicit photographs of same-sex couples. Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, would be in charge of determining what is considered obscene.
Read theΒ full article. The bill has the backing of the βChrist-centeredβ anti-LGBTQ hate group, theΒ Kansas Family Voice. Its author is GOP Rep. Susan Humphries, whose bio notes that she is a graduate of Texas Christian University.
Could a Kansas bill censor non-explicit, LGBTQ+ content? Lawyers, lawmakers disagree https://t.co/XrXtWlLkg0
Funny thing is that we didn’t have access to any websites yet still turned out gay.
I would have loved to have had access to a site like JMG when I was a kid, it would have been so nice to have a supportive community like we have here on JMG
The fascists will go as far as they possibly can, implementing countless anti-LGBTQ laws, before they are pushed back. We still have time before we hit the iceberg but it’s a huge ship to turn around.
OMGβ¦how much happier a struggling, self-tormented teen Mark would have been if there was a site like this, with so many wonderful, intelligent, funny & awesome people to let me know I wasnβt alone and that I would be alright.
In high-school I had a friend who came out to me as a transgender woman. Because this was the early 90’s, while she had come out to her parents who were supportive, she was waiting until she was 18 to go on HRT and living as her true self. One Monday in our junior year, she just never showed up for class. The teachers were told her parents had moved, but the administration was rather cagey when I tried to ask. I hope they had moved to help keep her safe, but I never saw her nor heard from her again. In a way, to me, she’s the sign on the easel. πΏ
βThey say a bill aimed at barring children from accessing online material considered harmful to minors could carry serious unintended consequences for LGBTQ+ communities.β
How fucking naive can they be? This isnβt an unintended consequence. They want us to be considered legally obscene
For legal purposes the title of this video is a question and not to be construed as a statement of fact. The Nex Benedict story has been tied to Libs of TikTok and its founder Chaya Raichik. Is she to blame? Why does the first amendment protect Libs of TikTok?
Another great video destroying anti-trans propaganda, myths, and misinformation.Β He talks slow, is methodical, and uses sources he displays and has in his description box to make his points.Β Β Often he will go through the studies that the anti-trans people use to show they either did not say what is claimed, are way out of date, used the wrong methods, or simply were created to be used for anti-trans propaganda.Β He shows not only the bad studies and debunks them, but the real modern medically reviewed and approved studies showing that very few detransition and those that do mostly do so because of negative treatment from society, peers, and family.Β People who live all their childhood knowing and claiming they are a different gender are not suddenly going to stop saying it at 18 or 21.Β If they are going to suffer all that mistreatment and hate growing up, they are what they are telling you.Β Β Hugs.Β Scottie
Frank Turek and Sean McDowell make ridiculous pseudoscientific claims about LGBTQ people. Here I debunk them with actual scientific research.
Subscribe using my link for 30% off unlimited access or try it this month for less than $1. Claims I debunk: Abuse and trauma cause non-heterosexuality and gender non-conformity, not affirming queer people is the best way to help them, being gender nonconforming is a social media contagion, rapid onset gender dysphoria is real, gender dysphoria can and should only be treated with therapy or prayer, gender dysphoria is similar to and should be treated in the same way as anorexia, 80% of gender dysphoric youths grow out of it by age 18, medical intervention for gender dysphoria does not help mental health outcomes, and trans s rates skyrocket 10 years after transition.
This is interesting.Β I even found the news report that went with it very interesting.Β In the video the Mom’s for Liberty claims they were not banning or burning books, but then she goes on to say these books should be available for people under 18 in libraries.Β When she was asked about how in her push for her parents rights, she was effectively removing the rights of parents who endorse their child reading those types of books.Β She replied that they had that right to read it to their kids but not give it to hers.Β Fair but by removing them from a library how would a poor parent working many hours to survive get the book or a kid questioning their feelings know where to find it or how to get it.Β Again kids who are different, who are gay or gender nonconforming know that at a young age.Β They know they are different, they know they feel differently than their classmates.Β I am gay, knew that very young.Β In elementary classes some of my classmates had crushes on their female teachers, I had one on my male teacher.Β It is something straight cis people don’t seem to understand because the world is set up for the way they feel, so they are accepted, they are comfortable.Β Some people want so badly to keep that straight cis only world and avoid losing their comfort and status so badly they would force large segments of the population to deny their authentic self and live in misery by living a lie.Β That is incredible selfish and regressive minded.Β Β One great thing is the second video after the first shows how conservatives and fundamentalists are losing reelection to school boards and offices controlling education that they won only a few years ago driven to control how everyone lives including how children learn. One other thing was that she said a book used the N word, which she said in its integrity, and she felt that it was wrong for a 7 year old to read or hear that word.Β OK but that word is thrown at little black kids for the smallest ages.Β I posted of a four year old black girl called that.Β The right wing hate media uses the word constantly.Β So why not explain to kids what the word means and its harmful history to explain why it is not used today as the Mom’s for Liberty just did.Β Β Hugs.Β Scottie
The American Library Association released its annual list of the top 10 most targetedΒ booksΒ of 2023 on Monday, the majority of which were challenges because of their LGBTQ content.
βGender Queerβ by Maia Kobabe topped the list for the third year in a row. The graphic memoir, which chronicles the author’s experience with sexuality and gender from childhood to adulthood, was challenged for its LGBTQ content and for claims that it is sexually explicit.
βGender Queer,β by Maia Kobabe
Courtesy of Oni Press
βAt ALA, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what you want to read,” saidΒ ALAΒ President Emily Drabinski in the announcement. “Shining a light on the harmful workings of these pressure groups is one of the actions we must take to protect our right to read.β
In 2023, the ALAΒ recorded 4,240 unique titlesΒ that have been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. It’s a record-breaking 65% increase from 2022, the highest totals recorded by the ALA since it began collecting data more than 20 years ago.
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MORE: What’s in some of the most challenged books in America?
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Jennie Pu, ALA member and Hoboken Public Library Director, told ABC News that “this list affirms the pattern that we’re seeing, that it’s a small group of people who don’t want their stories to be told and the retargeting of historically underrepresented and marginalized voices.”
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Hoboken’s library system was declared a book sanctuary in 2023.
Across the country, classroom and library content has been at the center of contentious debates between educators, librarians, parents and politicians. Conservative-led legislative efforts to restrict what discussions and content could be had in classrooms regarding race, gender, sex, and sexual orientation has ignited a debate about the materials students and their families have access to.
Advocates of such legislation say these policies ensure that “inappropriate” content is weeded out of classrooms to protect children from “indoctrination,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have said.
Politicized groups or individuals have been at the center of large swaths of book challenges nationwide, sometimes demanding the censorship of multiple titles — often dozens or hundreds at a time. This helped drive the surge in book challenges, according to the ALA.
The other most-targeted titles, in order of the number of challenges, are:
βAll Boys Arenβt Blue,β by George M. Johnson
Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2. βAll Boys Arenβt Blue,β by George M. Johnson, for LGBTQ content and claims of sexually explicit content.
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3. βThis Book is Gay,β by Juno Dawson, for LGBTQ content, sex education, and claims of sexually explicit content.
βThe Perks of Being a Wallflower…Show more
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
4. βThe Perks of Being a Wallflower,β by Stephen Chbosky, for LGBTQ content, rape, drugs, profanity and claims of sexually explicit content.
5. βFlamer,β by Mike Curato, for LGBTQ content and claims of sexually explicit content.
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MORE: Book bans and anti-LGBTQ laws: how queer authors are responding
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βThe Bluest Eye,β by Toni Morrison
Courtesy of Vintage International
6. βThe Bluest Eye,β by Toni Morrison, for themes about rape, incest, DEI content and claims of sexually explicit content.
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7. βTricks,β by Ellen Hopkins, for LGBTQ content, themes concerning drugs, rape, and claims of sexually explicit content, tied with βMe and Earl and the Dying Girl,β by Jesse Andrews for claims of sexually explicit content.
9. βLetβs Talk About It,β by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, for LGBTQ content, sex education, and claims of sexually explicit content.
10. βSold,β by Patricia McCormick, for claims of sexually explicit content and themes concerning rape.
The ALA compiles its data from reports filed with its Office for Intellectual Freedom by library professionals and news reports. However, the organization says the data is only a “snapshot” of book censorship attempts because it’s not likely that all attempts are reported to the ALA or covered by the press.
The latest report marks the start of the organization’s National Library Week.
Amazing story about a librarian hit by MAGA rage in Idaho: Activists demanded 400 books removed. *None* were in her library. She was then hounded from her job by threats.
On the pod, head of American Library Association goes deep on what libraries faceπ https://t.co/qSJP0DVx5X
Children are irredeemably broken from the minute they are born unless their parents subject them to a public dunking and give money to a man wearing a dress.
Conservatives have been seething since the Stonewall riots of 1969 and especially since 1973 when homosexuality was removed from the list of psychiatric disorders in the DSM. Theyβve been plotting their revenge ever since and itβs now reaching a climax. Time to take up arms again and hit the streets, if thatβs what it takes.
I still think this is their dying gasp. The nutters might try to force everyone to return to ‘church’, but that’s just not going to happen. They’re dangerous, so be prepared. Let them shoot each other in the streets though. IMO
I agree. the USA has always had these swings between religion and irreligiosity. right now the pendulum is swinging toward irreligiosity and the nutcases are scared, because they know they will eventually lose. and they also refuse to accept their extremism is why they are losing.
I remember back when I was growing up and the only books allowed in the Library were the ones that talked about how wrong being gay was. Lots of books though talking about how you could change to straight easy peazy. Really FUCKED ME UP as a kid.
The same was true for me when I checked out a book called βgrowing up straight.β It fucked me up, that is, until I checked out another book called βSociety and the healthy homosexual.β It sent me straight, so to speak.
My memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant,” was recently banned by my high school. I had booked an all-school assembly with the librarian for Nov. She loved the book so much she wanted to do a second event at the rival high school. A week after I gave my approval, she wrote me and said she couldn’t move forward with either event and that I need to talk to the assistant superintendent if I had any further questions. Moms for Liberty is active and they are threatening to recall politicians, so it’s easier to upset the writer than the moms. My book was just named a notable book from the State of MI and an honor book from Stonewall, yet I still can’t go back to my own high school.
I remember growing up and my parents would not allow me to read “The Exorcist.” Guess what I was reading when I went to bed. “Your mother sows socks that smell.”
Scottie's Playtime 