STOPDISINFORMATIONOct 12, 2025
Why we must fight attempts to undermine our freedom to read
In 1953, at the height of the McCarthyist red scare, the #AmericanLibraryAssociation & the Association of American Publishers issued a #Freedom to #ReadStatement The organizations expressed concerns about the rising public sentiment that it was worth violating core First Amendment freedoms to keep certain ideas from reaching American readers
The statement, last updated in 2004, begins: “The freedom to read is essential to our #democracy
Show threadSTOPDISINFORMATIONOct 12, 2025
It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label ‘controversial’ views, to distribute lists of ‘objectionable’ books or authors, and to purge #libraries.”
That statement is unfortunately as relevant today as it was then. #Censorship and #book challenges have risen sharply in Maine in recent years. Between 2010 and 2020, few or no formal
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challenges were reported each year. But in 2023, there were 16 challenges in school districts across the state, covering more than 30 individual titles
The majority have been in #schoollibraries, with many challenges naming multiple titles on gender & sexuality. Following national trends, Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” has been the most challenged book in Maine, it has been removed from at least one school library. Though challenges are waning for now — with only three reported to the .
Oct 12, 2025 at 6:06amMastodon for Android
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Maine Library Association in 2024 — more subtle forms of “soft #censorship” have arisen. These include policy changes and pressure to preemptively exclude books from collections, demonstrating the long-term chilling effect of book challenges, even when they are unsuccessful
#Boo banning and #censorship are often attempts to hide information, erase cultures, alter the historical record. Bans are not just about one title or idea — they are systematically employed to limit the ways people are able
Show threadSTOPDISINFORMATIONOct 12, 2025
to see and understand the world, and themselves. While many recent book challenges are framed within a context of “parents’ rights,” we believe each family should have the right to access collections that both reflect and challenge their experiences & values
We heartily reaffirm this sentiment and encourage you to pay attention to the threats to First Amendment freedoms happening in libraries and schools in your community. It takes all of us to protect our freedom to read
https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/10/07/why-we-must-fight-attempts-to-undermine-our-freedom-to-read/
Why we must fight attempts to undermine our freedom to read • Maine Morning Star

In 1953, at the height of the McCarthyist red scare, the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers issued a Freedom to Read Statement. The organizations expressed concerns about the rising public sentiment that it was worth violating core First Amendment freedoms to keep certain ideas from reaching American readers.  The statement, last […]

Maine Morning Star