The Lesbian Perspective on Banned Books Week
September 28, 2009 · Print This Article
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is taking place this week, from September 26−October 3, 2009. Observed since 1982, this annual American Library Association (ALA) event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.
As the event’s website explains:
Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. They object to profanity and slang, and protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups–or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore the latest problems to classic and beloved works of American literature.
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has received reports of attempts to remove the following lesbian and gay focused titles:
| Title | Author |
| Annie On My Mind | Garden, Nancy |
| Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay and Lesbian History for High School and College Students | Jennings, Kevin |
| Books about Gay/Lesbian Parents | |
| Bridge of Respect: Creating Respect for Lesbian/Gay Youth | Whitlock, Katherine (ed.) |
| Completely Queer: the Gay & Lesbian Encyclopedia | Hogan, Steve |
| Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth | Bass, Ellen |
| GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer & Questioning Teens | Huegel, Kelly |
| Heather Has Two Mommies | Newman, Leslea |
| Homosexualities: A study of diversity among men and women | Bekk, Alan P. |
| Know About Gays and Lesbians | Hyde, Margaret |
| Legal Guide for Lesbian and Gay Couples, A | Curry, Hayden |
| Lesbian Couples | Green, G. Dorsey & D. Merrilee Clunis |
| Lesbian Sex Book | Caster, Wendy |
| Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians | |
| Not the Only One: Lesbian and Gay Fiction for Teens | Grima, Tony |
| Outspoken! Role Models form the Lesbian and Gay Community | Ford, Michael Thomas |
| Profiles in Gay and Lesbian Courage | |
| T.E. Lawrence: Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians | Wolfe, Daniel |
| Understanding Sexual Identity: A Book for Gay and Lesbian Teens and their Friends | Rench, Janice |
| Women in Love: Portraits of Lesbian Mothers & their Families | Seyda, Barbara |
For more information visit http://www.bannedbooksweek.org and check out our Fresh Ten, beginning on Tuesday, where we will highlight ten of the lesbian themed books that have been banned, or for which bans were attempted.
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