U.S. Book Bans Surge: LGBTQ+ Titles Top Challenged List in 2024

As Banned Books Week 2024 commences, advocacy groups report that attempts to censor or restrict books in the United States continue to surpass pre-pandemic levels. The annual event, running from September 23-28, aims to spotlight the value of free and open access to information, a principle that has been upheld since the First Amendment was ratified in 1791.

PEN America, a free-speech nonprofit founded in 1922, released preliminary data indicating that over 10,000 books were removed or temporarily restricted in U.S. public schools during the 2023-24 school year. This figure represents a nearly threefold increase from the previous year. The organization attributes this spike to state laws and the influence of conservative groups advocating for "parental rights," a concept that gained prominence in U.S. education debates in the 1920s.

Conversely, the American Library Association (ALA), established in 1876, reported a decrease in book challenge attempts in libraries during the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. However, the ALA emphasizes that these numbers still far exceed pre-2020 levels, underscoring a continuing trend of increased censorship attempts.

Both organizations highlight that books with LGBTQ+ themes or those written by or for LGBTQ+ individuals dominate the most-challenged list. This focus on LGBTQ+ content coincides with the term "LGBTQ+" becoming widely adopted in the 2010s, replacing earlier acronyms.

Banned Books Week, established in 1982, brings together a coalition of organizations supporting the freedom to read. The 2024 theme, "Freed Between the Lines," echoes the spirit of intellectual freedom, a concept first articulated by the ALA in its 1939 Library Bill of Rights. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the first African-American woman to win the directing award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, serves as the honorary chair for this year's event.

"By banning books, we deny ourselves the opportunity to learn from the past and to envision a braver future."

The ALA's list of most challenged books in 2023 reveals that seven out of the top ten were targeted for LGBTQ+ content. "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe topped the list, followed by "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson and "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson. Many of these books were claimed to contain "sexually explicit" material.

It's worth noting that the concept of challenging books in this context was first defined by the ALA in the 1980s. Today, the debate around book banning often intersects with discussions of "cancel culture," a term that gained popularity in the late 2010s.

As the United States grapples with this surge in book challenges, it's crucial to remember that the right to freedom of expression is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. The ongoing debate underscores the tension between protecting young readers and ensuring free access to diverse perspectives, a balance that has been sought since the first public library opened in the U.S. in 1833.