• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Biden to Appoint New Official to Address ‘Book Bans’

Biden to Appoint New Official to Address ‘Book Bans’

June 8, 2023
Tim Kaine Really Upset About Alex Padilla Being Tossed From Kristi Noem Presser

Tim Kaine Really Upset About Alex Padilla Being Tossed From Kristi Noem Presser

June 13, 2025
Migrants Escape New Jersey Immigration Detention Center

Migrants Escape New Jersey Immigration Detention Center

June 13, 2025
Video Shows ICE Agents Letting Man Go After Neighbors Interrupt Raid

Video Shows ICE Agents Letting Man Go After Neighbors Interrupt Raid

June 13, 2025
Personal Data of Immigrant Medicaid Enrollees Given to Deportation Officials

Personal Data of Immigrant Medicaid Enrollees Given to Deportation Officials

June 13, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: Dem Rep Takes ‘Fake’ Phone Call To Dodge Question About LA Riots

EXCLUSIVE: Dem Rep Takes ‘Fake’ Phone Call To Dodge Question About LA Riots

June 13, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: Anti-ICE Org Backing National Protests Led By Member Of CCP-Tied Group

EXCLUSIVE: Anti-ICE Org Backing National Protests Led By Member Of CCP-Tied Group

June 13, 2025
GOP Governors Ready for Saturday ‘No Kings’ Protests

GOP Governors Ready for Saturday ‘No Kings’ Protests

June 13, 2025
Dems Pull Weird ‘Patriotism’ Stunt As Party Excuses Riots With US Flags Set Ablaze

Dems Pull Weird ‘Patriotism’ Stunt As Party Excuses Riots With US Flags Set Ablaze

June 13, 2025
Judge Blocks Trump Election Executive Order

Judge Blocks Trump Election Executive Order

June 13, 2025
Trump Admin Moves To Bulldoze Biden-Era Mining Rule

Trump Admin Moves To Bulldoze Biden-Era Mining Rule

June 13, 2025
Inside The Clandestine Israeli Operation To Kneecap Iran

Inside The Clandestine Israeli Operation To Kneecap Iran

June 13, 2025
Court Forces Education Dept To Begin Rehiring Fired Employees

Court Forces Education Dept To Begin Rehiring Fired Employees

June 13, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Friday, June 13, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home Commentary

Biden to Appoint New Official to Address ‘Book Bans’

by Bradley Cortright
June 8, 2023 at 1:09 pm
in Commentary
250 2
0
Biden to Appoint New Official to Address ‘Book Bans’

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 02: President Joe Biden addresses the nation on averting default and the Bipartisan Budget Agreement in the Oval Office of the White House on June 2, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images)

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

President Joe Biden is creating a new anti-book ban coordinator position.

CBS News reported an administration official said the coordinator will “lead the charge” against book bans.

White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden told the outlet the appointee, who has not yet been named, will inform schools that bans “may violate federal civil laws if they create a hostile environment for students.”

CBS News reported there have been “almost 1,500 instances of book banning in schools, affecting 874 different titles in the first half of this school year, according to PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans, representing a nearly 30% increase over the previous school year,”

It added, “More than a quarter of the banned books have LGBTQ characters or themes, according to PEN. The states that have implemented the greatest number of book bans this year are Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah and South Carolina.”

(Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Tanden told CBS News, “Book banning erodes our democracy, removes vital resources for student learning and can contribute to the stigma and isolation that many communities face.”

Of course, this news comes during the holy period known as “Pride Month,” wherein everyone has to be pro-LGBT. The position was not announced during February, also known as Black History Month, despite allegations that conservatives want to erase African American history.

There have been some examples of efforts to keep explicit materials out of schools that conservatives think have gone too far, such as a Utah school district removing the Bible from elementary and middle school libraries.

And then there have been some vastly exaggerated claims about book bans such as the outrage amid allegations Miami-Dade County banned poet Amanda Gorman’s — who read a poem at Biden’s inauguration — book from its schools.

However, USA Today noted, “Gorman’s book wasn’t banned from all elementary schools in Miami-Dade County. It was moved to the middle school library at one K-8 school, where it is still accessible to some elementary school students upon request.”

But there are legitimate questions about whether certain books are appropriate in schools. In 2022, a mother in Georgia was cut off by a Cherokee County school board member from reading explicit content in a book available for high school students because it was “inappropriate” for children who might be listening.

This new position created by Biden seems like an attempt to placate members of the LGBT community.

And while there have been examples of local school districts going too far, it looks like an attempt to force school districts to keep these materials in schools.

It is not clear how aggressive this new official will be in reaching out to schools. But warning school leaders they might violate federal law if they remove books could lead to them ignoring the concerns of parents.

Sure, states might pass laws allowing concerned parents to ask for books to be reviewed, but who would not be a least a little intimidated by receiving messages from the federal government telling them they could be creating a hostile environment for the LGBT community if they remove books, and thus in violation of federal law?

How the act of removing books containing sexually explicit material would create a hostile environment is not clear.

But it seems the message the White House wants to send is: You will have these books in your schools regardless of what parents want, and you will like it.

Tags: Joe BidenLGBT
Share196Tweet123
Bradley Cortright

Bradley Cortright

IJR, Senior Writer He's written for Independent Journal Review since 2019.

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th