By Daniel Nardini
Illinois is only one of two U.S. Midwest states that had passed a law preventing the banning of books for whatever reason. This is important because it means that Illinois is truly protecting the exchange and promotion of ideas. And the chief way this is still done is through books. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker in 2023 signed into law HB (House Bill) 2789 that gives libraries the right to protect any and all books from organizations and politicians from banning books because of their contents. On a personal note, I am an author of 14 books, and the idea of books being banned could also mean my books might just as easily be banned because someone does not like them.
However, the bad news is that all of the surrounding states (with the exception of Wisconsin which I will come to shortly) have laws in place to ban certain groups of books. Indiana passed HB 1447 that bans books not approved by their parents to be in school libraries or penalizes librarians for allowing such books to be in library collections. Iowa passed SF (Senate File) 496 that prohibits what the law says may be “explicit sexual acts” even if these books are in high school libraries and even if they are used in sex education. This law is especially aimed at gays and lesbians. Then there is Kentucky’s SB (Senate Bill) 150 which outright bans books with gay or lesbian themes. Not only is this against the U.S. Constitution, but it clearly stigmatizes an entire class of people. Finally, there is Missouri’s SB 775 which prohibited anything that could be considered anything of a sexual nature. This law now goes before the Missouri Supreme Court either for approval or to be struck down.
If Wisconsin is the exception it is because it has a largely Republican State Assembly but a Democratic governor. This means that if Republican legislators try and pass any book ban law the governor will most likely veto it, and it would be challenged in court. Also, there are many Wisconsin residents who have become wary of book bans. Wisconsin is very much a purple state that will not entirely follow what Republican-controlled states do. Other states that will not allow book banning are California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Washington. To these states I commend them for truly protecting the sanctity of ideas, knowledge and the religious freedoms that books convey. There are some books we may object to, but it becomes a slippery slope when we extend book banning for whatever its original purpose may have been. But, sadly, the issue of protecting books or book banning has become a divisive issue along with everything else in a deeply divided America..
The Book Banning Craze
By Daniel Nardini
However, the bad news is that all of the surrounding states (with the exception of Wisconsin which I will come to shortly) have laws in place to ban certain groups of books. Indiana passed HB 1447 that bans books not approved by their parents to be in school libraries or penalizes librarians for allowing such books to be in library collections. Iowa passed SF (Senate File) 496 that prohibits what the law says may be “explicit sexual acts” even if these books are in high school libraries and even if they are used in sex education. This law is especially aimed at gays and lesbians. Then there is Kentucky’s SB (Senate Bill) 150 which outright bans books with gay or lesbian themes. Not only is this against the U.S. Constitution, but it clearly stigmatizes an entire class of people. Finally, there is Missouri’s SB 775 which prohibited anything that could be considered anything of a sexual nature. This law now goes before the Missouri Supreme Court either for approval or to be struck down.
If Wisconsin is the exception it is because it has a largely Republican State Assembly but a Democratic governor. This means that if Republican legislators try and pass any book ban law the governor will most likely veto it, and it would be challenged in court. Also, there are many Wisconsin residents who have become wary of book bans. Wisconsin is very much a purple state that will not entirely follow what Republican-controlled states do. Other states that will not allow book banning are California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Washington. To these states I commend them for truly protecting the sanctity of ideas, knowledge and the religious freedoms that books convey. There are some books we may object to, but it becomes a slippery slope when we extend book banning for whatever its original purpose may have been. But, sadly, the issue of protecting books or book banning has become a divisive issue along with everything else in a deeply divided America..