Library Group: 'Sexually Explicit' Book-Banning Hits All-Time High

There has been an unprecedented effort to ban "sexually explicit" books in the era of cancel culture, including 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021 and 1,597 individual book challenges or removals, according to the American Library Association (ALA).

"The 729 challenges tracked by ALA represent the highest number of attempted book bans since we began compiling these lists 20 years ago," ALA President Patricia Wong wrote in a statement Monday. "We support individual parents' choices concerning their child's reading and believe that parents should not have those choices dictated by others.

"Young people need to have access to a variety of books from which they can learn about different perspectives. So, despite this organized effort to ban books, libraries remain ready to do what we always have: make knowledge and ideas available so people are free to choose what to read."

Among the top 10 most challenged books in the ALA, "sexually explicit" was the most common reason:

1. "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe — sexually explicit images.
2. "Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison — sexually explicit.
3. "All Boys Aren't Blue," by George M. Johnson — profanity and sexually explicit.
4. "Out of Darkness," by Ashley Hope Perez — depictions of abuse and sexually explicit scenarios.
5. "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas — profanity, violence, anti-police message, and "indoctrination of a social agenda."
6. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie — profanity, sexual references, and "use of a derogatory term."
7. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews — sexually explicit and degrading to women.
8. "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison — depicts child sexual abuse and is sexually explicit.
9. "This Book is Gay," by Juno Dawson — "restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content."
10. "Beyond Magenta," by Susan Kuklin — sexually explicit.

Large majorities of voters oppose efforts to ban books, including 71% opposing removing books from public libraries, according to ALA polling. That includes majorities of Democrats (75%), Republicans (70%), and independent registered voters (58%).

A full 3 in 4 voters (75%) are confident in local public libraries to make good decisions about what books to include in their collections, and 74% of parents are confident in public school libraries' decisions about their collections.

"The survey results confirm what we have known and observed: that banning books is widely opposed by most voters and parents," Wong wrote in a statement. "As a career librarian who began my career in public libraries working with children, I'm thrilled to see that parents have a high degree of confidence in school libraries' decisions about their collections and very few think that school librarians ignore parents' concerns.

"This truly validates the value and integrity of library professionals at a time when many are feeling burnt out because of accusations made by small but loud groups."

Hart Research Associates and North Star Opinion Research conducted the poll for the ALA among 1,000 voters and 472 parents of children in public school March 1-6. No margin of error was given.

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