On this national Right to Read Day, April 8, and during National Library Week, the ACLU of Michigan has released a new tool highlighting what it calls censorship hotspots in the state.
The civil rights group’s digital map pinpoints Michigan communities that it says have seen organized censorship campaigns. Those include efforts to remove some materials from school or local libraries, usually because they deal with LGBTQ- or racism-related themes; or local government policies that ban symbols like the LGBTQ Pride flag on city property.
“In Michigan and across the country there has been an unprecedented proliferation of attempts to ban books – the vast majority of which specifically target books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters – from public schools and libraries,” the ACLU said. “We have also seen other attacks on First Amendment rights in our state in the form of banning Pride flags and other displays of Pride support.”
When it comes to book banning, the law is straightforward, according to ACLU attorney Jay Kaplan. “The law is very clear in terms of what the United States Supreme Court said about this is that if you are removing a book because you don't like the ideas contained in that book, that that runs afoul of the First Amendment,” he said.
The map has pins in places where there have been contentious censorship-related battles, with outcomes color-coded to signify “Victory” (censorship rejected), “Mixed Outcome,” and “Loss.” It also provides a brief description of the specific situation in that place.
The map shows 29 Michigan communities and school districts where there have been public controversies about removing books or symbols from public spaces. They range from Hamtramck, which instituted a ban on so-called “non-neutral flags” on city property, to Davison Community Schools, where the school board voted to remove 8 books from district libraries.
Kaplan argued that this shouldn’t be a “liberal or conservative issue,” though the majority of challenges have been spearheaded by right-leaning groups, sometimes nationally-organized ones like Moms for Liberty. But he said it’s an issue of basic personal freedom and constitutional rights.
In terms of the push to remove some library content, “Parents should be able to decide what books they want their kids to read, the books that they're taking out on their own, as opposed to a couple of voices in the community saying, ‘You know, we don't like this book, and nobody can have access to this book in the library because we don't like it,’” Kaplan said.
As for the map’s purpose, the ACLU says that “It is our hope that this map helps educate people about what is happening in Michigan, adds to the critical work already being done by many organizations, including the MI Right to Read Coalition led by the Michigan Library Association, and provides resources to fight back.”
