It’s now illegal for Minnesota libraries to ban LGBTQ+ books under this new law. The North Star State has officially banned book bans.

https://www.advocate.com/education/minnesota-book-ban-law-lgbtq

22 comments

  1. >***Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed*** [***HF3782***](https://www.house.mn.gov/bills/billnum.asp?Billnumber=HF3782&ls_year=93&session_year=2023&session_number=0) ***into law last week, which prevents libraries from removing books “based solely on the viewpoint, content, message, idea, or opinion conveyed.” Instead, content curation will be managed by “a licensed library media specialist, an individual with a master’s degree in library sciences or library and information sciences, or a professional librarian or person with extensive library collection management experience.”***

    >*”Censorship has no place in our libraries. As a former teacher, I’m clear: We need to remember our history, not erase it,” Walz said on Twitter/X. “Today, I signed a bill into law putting an end to book bans based on ideology in Minnesota.”*

    >*The Minnesota bill aims to combat the wave of unprecedented censorship. Education Commissioner Willie Jett praised its passage in a* [*statement*](https://www.house.mn.gov/SessionDaily/Story/18107) *last week, saying that his “administration is eager to engage in discussions regarding the recognition of invaluable contributions made by our professional librarians and the preservation of Minnesota’s public libraries as vital sources of information freely accessible to all.”*

    >Walz also signed into law last year [HF366](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php%3Ff%3DHF366%26b%3Dhouse%26y%3D2023%26ssn%3D0&ved=2ahUKEwiorLvbyf6FAxU3RjABHZTVCvAQFnoECA8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2oHhBShEanJgrM-i1nCjoz) and %5BHF146%5D(https://www.house.mn.gov/bills/billnum.asp?Billnumber=HF146&ls_year=93&session_year=2023&session_number=0), also known as “shield laws,” which protect access to abortion and gender affirming care in the state, while preventing other states from prosecuting health care providers or patients that receive treatment in Minnesota.

    The North Star State showing itself to be a star, standing for human rights. Simply amazing.

  2. I remember reading *Catcher in the Rye* in grade 9 and learning about it being banned in schools prior to that. Good for MN.

    >Sleep tight, ya bastards!”

    –HC

  4. How long before there is a GOP house bill banning bills banning book bans?

  6. Ban bans are not a bad idea. It’s like putting extra duct tape on our rights and freedoms.

    I do worry, however, about ban ban bans and ban ban ban ban bans.

  7. Hell ya. More quality leadership from a blue state. Love to see it.

  9. If Jon Stewart isn’t going to run in 2028, I’m hoping for Gov. Walz. The amount they’ve been able to accomplish with the tiny advantage they have in each chamber has been awesome.

  11. Glad my state seems to do things right a decent amount of the time. Although our cops do keep blasting people like skittish methheads with firearms.

  12. The 1st Amendment should cover this, but with this Supreme Court I certainly wouldn’t argue against putting in backstops where possible.

  13. The REAL party of freedom is the Democratic Party, the only thing the Republican Party seems to know how to do is enact ban after ban.

  15. It’s unfortunate that the main book behind the book ban controversy, Gender Queer, contains a visual depiction of a blowjob, and a couple of other adult images. That really muddies the issue when it comes to appropriateness of that book in elementary schools. Certainly not appropriate for little kids.

  19. Why Minnesota is always in the top 3 of places to live. Envious here in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is my home & an old geezer yet understand quality of life there is better.

  21. The nazis banned books: 

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_book_burnings 

    Fun fact: Republicans are the only party banning books right now.  

    “The American Library Association documented 1,269 demands of book censorship in 2022. It was the highest the organization had ever recorded since it began collecting censorship data more than 20 years prior.[1] 2023 was even higher, with 4,240 different book titles challenged nationwide, as part of 1,247 reported requests filed against books, and other library resources, such as educational research databases.[2]” 

    These bannings don’t just target “sexual” books, they target books like Maus which teach about the Holocaust, and the Handmaidens Tale (a book which warns about what is happening now). 

    https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/

    The bans don’t only target schools; they also target librarians, and laws have been passed to make librarians criminally charged, much like most theocratic dictatorships:

    Librarians could face criminal charges over “obscene” books in some states

    https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/02/20/book-bans-washington-state-law

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