An analysis of book banning challenges from across the nation shows the majority were filed by just 11 people described as “hyperactive”.
You need to read this Washington Post report, it is only one prong in the larger right-wing attack on democracy. In the age of the Internet, the anachronistic challenging of books is not only symptomatic of bigotry, but also of sheer ignorance about how knowledge is distributed. 1950s anti-modernism is back, and in some cases extends the reach of dominionists who would reinstate Jim Crow law.
Books about LGBTQ people are fast becoming the main target of a historic wave of school book challenges — and a large percentage of the complaints come from a minuscule number of hyperactive adults, a first-of-its-kind Washington Post analysis found.
A stated wish to shield children from sexual content is the main factor animating attempts to remove LGBTQ books, The Post found. The second-most common reason cited for pulling LGBTQ texts was an explicit desire to prevent children from reading about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary and queer lives.
The Post requested copies of all book challenges filed in the 2021-2022 school year with the 153 school districts that Tasslyn Magnusson, a researcher employed by free expression advocacy group PEN America, tracked as receiving formal requests to remove books last school year. In total, officials in more than 100 of those school systems, which are spread across 37 states, provided 1,065 complaints totaling 2,506 pages.
The Post analyzed the complaints to determine who was challenging the books, what kinds of books drew objections and why. Nearly half of filings — 43 percent — targeted titles with LGBTQ characters or themes, while 36 percent targeted titles featuring characters of color or dealing with issues of race and racism. The top reason people challenged books was “sexual” content; 61 percent of challenges referenced this concern.
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The power of serial book challengers
The majority of the 1,000-plus book challenges analyzed by The Post were filed by just 11 people.
Each of these people brought 10 or more challenges against books in their school district; one man filed 92 challenges. Together, these serial filers constituted 6 percent of all book challengers — but were responsible for 60 percent of all filings.
A small number of people file a disproportionate number of book challenges
60% of challenges came from individuals who challenged at least 10 books.
Most filers only made a single challenge …but most challenges came from serial filers
One of them, Michelle Teague in North Carolina’s Catawba County schools, submitted 24 challenges against books in her district’s library last year, targeting titles from Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” to Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” to Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” She found the books through research online, she said, then checked them out from her public library and read each one cover to cover.
Last year, I began warning about the NAR dominionist movement (including Steve Schultz) & the NAR’s alliance w/ Mike Flynn & Roger Stone (including via the Reawaken America Tour sponsored by Charisma News, which was founded by NAR leader Steve Strang). 2/
The NAR was involved with promoting “Stop the Steal.” 3/
The NAR was also involved with Jan 6, as I explained here. 4/
The so-called “7 Mountains Mandate” is a supposedly divine strategy for Christians to achieve dominion. It breaks down society into “7 mountains,” & encourages Christians to pick a mountain to conquer. NAR leaders promote it. 5/
Here is Charisma Media, sponsor of Flynn’s Reawaken America Tour (RAT), promoting the 7 Mountains ideology. This is not “religious freedom.” This is Christian authoritarianism.
#Christofascism archive.ph/2023.05.24-033… 7/
8/ As I reported in my article in post 2, Flynn’s Reawaken America Tour (RAT) is sponsored by Charisma News, which was founded by NAR leader Steve Strang. Flynn and Stone are courting dominionists.
#7M #dominionism #NAR archive.ph/2023.05.09-161…
9/ From my article in post 2. I didn’t want you to have to take my word as to the meaning of “dominionism.” I wanted you to hear it from the man who organized the NAR movement (C. Peter Wagner):
10/ The American public deserves to know that this is what the MAGA movement now embraces: dominionism. It’s the opposite of “freedom of religion.”
11/ As I reported here, Flynn has also used the RAT (Reawaken America Tour) to promote the militant Black Robe Regiment, which has been closely affiliated with both the NAR and the Oath Keepers. They seem to want a Holy War.
buckscountybeacon.com/2022/09/michae…
12/ Roger Stone is a very dangerous man with direct access to Trump. He’s been Trump’s informal advisor for decades.
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