California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation Monday prohibiting schools from banning books because they highlight race, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics. This legislation, authored by state Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D), enacts a financial penalty against school districts that make “efforts to categorically exclude” books related to discrimination. The move comes as a response to efforts in GOP-led states, such as Florida, to severely restrict students’ reading materials.
In a statement, Newsom referenced the pushback from California’s Temecula Valley Unified School District, which twice rejected the new social studies book and curriculum due to its coverage of LGBTQ+ historical figures.
Newsom stated, “From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are attempting to whitewash history and ban books from schools. With this new law, we’re cementing California’s role as the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them.”
Despite the Temecula school board eventually agreeing to adopt the new curriculum, two of its members, Joseph Komrosky and Danny Gonzalez, claimed during meetings that Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, was a “pedophile.”
While Temecula is an outlier in California, book banning is becoming commonplace in Republican-controlled states. According to a report released by the free speech organization PEN America, the number of book bans in public schools nationwide increased by 33% in the 2022-23 school year compared to the previous year. The report tracked 3,362 book bans affecting 1,557 unique titles.
Florida leads in book bans, accounting for over 40% of all book bans. Following Florida, there were 625 bans in Texas, 333 bans in Missouri, 281 bans in Utah, and 186 bans in Pennsylvania.
Among the most repeatedly banned books are the 2019 memoir “Gender Queer” and a recent graphic novel version of 1985’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
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