Serving as the rising action of this modern re-telling, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law in 2023 allowing communities to request that books be banned from school libraries if they deem them “obscene” or “harmful to minors.” Librarians who violate the law could be charged with a Level 6 felony, facing up to two and half years of jail time.
The current Indiana code defines materials “harmful to minors” as including:
Nudity, sexual content or “sado-masochistic abuse.”
A persuasiveness for minors to engage in sexual activities.
Offensive content according to community standards.
Content void of “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” for kids.
It also requires public and charter schools to publish a list of books in their libraries on their website and create a procedure for people in the district to submit a request to have material removed, after which school boards must review the request at their next public meeting and establish an appeal procedure if they disagree with the complaint.
Legislation like this is not new and neither is book censorship. However, it has become more prevalent since the start of the decade.
Books and libraries have been targeted by people of all backgrounds for thousands of years as a side effect of war and political upheaval. As history begins to repeat itself, it’s important to uncover possible lasting implications of these bans and what the next chapter looks like for the state and the country.