New Report: 28% Rise in School Book Bans Over First Half of 2022-23 School Year
“The heavy-handed tactics of state legislators are mandating book bans, plain and simple,” said Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer of PEN America. “Some politicians like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis… More
Expanded ‘Don’t Say Gay” Law in Florida is a “Flagrant Escalation” of Censorship in Schools, Says PEN America
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education Programs, released the following statement: "With this decision, the DeSantis administration and the Board of Education are continuing a frontal attack… More
PEN America Urges Tennessee Gov. Lee to Reject Legislation that Would Subject Publishers and Book Distributors to Criminal Penalties for ‘Obscene Materials’ Sent to Public Schools
Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education program, issued the following comments on the bill: "Regardless of what the supporters of this law say, it serves little… More
As China Shows Again Its Willingness to Silence Dissenting Voices Beyond its Borders, PEN America Welcomes US Government Action to Challenge Repression on US Soil
"Today's action by the Department of Justice sends a vital message that the long arm of authoritarianism will not go unchallenged. It is essential that democratic governments forcefully defend… More
PEN America Condemns Online Abuse Campaign to Silence Dalit Author Thenmozhi Soundarara
“The attacks against author Thenmozhi Soundararajan and her allies are intended to drive voices from the public square and prevent them from being heard, which stifles free expression and… More
Protecting Free Speech on College Campuses is Essential to Preserving Academic Freedom, Says PEN America CEO
“Students often lack awareness of the First Amendment or the precepts of academic freedom, sometimes believing that the best answer to noxious ideas is to drown them out, or… More
PEN America/PEN International: Chinese Authorities Should Immediately Release Blogger Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
“The seven-year prison sentence handed down to Ruan Xiaohuan for his politics and technology blog is an outrage. Blogging is not a crime and the heavy prison sentence on… More
PEN America, With Other Free Speech Organizations, Sends Letter to Congress Opposing Proposed National TikTok Ban
The letter reads in part: “We recognize the grave concerns that TikTok and other social media platforms pose for the privacy of individual users. We are also aware and… More
PEN America and Amani: Africa Creative Defence Network Call on Ugandan President to Veto Anti-LGBTQI Rights Law, Condemning it as a Serious Strike Against Free Expression
“We have seen a troubling rise in cases of Ugandan artists and cultural professionals who have been arrested merely on the grounds of telling the stories of LGBTQI+ communities… More
Oklahoma teacher is still fighting book bans, now from Brooklyn
Summer Boismier lost her job after she gave students a QR code to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned project. Now she’s helping teens fight book bans. More