Educational Gag Orders Target Speech about LGBTQ+ Identities With New Prohibitions and Punishments
The effort to censor anti-LGBTQ identities in the classroom is expanding rapidly. More
Free Expression and LGBTQ+ Advocates Hold Media Briefing 2/14 on Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
On Monday, February 14 at 10:00 a.m. ET, PEN America will convene a virtual media briefing of LGBTQ+ and free speech advocates to discuss the “Don’t Say Gay” bill… More
Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill: Vindictive and Brazen Move to Halt Progress Toward Inclusion
PEN America calls Florida "Don't Say Gay" bill a brazen and vindictive effort to halt progress toward a more inclusive society. More
New Guidance: E-Readers in Prisons Must Expand Access to Reading, Not Supplant Books Altogether
New guidance on e-readers use in prisons seeks to expand reading, not supplant books altogether. More
PEN America: Characterizing Jan. 6 as “Legitimate Political Discourse” Is Perverse and Invites More Violence
The characterization of the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol as "legitimate political discourse" is perverse, and constitutes an open invitation to an escalation of violence in… More
Through Suspensions for Offensive Speech, ABC News and Georgetown University Must Avoid Chilling Open Discourse
PEN America has issued the following statement today from CEO Suzanne Nossel in response to two separate cases of offensive remarks that made headlines and caused an outcry; one… More
Seth Meyers to host 2022 PEN America Literary Awards live and in-person, February 28 at New York City’s Town Hall
PEN America announces writer and Emmy Award-winning late night host Seth Meyers as the host for the organization’s 2022 Literary Awards, which return this year as an in-person event… More
In Higher Education, New Educational Gag Orders Would Exert Unprecedented Control Over College Teaching
In 2022, educational gag orders are being aimed squarely at colleges and universities to exert ideological control over what is being taught and read in classrooms. More
PEN America Announces Finalists for 2022 Literary Awards, February 28 at New York’s Town Hall
PEN America today announced the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards finalists—a list of 54 authors and 11 translators recognized for exceptional works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, essay, science… More
PEN America Urges Wisconsin Legislators to Reject Anti-Protest Bill
PEN America warned that a pending bill could gravely endanger the right to protest. SB 296/AB 279 would define “riot” so broadly that anyone present at a protest where… More