PEN America Names Katie Blankenship to New Position as Florida Director
“Katie is the proven leader and advocate we need to expand our effort to protect the freedoms to read and learn in Florida,” said PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel.… More
Anti-Censorship Groups: Florida Attorney General Filing Says ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Doesn’t Apply to School Libraries
A group of free expression and anti-censorship groups sent a letter to schools across Florida today, alerting them to legal filings by the state’s Attorney General that the “Don’t… More
It’s Not Just Florida: 4 New ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Laws Passed in 2023
Teachers in North Carolina, Arkansas, Iowa, and Indiana are beginning their school years newly stripped of their right to say “gay.” 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
Educational Censorship Continues: The 2023 Legislative Sessions So Far
The early returns from the 2023 legislative sessions suggest that lawmakers’ fervor to censor and ban content from educational institutions has not abated. Far from it. More
Florida Book Bans: Why Are There Empty Shelves in Florida Schools?
You may have seen pictures of empty bookshelves in Florida classrooms, or heard about book bans across the state. What’s happening now is that new laws passed last year in… More
America’s Censored Classrooms
This year, proposed educational gag orders have increased 250 percent compared to 2021. More
PEN America to Honor Florida High School Activist Jack Petocz for Organizing Book Ban and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Protests Statewide
PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel said, “The state of Florida has declared war on free speech through a series of measures aimed squarely to suppress expression. Jack… More