Laws restricting drag shows should scare everyone who believes in free expression
A wave of bills restricting free expression is building in state legislatures. This time, the target is drag performances. More
Virginia State Judge Affirms First Amendment Rights in Ruling on Obscenity Lawsuit Targeting Books
“This decision is a victory for our Constitution and the vast majority of Americans who believe in preserving a free society and unfettered access to literature. The open exchange… More
PEN Pals: Eliot Schrefer and Padma Venkatraman on When Others Take Up the Torch
“I knew I couldn’t contribute to the cultural life of an institution that actively discriminates against its students—that didn’t want people like me to exist.” More
PEN Pals: Fatima Shaik Interviews Susan Kuklin About LGBTQ+ Books and How They Save Lives
“The library is supposed to be an inclusive institution, conceived for all, not some or a few.” More
Words and Actions: A Pride Month Reading List from ONE Archives Foundation
This Pride Month, PEN America Los Angeles invited the ONE Archives Foundation to create a reading list as an extension of their exhibition, Pride Publics: Words and Actions. More
Local LGBTQ+ Reporters in Conversation: Jason Parsley
“LGBT presses are not in it to make money, per se. . . . There is a love and a sense of community that big corporations do not care… More
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More book purging in FLORIDA https://twitter.com/FLFreedomRead/status/1620457139272814593
DeSantis' "disturbing pattern of silencing Black voices and aggressive attempts to erase Black history is one of the most visible examples of performative white supremacy since the presidency of Donald Trump"—@JNelsonLDF
#BlackHistoryMonth Read free: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/opinion/ron-desantis-black-history.html?unlocked_article_code=ihVqWDErMhDhg6k3c2neR43rmBDQJ-ZGYT0K4vIFW1656Ol0iuuZCoNguhERybhjjHxY_on_saXa1h9dkfw4PMDyAPhEB81Z2MpF4xFhXcbJwvM3ob4crJCqdCgSJqnNfCO6oS-22DixWt6x8kbeIm5sTyHf_GuWD9-Z0qQ1WQNc1xI8CWRh9RZWEiM_VppdwfREB89x9Hw6BWDN-Srt5ATsifYAGobICcqo3HRKlmhVrGEsAWrxXhQ-GJpCUKKAt5ClgarNNHZl6yQ8wQ26Y6UQ5HIuR4kR-0CMl0d3rx1RpK92k07qb6HFWf07qSe8morMKPioGBNgZFVkqtJA7AHGwro&smid=share-url
On Feb 14, 6-7 pm, Brooklyn Public Library @BKLYNlibrary will be screening "The Satanic Verses: 30 Years On", a documentary about the controversy surrounding @SalmanRushdie's 1988 novel and the freedom of speech debate it sparked. Sign up: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/litfilm-2023-satanic-central-library-dweck-20230214