Texas Governor Invokes ‘Pornography’ to Ban Books, Threaten Criminal Action Against Librarians and Teachers
PEN America condemns the governor’s actions as a politically-motivated exercise in censorship and intimidation that threatens to ban books and criminalize teachers and librarians doing their job. More
Four Reasons Why Educational Gag Orders Are Dangerous
As PEN America outlined in its new report, state legislators introduced 54 educational gag orders in the first nine months of 2021; 11 of them have become law. More
New PEN America Report Warns About Dangers of Educational Gag Orders
A wave of alarming legislative efforts to limit teaching and learning on topics including racism, sexism, and American history represent a censorious drive to impose viewpoint and content-based restrictions… More
Suspending Student Group Over Anti-Chinese Government Stickers “Grave Misstep”
According to reports, Emerson College this month launched an investigation of their campus chapter of the conservative student group, Turning Point USA, after the group created and distributed stickers with… More
Oregon School District Bans BLM, LGBTQ+ Symbols
(New York, NY) — After moving to ban LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter symbols, a school district in Oregon is now in the midst of developing a policy to… More
Arizona Senate to Vote on Budget Including “Divisive Concepts” Provisions
The Arizona state senate is set to vote this week on a state budget that includes a set of provisions prohibiting teachers, administrators, and other school district employees from… More
Failure to Reappoint UNC Law Professor Comes as Academic Freedom Questions Mount
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has reportedly denied reappointment of UNC law professor Eric Muller to the UNC Press Board of Governors. More
Supreme Court Made Right Call in Student Free Speech Case
PEN America responds to landmark student free speech case Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. . More
Coalition of Education Groups Decry Wave of Legislation Stifling Academic Freedom
Today PEN America issued a joint statement opposing the wave of legislation being introduced in states across the country to stifle education about racism and American history in schools,… More
Joint Statement on Legislative Efforts to Restrict Education about Racism and American History
PEN America joins higher education groups in opposing legislation that seeks to ban discussions of racism and related issues in American history in schools. More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?