(NEW YORK)— PEN America today joined more than 100 grassroots literary and library organizations, along with publications, booksellers and publishers in calling on Congress to reject a bill that would in effect mandate book censorship in the nation’s public schools. The writers and free expression organization previously called H.R. 7661 “an affront to local control of education” and said it would inevitably lead to more book bans.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, said: “HR 7661 threatens to suppress access to important books for students–a clear attempt to further erode the freedom to read in this country. That Congress would task itself with deciding what books belong in schools is absurd and yet another example of government overreach tormenting public schools and libraries. The bill’s focus on a limited number of “classic works” and explicit anti-trans language also signals the continued desire to censor identities and stories of people of color and LGBTQ+ people and books that reflect the lived experiences of young people today.”
HR 7661 would restrict funding, with few exceptions, under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 from being used on programming and literature containing so-called “sexually oriented material” or trans representation. PEN America is the leading organization to have documented the unprecedented rise of book bans across the country since 2021.
PEN America also urges members of the public to tell their representatives to oppose H.R. 766
Statement in Opposition to H.R. 7661
The freedom to speak and to read is a fundamental principle of the United States of America. That is why we have joined together — parents, students, educators, library workers, authors, free expression advocates, booksellers, and publishers — to stand in support of our nation’s school-aged children and teens and in opposition to H.R. 7661.
H.R. 7661, if passed, will compel nationwide book censorship. It confuses obscenity with identity and stigmatizes vulnerable young people, particularly trans children and teens, based on who they are. It will continue to drain funding from our already underfunded schools and libraries. And it will threaten the creativity and critical thinking that are vital to education in the U.S.
A core principle of democracy, freedom, and liberty is that the government does not choose what people get to read and who they get to be. This country has a long history of protecting our freedoms. H.R. 7661 goes against this.
Together, we say that this bill goes against the U.S. Constitution, local self-determination, access to books, and a society that is welcoming for everyone, no matter who they are. Our schools deserve better than this. Our children and teens — all of them, without exception — deserve better than this.
We urge the U.S. House of Representatives to vote NO on H.R. 7661 or, better yet, to not take it up for a vote at all.
ALL INITIAL SIGNERS:
Abrams
Aevitas Creative Management
Air and Nothingness Press
All4Ed
American Booksellers Association
American Library Association
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Annie’s Foundation
Association for Rural & Small Libraries
Association of University Presses
Astra Publishing House
Atlas Books
Atthis Arts
Au Literary Management
Authors Against Book Bans
Azantian Literary Agency
Banned Books Box
Barefoot Books
The Bookdragon’s Lair
Book Ferret
Book Manufacturers’ Institute
Book Moon
Books on Main
Boston Comic Arts Foundation
Bradford Literary Agency
Bubba’s Books
California Independent Booksellers Alliance
California Public Library Advocates
Candlewick Press
Chapter2 Books
Charlesbridge
Children’s Book Council
Coffee House Press
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Dog Eared Rights and Licensing, LLC
Duck’s Cottage Coffee & Books
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
E. Shaver, Bookseller
EveryLibrary
Fact & Fiction Books
Fiction Bookshop
Florida Freedom to Read Project
Folklore Publishing
Foofaraw Press
Frances Goldin Literary Agency
Freedom to Read Project
Freedom to Read SC
Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency
GLAAD
Holiday House Publishing
The Horn Book
Independent Book Publishers Association
Just Us Books, Inc.
Kidsbuzz
Kirkus Reviews
KT Literary, LLC.
lala books
Latinx Kidlit Book Festival
Laura Gross Literary Agency
Lee & Low Books
Levine Querido
Library Journal
Libro.fm
Little Bee Books
Live Oak Media
Livingston Parish Library Alliance
Longfellow Books
Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship
MacGregor & Luedeke Collaborative
Macmillan Publishers
Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
Military Families for Free Expression
Moonstone & Mist Bookshop
Morgan Hill Bookstore
Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association
National Coalition Against Censorship
National Council of Teachers of English
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association
The New Press
New England Independent Booksellers Association
New Leaf Literary & Media
Newtonville Books
Nordlyset Literary Agency
Nosy Crow
Not a Pipe Publishing Ink-Corporated LLC
Onyx Gifts and Books
Open Book Literary
Orca Book Publishers
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
Peachtree Publishing
PEN America
Penguin Random House
PFLAG
Porter Square Books
Postcard Bookshop
Publishers Spotlight
Publishers Weekly
Publishing Professionals Against Book Bans
Rainy Day Paperback Exchange
Read Freely Alabama
READERS to EATERS
RED COMET PRESS, LLC
River & Hill Books
Rutherford County Library Alliance
School Board Integrity Project
School Library Journal
Shelf Life Books
Simon & Schuster
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Sourcebooks
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
Spoke & Word Books
Students Engaged in Advancing Texas
Texas Freedom to Read Project
The Authors Guild
The Book Shop of Beverly Farms
The CAT Agency
The Lynx Books
Texas FReadom Fighters
Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore
United States Board on Books for Young People
University Press of Colorado
Vagabond Books, LLC
Water Street Bookstore, Inc.
We Need Diverse Books
Weller Book Works
Whitelam Books