Prairie State Wire

Illinois' new ban on book bans, touted by progressive politicians and media as a triumph for free speech, is actually an empty and hypocritical gesture, according to Executive Editor of Wirepoints Mark Glennon. 

Glennon highlighted the irony of progressives claiming to champion free speech while advocating for speech regulations and censorship in other contexts. 

“At the other extreme, the left has sought to ban ”Huck Finn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” foolishly claiming they are racist, but they’d presumably say their reasons are not partisan or doctrinal so their ban should be permitted,” Glennon said in a press release. “What about explicit pornography, calls for immediate violence, brazen defamation and how-to-make-a-bomb books? Most everybody would agree that those should be banned, but the association’s bill of rights does not address such things and defining them would be nearly impossible.” 

Glennon added the law has several major issues including vague language, delegation of lawmaking to an unelected association, and the conflation of age appropriateness with censorship. He adds that the controversy surrounding book bans largely revolves around issues of placement and age appropriateness rather than outright censorship, challenging the portrayal of one side as book banners.

“Illinois’ ban on book bans is projection at its worst – a shameless try by today’s left to ascribe its illiberalism to its opponents,” Glennon said. 

In her dismissal of the program Laurie Higgins, writing for Breakthrough Ideas pointed out the disparity with which Democrats have treated literary classics such as banning Huckleberry Finn, which has been the target of some on the far left, and editing children's classics such as the works of Roald Dahl, long after they have been published.

“Who is bowdlerizing books by Roald Dahl, Agatha Christie, and R.L. Stine?” Higgins said. “If you guessed ‘progressives,’ you’ve won tickets to the next book bonfire to be held under the rainbow flag by leftists in Springfield.” “Do you see how this psyop works? When libraries don’t carry conservative books that leftists hate, leftists never have a need to protest books, and, therefore, they can never be accused of being book banners. Tricksy bit of deceitful devilry, and conservatives fall for it again, and again, and again.”

The announcement of changes being made to Roald Dahl's classic children's books has sparked a controversy over censorship, with renowned writers like Salman Rushdie criticizing the alterations as "absurd censorship," CNN reported. The revisions, made in collaboration with an organization called Inclusive Minds, involve cutting or rewriting language related to gender, race, weight, mental health, and violence. Words such as "fat" and "ugly" are being removed, as well as descriptions using black and white colors.

“If we start down the path of trying to correct for perceived slights instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as written, we risk distorting the work of great authors and clouding the essential lens that literature offers on society,” Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America said in a string of tweets.

Meanwhile, the law signed by Prizker takes aim at concerned Illinois parents who are seeking to have animated pornography restricted or removed from publicly funded libraries. The law promises to remove public funding if bans such as that enacted in mid-2022 by the Harlem School District 122 Board of Education, based in Machesney Park. District 122 made the decision to remove the book "Gender Queer” which features illustrations of characters in vivid sex acts from its libraries after parental upheaval, according to Rockford Sun. 

"It’s porn," Lynette Hofman said, according to WIFR. "We're talking incest, molestation and pedophilia." 

It is unclear if the state has moved to rescind funds from District 122 libraries in the wake of the legislation being signed by Pritzker.

The move to prevent books from being removed from local libraries comes after nearly two years of protests by parents over animated pornography, such as the aforementioned "Gender Queer” increasingly being found in school and public libraries. Terry Newsome, a parent from Downers Grove South High School in Illinois, who has been vocal about his objections to explicit materials in the school's library, has requested a congressional investigation into the "weaponization" of the FBI against parents and school board activists, DuPage Policy Journal reported. 

Newsome, who has since been elected as a Republican precinct committeeman, has faced attacks on social media and in his professional life, continues to advocate for the removal of pornographic materials from the school's library. He has been portrayed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a far-right extremist, which he disputes, stating that his concerns are focused on protecting minors from inappropriate reading materials. SPLC, known for its activism and focus on racial justice, has faced criticism for its handling of hate group designations.