Joe Biden’s Government Takes Action Against Book Bans in Schools on LGBTQ+ and People of Color Communities

Book bans have become a particularly sensitive topic in the United States, reflecting clashes over major societal issues relating to gender, sexuality and racism. Some conservative states try to police the readings, dismissing books they accuse, for example, of promoting homosexuality, progressive ideologies, or being too shocking. Classics, such as the works of Toni Morrison or the graphic novel on the Holocaust “Maus”, by Art Spiegelman, have thus been targeted.

An appointed coordinator

This phenomenon “damages democracy, deprives students of very important resources and can contribute to the stigmatization and isolation experienced by LGBTQ + communities and others”, estimates the White House, which has appointed a “coordinator” responsible for fight against these bans.

The new coordination post, which will be attached to the Ministry of Education, is intended to “deal with the growing threat to civil rights” posed by these bans.

As part of the “month of pride”, the American executive also announced this Thursday initiatives to support homosexual people, in particular those who live on the streets, or young people placed in foster families or structures of the child protection. The US government will also set up security training to help the homosexual community deal with threats to them, as well as regular briefings on these threats. They will be aimed, for example, at merchants, associations or festival organisers.