NEW ORLEANS — As efforts to ban books and censorship across the state mount amid an alarming increase in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, the Louisiana ACLU released an open letter as a resource to help the people of Louisiana protect the Constitution from state Censorship and positions based on understanding discrimination in libraries.
Censorship campaigns against public libraries have escalated in many communities across the state following last month’s call for restrictions by Attorney General Jeff Landry. The Louisiana effort has closely followed partisan policy trends at the national level and has largely focused on materials that discuss or depict the experiences of LGBTQ+ people and people of color.
The following statement should be credited to ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Alanah Odoms.
“Our First Amendment right to read, explore, and discuss new ideas is about more than principles. A free exchange of ideas is crucial to understanding our history and charting our path for the future. The Louisiana ACLU offers this letter as an informative resource for those speaking out against censorship in their communities and the underlying intolerance and exclusion.”
“We are still struggling with the legacy of oppression of blacks and browns, women and girls and LGBTQ+ people. Suppressing information about these ideas opens the door to the suppression of other ideas that politicians don’t like. And for countless LGBTQ+ youth who face bullying, isolation and depression in their communities, exposure in books and literature can be a life-saving refuge. Public libraries are places where young people can get to know themselves and people who are different from themselves, and are not denied access to the diverse perspectives that books and art offer to all of us.”
Content-based censorship by the government is unconstitutional, and First Amendment protections of free speech extend to children and young adults — protections that hold with immense force in both school and public libraries. Courts have consistently made it clear that public officials do not have the right to tip the scales, to promote or suppress particular opinions or viewpoints, or to determine what ideas are appropriate for people.
The fight for freedom of expression has been a cornerstone of the ACLU’s mission since the organization was founded over 100 years ago. The ACLU remains fully committed to upholding freedom of speech, having been involved in virtually every landmark First Amendment case brought to the Supreme Court.
The letter is here: www.laaclu.org/sites/default/files/aclu_of_louisiana_library_censorship_march_22_2023.pdf
The statement is online here:
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