Illinois becomes 1st state to punish libraries that ban books
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – Illinois has become the first state in the U.S. to legally ban libraries from banning books.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law Monday at a ceremony in Chicago that blocks state funding for public libraries and schools that do not follow guidelines for removing banned books.
The new law, passed by both houses of the state General Assembly in May, ostensibly guarantees the state’s public libraries the freedom to acquire materials without outside restrictions.
Pritzker said book bans are about censorship, the exclusion of people, ideas, and facts.
The Illinois law comes at a time when calls to ban books have skyrocketed in recent years.
Conservatives have particularly targeted books by or for LGBTQ+ people.
According to the American Library Association, there were 1,269 requests to censor library books and resources in 2022.
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