Protecting Minority Literature in Libraries

LGBTQ Nation's Good News Feed reports that the Democratic governor of Maryland has signed into law a provision that will make it more difficult for anti-gay and anti-black extremists from banning books from public libraries and school libraries.  H.B. 787, dubbed the “Freedom to Read Act,” stipulates that materials can’t be excluded from libraries “because of the origin, background, or views of a person who created the material”.  “I’m proud that Maryland is a place where everyone can see themselves in literature, where that book will remain on the shelves for them to read and see and not feel alone and that people’s history isn’t erased,” Delegate Dana Jonessaid. She sponsored the bill in the Maryland House of Delegates. “We’re not telling anyone what to read. The readers are choosing. People are choosing. This is a statewide bill for everyone to protect literature, libraries and librarians and I couldn’t be prouder.”    LGBTQIA education network GLSEN said that the provisions of the bill were "groundbreaking" and would make a difference to the lives of many students who were LGBTQIA+, African-American, or other minorities often targetted by religious extremist groups.