Community members without children in the schools won't be able to challenge books in one Tennessee district; Iowa tries to define "sex act;" Maia Kobabe speaks with PEN America about Gender Queer, young readers, and the firestorm that came long after the graphic novel was published; and more in the latest Censorship News.

Banned in the USA Spotlight: Maia Kobabe | PEN America

The Gender Queer author discusses the reactions of young people who read it and offers a response to the graphic novel's critics.

Bill Sent to Indiana Governor's Desk Tightens School Library Restrictions | ABC 57

If the bill is signed, librarians who violate the law could be charged with a felony and face up to two and a half years in jail for providing materials “harmful to minors.”

Iowa School Book Ban: What is a Sex Act? Which Books Could Be Removed? | The Des Moines Register

Iowa is on the verge of banning all books with sex acts from school libraries. But what exactly does that mean?

DD2 Board: Only Parents, Guardians Can Formally Challenge Books in Libraries | The Post and Courier

The Dorchester District 2 school board in South Carolina will not allow community members without children in the school system to challenge titles.

Massachusetts Librarians Face More And More Book Challenges | Patch

The Massachusetts School Library Association says reported challenges jumped from zero to 22 in two years.

Book Bans Reach Historic Highs: How Libraries Became a Political Battleground | Amanpour and Company (YouTube)

Librarians are now on the front lines of a battle for intellectual freedom.

Wilson Co. School Board Votes to Keep Two Books in High Schools | WSMV

The Tennessee district’s board considered whether to ban The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley.

Poll: Most Michiganders oppose book bans | WSJM

According to the poll, 71 percent believe book banning is un-American, infringes on freedoms, and harms democracy.

The Fight for the American Public Library | Bloomberg

Communities are fighting back as library boards, school boards, and legislatures are becoming battlegrounds in a push to censor books.