Connecticut legislators and librarians are raising awareness during National Banned Books Week.
Banned Books Week has been held every year since 1982, but in Connecticut this year is different.
At least 14 attempts have been made to ban books in the state this year, and most of them have been about the LGBTQ+ community.
State Representative Dominique Johnson (D-Westport) is a member of the legislature’s LGBTQ+ caucus. Johnson said a book banning incident in her district made families feel unwelcome.
“One person can call out an entire community and families and make them feel singled out and make them feel perhaps more unwelcome than they had thought,” Johnson said. “So to that I say, what really we need to remember is, these are our lives.”
Book banning incidents have popped up in Newtown, Brookfield, Darien and more. The challenged books include Flamer, Blankets and This Book is Gay, among others.
None of the challenges have resulted in bans.
State library director of the Division of Library Development Dawn LaValle said some of the challenges have formulated outside of the state.
“Challenges are being organized and are coming from organizations that do not necessarily reside in the communities that they are bringing up the challenges in,” LaValle said.
LaValle said the goal of the library is to be accessible and inclusive.
“Our role is not to decide what you read, but to give you that choice,” LaValle said. “It's your freedom of choice. Libraries, as I always like to say, are the last bastion of democracy in this world. And we really want to keep it that way.”
