“Try and define pornography today, and you’ll find that it’s everything.”
Ben Blanchet
Sat, April 1, 2023
In this article:
Judy Blume
American children's writer
Judy Blume ripped attempts to ban books and described what “books are all about” during an interview published by Variety on Friday.
Blume weighed in on book bans as attempts to challenge literary materials in schools and public libraries reached a record high in 2022, according to a report from the American Library Association.
The iconic author, known as an activist against book ban efforts, has seen several of her books challenged over the years, including “Forever...” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
Blume told Variety that the challenges “all broke loose” following the election of President Ronald Reagan but argued that efforts to ban books today are different.
“It was bad in the ’80s, but it wasn’t coming from the government. Today, there are laws being enacted where a librarian can go to prison if she or he is found guilty of having pornography on their shelves,” Blume said.
“Try and define pornography today, and you’ll find that it’s everything.”
Judy Blume arrives at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival's premiere of
Judy Blume arrives at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival's premiere of "Judy Blume Forever" on March 4 in Coral Gables, Florida.
Blume’s comments come after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed that efforts to remove books from state classrooms only impact “pornographic and inappropriate” materials, a claim that literary group PEN America declared false in a post last month.
The author, a Key West, Florida resident, has also spoken out against GOP-backed efforts in the state.
The author wrote “Sorry, Margaret.” – a nod to the main character of her novel that addresses menstruation – in response to a tweet about a bill that would ban discussion of menstrual cycles in Florida classrooms.
Blume, in her interview with Variety, referred to politician-led attempts to challenge books as “the real danger.”
“What are you protecting your children from? Protecting your children means educating them and arming them with knowledge, and reading and supporting what they want to read,” Blume said.
“No child is going to become transgender or gay or lesbian because they read a book. It’s not going to happen. They may say, ‘Oh, this is just like me. This is what I’m feeling and thinking about.’ Or, ‘I’m interested in this because I have friends who may be gay, bi, lesbian.’ They want to know.”
Blume later praised one book – Maia Kobabe’s frequently-challenged memoir “Gender Queer” – for offering her insight into a life other than her own.
“I thought, ‘This young person is telling me how they came to be what they are today.’ And I learned a lot and became even more empathetic,” she said.
“That’s what books are all about.”’
You can read more of Blume’s interview with Variety here.
Judy Blume worried about intolerance and book banning in the US
Banning books "has become political... it's worse than it was in the 80s"
Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams will star in the screen adaptation of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
The novel follows a young girl exploring her religious and sexual identity as she confronts adolescent anxieties about reaching puberty.
The book won several literary awards and has remained popular with teenage girls, but it has also attracted controversy both at the time of its publication and more recently, for how openly it discusses sexuality and religion.
Asked about book banning, Blume told Kuenssberg: "I thought that was over frankly, I thought we had come through that, you know, not in every way, but I never expected us to be back where we were in the 80s plus, much worse.
"I came through the 80s when book banning was really at its height. And it was terrible. And then libraries and schools began to get policies in place and we saw a falling off of the desire to censor books.
"Now it is back, it is back much worse - this is in America, it is back so much worse than it was in the 80s. Because it's become political.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed limiting discussion of gender and sexuality in schools
She continued: "We have legislators out there trying to put through laws, I just read about one last week in my home state of Florida, trying to put through a law - trying to put through laws saying that girls can no longer talk about periods at school or amongst themselves."
Earlier this month, Florida's state legislature introduced a new bill that may limit discussion of menstruation before sixth grade.
"I mean, that's crazy, that is so crazy," Blume said. "And it is so frightening that I think the only answer is for us to speak out and really keep speaking out, or we are going to lose our way."
Blume was also asked what she thought about Florida governor Ron DeSantis's proposal to restrict discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.
Last week, Florida's Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr tweeted: "Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology."
Blume criticised "bad politicians who drunk with power, who want to get out there, and I don't know what they're trying to prove really".
She added: "I mean, there's a group of mothers now going around saying that they want to protect their children. Protect them from what? You know, protect them from talking about things? Protect them from knowing about things?
"Because even if they don't let them read books, their bodies are still going to change and their feelings about their bodies are going to change. And you can't control that. They have to be able to read, to question."
Steven McIntosh - Entertainment reporter
Sat, April 1, 2023
Author Judy Blume has said she is worried about intolerance in the US, after some of her novels were removed from schools.
Some books have been removed from school libraries in the US due to concerns about how they explore complex themes of sex, race or gender identity.
One of Blume's novel was recently pulled in a Florida school district.
Blume told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg banning books "has become political... it's worse than it was in the 80s".
Asked if she was worried about intolerance in the US, she replied: "Absolutely, intolerance about everything, gender, sexuality, racism.
"It's just reaching a point where again we have to fight back, we have to stand up and fight."
Why author Judy Blume's classic still inspires
Blume's novels have been translated into 32 languages and sold more than 90 million copies, according to recent figures reported by The Washington Post.
A screen adaptation of the author's 1970 novel Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is set to be released in May, starring Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.
Sat, April 1, 2023
Author Judy Blume has said she is worried about intolerance in the US, after some of her novels were removed from schools.
Some books have been removed from school libraries in the US due to concerns about how they explore complex themes of sex, race or gender identity.
One of Blume's novel was recently pulled in a Florida school district.
Blume told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg banning books "has become political... it's worse than it was in the 80s".
Asked if she was worried about intolerance in the US, she replied: "Absolutely, intolerance about everything, gender, sexuality, racism.
"It's just reaching a point where again we have to fight back, we have to stand up and fight."
Why author Judy Blume's classic still inspires
Blume's novels have been translated into 32 languages and sold more than 90 million copies, according to recent figures reported by The Washington Post.
A screen adaptation of the author's 1970 novel Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is set to be released in May, starring Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.
Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams will star in the screen adaptation of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
The novel follows a young girl exploring her religious and sexual identity as she confronts adolescent anxieties about reaching puberty.
The book won several literary awards and has remained popular with teenage girls, but it has also attracted controversy both at the time of its publication and more recently, for how openly it discusses sexuality and religion.
Asked about book banning, Blume told Kuenssberg: "I thought that was over frankly, I thought we had come through that, you know, not in every way, but I never expected us to be back where we were in the 80s plus, much worse.
"I came through the 80s when book banning was really at its height. And it was terrible. And then libraries and schools began to get policies in place and we saw a falling off of the desire to censor books.
"Now it is back, it is back much worse - this is in America, it is back so much worse than it was in the 80s. Because it's become political.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed limiting discussion of gender and sexuality in schools
She continued: "We have legislators out there trying to put through laws, I just read about one last week in my home state of Florida, trying to put through a law - trying to put through laws saying that girls can no longer talk about periods at school or amongst themselves."
Earlier this month, Florida's state legislature introduced a new bill that may limit discussion of menstruation before sixth grade.
"I mean, that's crazy, that is so crazy," Blume said. "And it is so frightening that I think the only answer is for us to speak out and really keep speaking out, or we are going to lose our way."
Blume was also asked what she thought about Florida governor Ron DeSantis's proposal to restrict discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.
Last week, Florida's Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr tweeted: "Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology."
Blume criticised "bad politicians who drunk with power, who want to get out there, and I don't know what they're trying to prove really".
She added: "I mean, there's a group of mothers now going around saying that they want to protect their children. Protect them from what? You know, protect them from talking about things? Protect them from knowing about things?
"Because even if they don't let them read books, their bodies are still going to change and their feelings about their bodies are going to change. And you can't control that. They have to be able to read, to question."
No comments:
Post a Comment