Last fall, the American Library Association compiled a list of books that have been targets of censorship, challenged for inclusion in the collections of school and public libraries. 1,269 books were challenged in 2022.

Jolie McShane and Jeff McDonald are two of the activists seeking to ban books about sexuality and LGTBQ communities in Baltimore County school libraries.

That’s almost double the number of books that were challenged the year before.

Most of the books are about LGBTQ communities, or are stories and histories centered around people of color.

Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has made “anti-wokism” a central tenet of his campaign for President, and a central issue in his on-going feud with Disney. Around the country, conservative activists are seeking to limit what kids can access in their classrooms and curriculums.

Today on Midday, a conversation about what criteria teachers, parents, politicians and boards of education are applying in the contentious fights around book censorship.

Tom first speaks to Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the Director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association.

A little later in the program, Tom speaks with Jolie McShane, the President of Republican Women of Baltimore County and Jeffry McDonald, the President of the Patriot Club of America, a group based in Baltimore County.

They have been working to have two books removed from Baltimore County school libraries, “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison and “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe.

Tom also speaks with George Johnson, the author of “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” another book that is among the most frequently targeted for removal from libraries across the country.