Summary
Rightwing groups across the US are driving a wave of legislation to restrict books in school and public libraries, targeting content deemed “sexually explicit” or “obscene,” often affecting LGBTQ+ and race-related titles.
Texas leads with 31 bills and 538 book bans in the 2023–24 school year.
Proposed laws, like Texas Senate Bill 13, shift book selection power from librarians to parent-led advisory boards.
Critics, including librarians and legal scholars, warn these efforts amount to censorship, risk violating First Amendment rights, and reduce access in underserved communities.
I’m not trying to defend slavery in the Bible, for the context those laws were written it was progress; but it also contains enough that made people 300 years ago start thinking “maybe slavery is not good”.
Jesus’ message is not for those who would have the power to own slaves; that last verse looks like a weird translation, it’s supposed to mean that his followers are not to seek positions of power, but to act as slaves to each other.