Joe Biden has decided to appoint a “coordinator” in light of book bans in school libraries in certain conservative states, one of the initiatives to support LGBTQ+ people announced by the White House on Thursday.
“In 2022, we had a record number of book bans in twenty years,” according to a press release from the US executive branch, which said the bans particularly affect works related to “LGBTQ+ communities” and “communities of people colors ” relate. .
This phenomenon “damages democracy, deprives students of vital resources, and can contribute to the stigma and isolation experienced by LGBTQ+ communities and others,” the White House said.
The new coordinating body, which will be attached to the Department of Education, will be tasked with “dealing with the growing threat to civil rights” posed by these bans.
The person who will occupy it must set up training courses for schools.
Book bans have become a particularly sensitive issue in the United States, reflecting conflicts over important societal issues related to gender, sexuality and racism.
Some conservative states try to police readings, rejecting books they say, for example, promote homosexuality or progressive ideologies or are too shocking.
Classics such as the works of Toni Morrison or the Holocaust graphic novel “Maus” by Art Spiegelman were thus targeted.
The US executive also announced Thursday initiatives to support gay people, especially those living on the streets or young people in foster care or child protection structures, as part of Pride Month.
The US government will also establish security training to help the gay community deal with threats to them, as well as regular briefings on those threats.
They are aimed at dealers, clubs or festival organizers, for example.