Utah State Board of Education Issues List of Banned Books

metroweekly.com:

made public last Friday, was generated to comply with a state law that took effect on July 1.The law requires local education agencies, including school boards and the governing board of charter schools, to prioritize “protecting children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography over other considerations.” The board said it was committed to enforcing the law.Traditionally, schools and librarians have looked at the overall content and value of challenged books, rather than cherry-picked selections from such works, when determining whether books should be removed from shelves or banned altogether.However, the new law refuses to make allowances for works that may contain some adult content but have overriding literary, political, or artistic value.

That means any works containing descriptions of sex or masturbation are banned, as are any books with LGBTQ content that opponents may claim is “sexual.”When a local education body removes a book for violating the law, it must notify the state board of education.