A new report by PEN America reveals that more than half of the books banned in U.S. schools last year focused on people of color or members of the LGBTQ community, highlighting a disturbing trend of targeted censorship against marginalized groups.
Released on Thursday, the analysis found that more than 10,000 instances of book removals took place across schools and districts last year, impacting a total of 4,218 titles. Of those banned books, 36% featured characters or themes related to people of color, while 25% included LGBTQ characters or narratives. Additionally, 28% of the books with LGBTQ themes centered on transgender and/or genderqueer characters.
“This targeted censorship amounts to a harmful assault on historically marginalized and underrepresented populations — a dangerous effort to erase their stories, achievements, and history from schools,” Sabrina Baêta, senior manager for PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, said in a statement. “When we strip library shelves of books about particular groups, we defeat the purpose of a library collection that is supposed to reflect the lives of all people. The damaging consequences to young people are real.”
The report sheds light on the genres most affected by the bans, revealing that realistic fiction, dystopia/sci-fi/fantasy, history, biography, mystery, thriller, educational books, and memoirs were among the top targets. Picture books and graphic novels, which often tackle sensitive topics, made up nearly 17% of the banned titles.
Notably, books that address history and biography were especially targeted, with 44% of these works featuring people of color and 26% specifically focusing on Black individuals. Additionally, 25% of history and biography books dealt with LGBTQ themes, and 9% featured transgender or genderqueer characters.
The analysis also emphasized that book bans frequently affect works featuring multiple marginalized identities. More than half (54%) of all banned books with LGBTQ characters also included people of color, showing how these intersecting identities are disproportionately targeted.
The report comes amid a broader wave of book bans, often spearheaded by parents and conservative activists who claim that such content makes students uncomfortable or is sexually explicit. In Florida, for example, the state’s Department of Education released a list of books removed from some schools, including classics like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. The department has defended these actions, arguing that no books are being banned but rather removed due to their perceived sexual content.
Critics, however, argue that these restrictions limit students’ access to vital information, stifling their ability to engage with diverse perspectives and preventing LGBTQ and students of color from seeing themselves represented in literature. PEN America noted that over half of U.S. schoolchildren are students of color, and younger generations are increasingly identifying as LGBTQ, with nearly one-quarter (23.1%) of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ according to a Gallup survey.
The analysis also took aim at the rhetoric surrounding books deemed “explicit.” While 31% of the banned books included minimal references to sexual experiences, only 13% featured more descriptive depictions of sex. PEN America’s analysis argued that such content, often cited as problematic, can serve as a valuable resource for students to better understand human experiences, including complex topics like death, violence, and mental health.
In the face of mounting book bans, PEN America continues to advocate for the right to free expression in literature, urging educational institutions to resist efforts to restrict access to diverse stories and perspectives. The nonprofit warns that these bans are not just an attack on specific books but on the broader ideals of education, diversity, and inclusion.
