‘Where Will It Stop?’
To the Editor:
My name is Laura Miller. I reside at 8 Diamond Drive. I am a mother, a teacher, a principal, and a concerned citizen.
I have a degree in English. I have a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with a reading endorsement for grades K-12. I have another master’s in Educational Policy and Administration. I am hoping to finish my last master’s in African American Literature. I believe I am uniquely qualified to speak to banning books in public schools and libraries. Plus, I love to read.
I am writing with the hope that what I have to say is not needed; however, in the event that reason and compassion do not prevail, I must write.
It is not surprising that the wealth of information and ideas that exist through our schools and public libraries may offend some people. It is not surprising that some people find some ideas inappropriate for their children. Parents have every right to monitor and restrict what their children read at home. Every parent has that right. But no parent has the right to restrict another parent’s child.
Relocating or removing books because a few deem them inappropriate is sometimes done with the best of intentions, but it is always with the worst of consequences.
Newtown taxpayers are white, black, brown, gay, straight, Christian, non-Christian, rich, poor. Which group gets to dictate what the rest of us have access to? Which group gets to tell our community that their ideas are the best, the norm, the acceptable ones?
Just because you don’t want to read it, see it, or hear about it does not mean you can restrict the entire community’s access to it.
These bans almost always go after marginalized groups whose voices are already censored in so many systemic ways. Please do not force any voice to be silenced through censorship.
What message are we sending to our marginalized community members? Once we start removing or relocating books on one topic, where will it stop? The slippery slope of censorship has never been greased better than when it is disguised as moral outrage designed to protect our children.
These opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the Board of Finance of which I am a member.
Laura Miller
Newtown
I too have a degree in English. Reason and compassion have nothing to do with this. Neither does censorship. I’ve followed this issue across a number of locales and the fear mongering of the ‘slippery slope’ argument pales in contrast to the outrageness of the content in question. Ask yourself would you feel comfortable reading these books out loud to your children? I thought not. And the message being sent is that parents have the right and duty to question what the schools are doing and what the library is presenting to all children.
The slippery slope works both way. If books that contain sexually explicit language and images are allowed in our school libraries, what will be next? No one is asking for a removal of these books from the town library, just our schools. I would like to challenge our Media Specialists to find books that support the LGBTQ community without sexually explicit language and graphics, because I find it hard to believe they don’t exist.