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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1h

But they won’t.

That’s why we must be brave and start conversations about this issue with our friends and neighbors that might have heard the talking points, but aren’t actually following this issue.

Here’s a great article to help with that!

www.freedomtoreadproject.org/what_s_reall...

What’s Really at Stake: The And Tango Makes Three Ruling and the Slippery Reasoning That Fails Us

A Florida judge ruled authors and students lack First Amendment rights in libraries, granting political control over public access and professional curation of ideas.

www.freedomtoreadproject.org

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1h

If only the people that parrot all the talking points that defend government infringement on our First Amendment rights actually read articles like this…

www.tallahassee.com/story/news/l...

Do First Amendment rights apply in school libraries? A federal judge said no

A federal judge ruled that curating books in school libraries don't impinge First Amendment rights, but experts say this argument is more nuanced.

www.tallahassee.com

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 20h

We will follow it, but we all need to contact our legislators and express our support for this resolution. It’s unlikely to move without Republicans in power also recognizing the need for it.

raskin.house.gov/2025/10/rask...

Raskin and Schatz Defend the American Freedom to Read and Call to End Nearly 23,000 MAGA Book Bans in the Nation’s Schools

raskin.house.gov

Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 22h

Want to make a bigger impact for the #FreedomToRead movement? Start by connecting with other advocates online!

The movement is stronger when we’re connected. Start building your digital coalition today and turn online advocacy into real-world change.

#FreedomToRead #BookBans #AdvocacyInAction

Tips for connecting with advocates online: 1. Follow and tag advocacy orgs. 2. Use movement hashtags. 3. Engage meaningfully. 4. Share your story.

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

Whereas book bans violate the rights of students, families, residents, and citizens based on the political, ideological, and cultural preferences of the specific individuals imposing the bans;

raskin.house.gov/_cache/files...

raskin.house.gov

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

Whereas suppressing the freedom to read and denying access to literature, history, and knowledge are repressive and antidemocratic tactics used by authoritarian regimes against their people;

raskin.house.gov/_cache/files...

raskin.house.gov

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

Whereas books do not require readers to agree with topics, themes, or viewpoints but instead allow readers to explore and engage with differing perspectives to form and inform their own views;

raskin.house.gov/_cache/files...

raskin.house.gov

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

Whereas the unimpeded sharing of ideas and the freedom to
read are essential to a strong democracy;

raskin.house.gov

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Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 1d

How to be an informed, pro-library, anti-book ban voter in upcoming fall elections (if you have them) and well into the future.

Don't just celebrate banned books. Don't just read banned books. VOTE to support the democratic institutions creating access to them.

bookriot.com/library-elec...

Be an Informed Pro-Library, Pro-Literary Voter Now: Book Censorship News, October 10, 2025

Elections in several states will be coming up throughout the months of October and November. Here's how to be a pro-library voter.

bookriot.com

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

“Book banning strips us of choice. It strips us of that diversity of voices, that range of experience that can broaden our world-view, increase our compassion & empathy, & sometimes transform our thinking, our politics, our ethics. This…is democracy.”

www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/10/c...

Commentary: Book banning threatens education and our democracy

The point of great literature is not to inculcate us with the things we already know or to tell us about the life we already know; it’s to expose us to others.

www.orlandosentinel.com

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks for supporting and uplifting our work! 🫶

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Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 1d

This is more than a story about 1 banned book. In Escambia County, a court ruled that students & authors have no 1st Amendment rights in school libraries, opening the door to unchecked censorship.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/what_s_reall...

When we let one removal stand on principle, we all lose.

What’s Really at Stake: The And Tango Makes Three Ruling and the Slippery Reasoning That Fails Us

A Florida judge ruled authors and students lack First Amendment rights in libraries, granting political control over public access and professional curation of ideas.

www.freedomtoreadproject.org

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

The fact that he is asking where to look and what to ask for while people on the ground have been asking the right questions and getting the answers for 4+ years is frustrating.

The reason why he knows there is a book ban problem the size that it is, is because this work is already being done.

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 1d

Must be nice to get a grant to file public records. We’ve been using small dollar donations to cover those fees (and volunteer the labor).

We have 1000s of documents, but haven’t heard from them yet.

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 2d

Without an ounce of shame, our Education Commissioner let everyone know that judging a book by its cover is not only totally acceptable down here in FL, it’s expected.

Oh, and a judge here has ruled that this isn’t an infringement of First Amendment rights because we don’t have them in the library.

Screenshot of a post by Florida’s Education Commissioner accusing Hillsborough County School District of providing access to an “inappropriate” book based solely on the cover.

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 2d

This x1000!

No one is coming to save us from this. We need to do the work!

Use this week to get educated about the issue and to find likeminded people in your community to hold one another accountable going forward.

Need a guide to get you started?

www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 2d

Are you familiar with the shock that happens when you look back at an old picture of your child and realize the change that happened little-by-little, day-after-day?

Well, we just realized that we have tracked over 11,000 censorship attempts in FL on over 4,500 unique titles since fall 2021.

a woman in a green shirt is holding a cup of ice cream

Alt: Emma Stone in a green shirt is holding a cup of ice cream

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

Cat Winters / C. E. Winters @catwintersbooks.bsky.social · 2d

If you're not a published author or illustrator, there are other organizations you can join or subscribe to if you want to help protect the freedom to read. @uabookbans.bsky.social is one. @flfreedomread.bsky.social and @txfreedomread.bsky.social are major organizations to follow in those states.

Cat Winters / C. E. Winters @catwintersbooks.bsky.social · 2d

I'm reposting this one again as an action item for all of you writers, illustrators, translators, and anthology editors this #BannedBooksWeek.

We are stronger together through @authorsabb.bsky.social. Trainings included.

authorsagainstbookbans.com

bsky.app/profile/catw...

Cat Winters / C. E. Winters @catwintersbooks.bsky.social · Apr 17

Do not wait for your books to be banned to join @authorsabb.bsky.social. Please stand up for our colleagues, our readers, and the freedom to read and write today.

www.authorsagainstbookbans.com

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Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 2d

CONCRETE ROSE by Angie Thomas is a powerful, heartfelt novel that deserves a place on every shelf.

Banning this book erases critical conversations about responsibility, masculinity, and identity that matter deeply to today’s youth.

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 2d

Hillsborough’s Comms team is working extra hard to make it sound like students weren’t impacted by the review.

It’s not done.

Also, it’s dishonest to say that the law requires these books to be pulled from students while under review. That’s a district decision.

www.axios.com/local/tampa-...

Report: Hillsborough 2nd in the U.S. for books pulled from school libraries

The report found that Hillsborough County Public Schools removed 608 books from their shelves.

www.axios.com

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 2d

“The ruling confirms that these censorship efforts are about ensuring our publicly funded libraries are no longer guided by professional expertise or the interests of the people, but by the whims of politicians.”

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

‘Tango’ Plaintiffs Plan an Appeal to the 11th Circuit

And Tango Makes Three authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, whose First Amendment claim against Florida’s Escambia County School Board was dismissed in federal court last week, will appeal to t...

www.publishersweekly.com

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 2d

“By concluding that students have no right to receive info in public school libraries and that the government decides who speaks through them, the court disregards decades of precedent that recognize school libraries as spaces for exploration and learning.”

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

‘Tango’ Plaintiffs Plan an Appeal to the 11th Circuit

And Tango Makes Three authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, whose First Amendment claim against Florida’s Escambia County School Board was dismissed in federal court last week, will appeal to t...

www.publishersweekly.com

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Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 4d

Yep, it's kind of like when Florida insisted on creating as many barriers for young people to use school libraries as possible, it was a teeny tiny fraction of parents who barred their kids from using those libraries.

It's all lies and story made up in bigots' brains.

bookriot.com/florida-scho...

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Reposted by Florida Freedom to Read Project

Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 4d

✨ Happy Banned Books Week! ✨

This year, make your advocacy count with “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read.”

Download it free today and turn your support for banned books into real-world action.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...

Cover of Turning the Page: An advocate’s guide to the freedom to read

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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 5d

“Advocacy must shift from isolated book battles to defending institutional autonomy and resisting the ideological nationalization of censorship.”

buckscountybeacon.com/2025/10/the-...

The Quiet Creep of Censorship: How ‘Everyday Banning’ Is Reshaping American Schools - Bucks County Beacon

PEN America’s new report “The Normalization of Book Banning” exposes how book censorship has become “rampant and common” in public schools across the United States.

buckscountybeacon.com

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