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       lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
       
       
       ARTICLE VIEW: 
       
       The five biggest book publishers in the US are suing Iowa over its book
       ban law
       
       By Nicole Chavez, CNN
       
       Updated: 
       
       5:41 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
       
       Source: CNN
       
       Several publishing houses joined bestselling authors and Penguin Random
       House this week in a federal lawsuit challenging an Iowa state law that
       bans certain books in schools and limits teachings on sexual
       orientation and gender identity.
       
       Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers
       and Simon & Schuster, all members of the publishers in the US,
       announced they will join a   Sourcebooks, which is majority-owned by
       Penguin Random House, also joined the suit.
       
       “We as publishers are uniting in our unwavering commitment to stand
       with educators, librarians, students, authors, and readers against the
       unconstitutional censorship measures being imposed by the state of
       Iowa,” the publishers said in .
       
       “The alarming rise of book bans across the country demands our
       collective action. Now, more than ever, we must stand firmly with our
       authors and readers to defend the fundamental right to read and the
       freedom of expression.”
       
       The law, SF 496, was signed last year by Iowa Republican Gov. Kim
       Reynolds. It requires K-12 school libraries to only carry books deemed
       “age-appropriate,” and for libraries to exclude any book with
       “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act,” 
       
       In the lawsuit, the publishers along several bestselling authors, Iowa
       teachers, a student and the Iowa State Education Association, argue
       that SF 496 deprives students of literature that “portrays and
       describes critical aspects of the human experience” and
       “discriminates against LGBTQ+ viewpoints and authors.”
       
       Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Iowa, and the law firm Jenner & Block LLP
       also filed lawsuit arguing the Iowa law seeks to “silence LGBTQ+
       students, erase any recognition of LGBTQ+ people from public schools,
       and bans books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content,” according to a .
       
       Late last year, a federal judge temporarily blocked key parts of SF 496
       from being enforced, calling the law 
       
       In response to the judge’s ruling, Gov. Reynolds said she would
       continue doing her “part to protect” children because
       “instruction on general identity and sexual orientation has no place
       in kindergarten” and elementary school classrooms.
       
       “And there should be no question that books containing sexually
       explicit content — as clearly defined in Iowa law — do not belong
       in a school library for children. The fact that we’re even arguing
       these issues is ridiculous,” .
       
       “The real debate should be about why society is so intent on
       over-sexualizing our young children. It’s wrong, and I will continue
       to do my part to protect their innocence.”
       
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