North v. South/Blue v. Red

 Oh to see the difference!

A library in a town in Connecticut gets a grant for more diversity in their books.

Donation To Berlin Library Allows For More Diverse Young Adult Titles
The Berlin-Peck Memorial Library thanks the Berlin Lions Club for the financial help.
Patch
By Michael Lemanski,
March 9, 2023


The local Lions Club this week donated $1,000 to the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library in Berlin so it can grow a more diverse collection of literature for young adults.

The library made the announcement earlier this week, thanking the Berlin Lions Club for "generously" making the donation.

"We are so grateful for their support, which allows us to further enrich the lives of Berlin youth by providing inclusive collections for all ages," wrote the library.

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Update 11:10 AM

 The governor of Minnesota just signed and Executive Order:

Walz signs executive order protecting gender-affirming care in Minnesota
The governor took the action as many states across the U.S. consider bills that would restrict doctors from providing minors with hormones or surgery to help people express their gender identities.
Duluth News Tribune
By By Alex Derosier
March 8, 2023


Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday, March 8, signed an executive order directing state agencies to take action to protect access to gender-affirming procedures, therapies and hormone treatments for transgender people in Minnesota.

Many states across the U.S., including Minnesota’s neighbors, North Dakota and Iowa, are considering bills that would restrict doctors from providing minors with hormone treatments or surgical procedures to help people express their gender identities. Last month, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, signed a bill banning gender-affirming medications and procedures for minors.While the Minnesota Legislature is considering bills that would protect access to gender-affirming treatments, Walz said he directed his administration to act ahead of any bill reaching his desk because of what he said was the issue’s urgency.

“Every single day is a risk to these children and the people involved,” Walz said. “And while we're waiting for the process to work its way through the Legislature, we're making sure that we put up … the protections that we can offer now.”

Here in Connecticut a state legislator told me the law banning other states from getting abortion records is written so broadly that it covers us.

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Then down in Florida...

Florida students protest their school district's book ban
NPR
By Kerry Sheridan
March 9, 2023


Students in the St. Petersburg area are protesting a book ban imposed by a school district using a new state law. A new training video for librarians warns not to shelf books that could be challenged.

[...]

HANNAH HIPOLITO: There is irony in banning books when so many of the greatest works of literature warn us of the repercussions of doing so.

ANDREW LARSEN: I believe that the decision to ban the book was made hastily and without the proper procedures.

PRISHA SHERDIWALA: Even though others may not want to read this in public, as young humans - some of us who will be adults in less than a year - we are capable of engaging with these challenging ideas.

SHERIDAN: Those were high school students Hannah Hipolito, Andrew Larsen and Prisha Sherdiwala. At issue are two pages of "The Bluest Eye," a novel first published in 1970. Those passages describe a father raping his daughter. The parent who brought the complaint didn't come to this meeting. Instead, Michelle Stille voiced her concerns in a YouTube video.

All it took was person to complain and the book was pulled!

SHERIDAN: This one complaint caused the school district to remove the book soon after. District leaders say it was because of a new law known as HB 1467. It spells out the felony charges school librarians could face if they allow any books that are pornographic or harmful to minors. The Florida Department of Education made a training video urging staff to, quote, "err on the side of caution when picking books." Here's an excerpt.

See the difference? See the difference between the states?