US literary orgs decry anti-trans executive order

In the US, more than 50 book-industry organisations and businesses, including booksellers, publishers and libraries, have released a statement denouncing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that recognises only ‘two sexes, male and female’. The order states that, ‘these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality’.

In a statement published in Publishers Weekly, the signatories said: ‘Trans, nonbinary, and intersex experience is vastly underrepresented in literature but disproportionately targeted by bans. During the 2022-2023 school year, 30% of books banned included LGBTQIA+ characters or themes. Such censorship robs us of perspectives that enrich the American story. Though the executive order in question tries to paint LGBTQIA+ people and allies as bullies enforcing their perspective on others through “legal and other socially coercive means,” that’s exactly what the order itself does, just as book-banning pressure groups have done since 2020 in school boards and libraries around the country. The fate of trans, intersex, and nonbinary people is not a political ideology, it’s a matter of human rights, civil rights, and freedom of expression. Government erosion of those rights should concern all Americans, regardless of their investment in LGBTQIA+ literature specifically.’

The full statement and a list of signatories can be found on the Publishers Weekly website.

Category: International news News