Books, Bans, and the Battle for Expression: Join Us in Defending the Right to Read

TLDR: Honeybee is partnering with The Roasted Bookery and Hi-Wire Brewing at an event bringing awareness and pushing back against book banning on Thursday, October 9^th from 6 to 9 PM.

As a clinician with Honeybee who loves to read, I have been very passionate and alarmed about the excessive censorship, restriction, and bans of literature and free speech that have been occurring recently. 

What is a Banned Book?

Banned books are exactly what they sound like: literature that has restricted access. Restricting access to literature allows the suppression of knowledge, opinions, and justice.

Usually, books are banned because they contain “explicit” themes, ranging from sexual to political. However, the criteria for these themes tends to be loose and open to interpretation, leading people to take advantage and suppress books with messages they do not approve of.

While some authors purposely use characters from marginalized populations to advocate, raise awareness, and encourage justice, sometimes authors are providing visibility - people who aren't white, heterosexual, cisgender males exist! And sometimes people simply want to see stories that reflect THEM.

My name is Holly, and I specialize in post-modern therapy approaches including narrative therapy; narrative therapy focuses on how you can change unhelpful stories about yourself by becoming aware of those stories and finding new stories that are a better fit.

This mirrors how books can change how we think and view the world; books open our brains to possibilities, perspectives, and new information. 

Why am I advocating for reading Banned Books? 

My personal journey with reading began from an early age. I was a child who found themselves devouring page after page of fantasy, and historical fiction. What drew me to books was how they provided a safe space for expression. I could read an author's words and interpret them, find meaning, and follow my curiosity about a plethora of topics. 

Banning books isn't just about the books themselves, it is about restricting and controlling access to knowledge. Access to creativity. Access to expression. And I am -not- on board with that!

What does this look like right now?

Today, NPR published an article regarding the concerning trend of censorship within school libraries. NPR quoted a PEN America report, sharing "Never before have so many states passed laws or regulations to facilitate the banning of books, including bans on specific titles statewide."

PEN America also reflected on how, in July, the federal government removed nearly 600 titles due to "lack of alignment with executive orders related to diversity, discussions of race and gender ideology extremism." 

The trend is concerning. Access to literature, information, and freedom of expression is being restricted across the country at every level.

The impact of banning books is one of a domino effect - individual, communal, and societal domains are negatively impacted. 

Furthermore, PEN America noted how books with queer representation are often banned under the guise of being "sexually explicit" by implying that even acknowledging non-hetero presenting relationships is “explicit.” For example, a frequently banned book is the children's book about two male penguins raising a chick Tango Makes Three.

Equating queer representation with being sexually explicit feeds harmful stereotypes against the queer community, encourages censorship of different identities, and creates a slippery slope into literature being demonized and weaponized to promote harmful rhetoric and uphold the dangerous systems in America. 

For me, literature is about so much more than reading: it is a way to connect, advocate, express, learn, and build community. It provides me- and really all of us- a chance to share pieces of ourselves, viewpoints, and opinions. 

I recall reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (a commonly banned book) and becoming enlightened and motivated to be vocal about advocacy, racial identity, classism, and social justice. Invisible Man chronicles a Black man in America during the mid 20th century navigating the treatment and oppression he interacts with due to both his race and his social status.

Invisible Man remains one of my favorite books to this day along with Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and Mirror House Girls by Faith Gardner- books that have also been targeted in the bans. 

As someone inspired by a banned book, I strongly support events that make banned books more accessible.

What can we do?

The Roasted Bookery is hosting a banned book event on October 9th, from 6-9 PM, at Hi-Wire Brewing, and Honeybee will be a part of it! 

Who we are:

Immediately when you go to Honeybee's website, you see a picture of our office and our introduction that captures our values, "We’re a team of spicy, messy (read: deeply human) therapists who show up fully—queer-celebrating, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, sex-positive, kink- and poly-affirming, and committed to healing and social justice." Honeybee is proudly radically affirming, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive, culturally responsive, and an active participant in change - which means that we support access to knowledge, creativity, and self-expression!In short, Honeybee staff is committed to being active participants in change, meaning we show up for our community!

Please join us at Hi-Wire Brewery, October 9th, from 6-10 PM, to show up in an impactful and significant way!