Banned Race and Gender Books Return to Military Base School Libraries
A federal judge has ruled that the Department of Defense must return books about race and gender to school libraries on military bases after the removal of nearly 600 books sparked a lawsuit. The students, children of active-duty service members, alleged their First Amendment rights were violated due to the removal of books covering topics such as sexual identity and racism. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion on behalf of the families, arguing the removals stemmed from partisan motivations related to executive orders prohibiting materials promoting “gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology” and guidance issued by the Secretary of Defense. Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles sided with the students, citing “improper partisan motivation” and ordering the restoration of the removed materials.