As we are all aware of what happened on this fateful election day, the frightening Project 2025 may soon be our reality. Not only does this plan propose a dismantling of the Department of Education, but it also suggests nationwide book bans on, you guessed it, books mentioning diversity, homosexuality, racism, and gender identity. This downright totalitarian plan will not only be harmful to our growth as humans but will also infringe on our natural rights.
According to the National Education Association, this proposal describes books of LGBTQ+ themes as “pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children….” Not only is this incredibly offensive, but it pushes a harmful agenda against members of this community. This bill also mentions that these types of works will be stripped away with, “no claim to First Amendment Protection,” (Literary Hub). This detail fully aims to silence these stories and effectively strip natural-born rights to American citizens. This ban will erase queer history and promote a white-washed society that will shelter children from the beautiful diversity of the world.
As if censoring books about queer experiences was not enough, Project 2025 then turns to stories about racism and BIPOC history. In an article from PEN America, facilitators of Project 2025 use the approach of labeling critical race theory as well as gender ideology as a threat to our children. Due to these flawed ideals, the law suggests that legislators ban any book containing ideas of “critical race theory,” and “divisive concepts.” These proposals will further negatively impact children because they will limit their exposure to diversity and even basic American history. Project 2025 attempts to support their ideas by stating that teachings about critical race theory should be banned because it effectively makes individuals,”…feel guilty or responsible for the actions of others based on race or ethnicity.” The scariest part about this is that in 18 states almost 30 of these proposed bills have already been written into law.
Finally, Project 2025 attempts to push its authoritarian agenda by masking its true intentions of censorship. The officials behind this bill hide what it would do to our country if signed into law, which would infringe on our free speech. Using the approach of “if I can’t see it then it’s not here” does not work when it comes to our history, and signing this bill into law would erase queer and BIPOC history while eliminating their future experiences. The famous line “If we forget about history, we are doomed to repeat it” seems especially relevant in this context because if these laws are passed, we may repeat this forgotten history.