Book Banning: The New World Order

The majority of books banned in the US are by or about LGBTQ people and people of color. Join banned authors Maia Kobabe, Sarah Hoffman, and Ian Hoffman as they discuss their experiences as banned authors, talk about the power of representation in literature, and explore how to fight back against this wave of information suppression.

Bios:

Maia Kobabe is an author/illustrator. Eir graphic novel, Gender Queer: A Memoir, was the most challenged book in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Maia’s comics have been published in many places including The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and anthologies including Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights. Maia’s second book, the nonfiction comic Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding, co-written by Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier, came out last year, and eir debut middle grade graphic novel, OPTING OUT, co-written by Swati “Lucky” Srikumar, will be published in 2026.

Sarah & Ian Hoffman are the authors of the children’s picture books Jacob’s New Dress, Jacob’s Room to Choose, Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, and They! and Jacob’s Missing Book. Their books have been banned in 26 states, Malaysia, and the United States Department of Defense. Their second book was part of Mahmoud v Taylor, the recent Supreme Court case that gave parents license to bar LGBTQ content from public schools.

Find resources to fight book bans here and here.

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