Creative Thinking Solo Project

    All Blue Aren't Blue has now been banned or challenged in at least 14 states. The movement to ban All Blue Aren't Blue and other books that deal with LGBT content and issues of racism has been led by right-wing organizations. The main groups who have been active in attempts to ban the book include Moms for Liberty, Parents Defending Education, and No Left Turn in Education. All of these organizations have ties to a right-wing network funded by Charles Koch.  The books that are targeted for removal are overwhelming ones that are written by authors of color and LGBT authors that not only talk about racism and homophobia but also the deep history of culture and perseverance within these communities and others that have historically faced systemic oppression. The efforts to ban these types of books in schools disguise themselves as grassroots but in reality, they are being puppeteer by powerful people who want to prevent minority groups from gaining power by being ab...

 The book has been censorship due to its LGBT content, profanity and sexual scenes. All Boys Aren't Blue deals with issues of homophobia, racism, transphobia and sexual assault. This leads those who seek to challenge the book to believe it is inappropriate for younger readers. Proponents of banning the book and others like it argue young children shouldn't have access to it despite the book being made for ages 14-18. The author defends the sexual scenes in the book saying the intent was to teach consent by adding such scenes to the book and that the book addresses real life situations that intended age group for the book will already begin running into.  West Des Moines schools removes 64 books and short stories to comply with Iowa law (msn.com)  

Censorship has unique effects on different factions of society. Book bans effect writers to create stories. Censorship causes stories not to be written out of fear that they will be banned. It's possible if Johnson knew their book would have such a huge target on its back that they never would have written it and they never would have shared their story with the world. Johnson said in an interview it's "overwhelming to watch your story be twisted".  Book bans effect readers because them from accessing information about different topics and people written from different perspectives. This can not only hinder one's critical thinking skills but prevents them from being able to connect to people with similar experiences to them. When ask what it would have meant to them to have a book like theirs as a teen Johnson stated "It would've meant the world to me to read anything that said being different didn't mean you weren't normal. That the feelings I wa...

 I am personally against censorship and book banning's. I believe it takes away from the sanctity of literature. Book bans effect one's ability to learn about and connect with the unique world around them. Groups that promote censorship specifically of All Boys Aren't Blue include right-wing organizations such as, Moms for Liberty, Parents Defending Education, and No left Turn in Education. All three of these groups have ties to a right-wing network funded by Charles Koch.  The Silencing of Black & Queer Voices: George M. Johnson on 15-State Ban of "All Boys Aren't Blue" (youtube.com)

 All Boys Aren't Blue is an autobiography by Johnson following their childhood as a black child struggling with their sexuality and gender identity as it pertains to the preconceived idea of what it means to be a black man in America. The title has multiple meanings. The "Blue" not only refers to the obvious, the color associated with masculinity but also to represents police, who have a history of disproportionate violence black LGBT Americans. The title also is a tribute to the character Blue in Queen Sugar and the appearance of black skin in the movie Moonlight and the play it's based off of In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue .   Johnson wrote this book with the hopes it would reach young black queer men who do not someone in their lives to relate their experiences to. Johnson was inspired to this book by the Toni Morrison quote  "If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it". 

 My chosen book for the Creative Thinking Solo Project is All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. In this book Johnson writes about their experiences growing up as a black queer person. The book explores the intersections of being queer and black and the experiences of being on the outside looking in on your own community. All Boys Aren't Blue has been heavily targeted by proponents of banned books because of its LGBTQ+ content and mentions of sexual encounters.  The purpose of this project is analysis what motives groups to target LGBTQ+ books in book bans and how banning these types of books harms students.