Let's talk about public school libraries and M4L

[@ReadswithRachel]

HI! If you want to help out some Florida media specialists by buying from their wishlists directly that will get things they need to their media centers, here's a list! 1) www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1LJAWANZOD6XV?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawHW_PZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHe1NOV_H5CUf1iNNDxo5fF7-vDsOLry2L-1eCrHSWsVqjuV0SfgJzJYYUw_aem_XTBBgyehxYwm6nnbHfW94Q 2) www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1J11EQ33S1NER?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawHWr-VleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcwJlwLT4YfrQDul7vGHJnD3r6sp4Na-iJNOpX2UFIjOhWYnNSMCjaKyHQ_aem_dniFRxHUAO1WogW71jZJ5g 3) www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/25P6J7FO7SA5B?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawHWsE1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQoFThMb07TCEG4-jNF0LxW_RczKnSDRd9j2NuV5vTfELKbXY4VuEtdOgw_aem_bLAgwg5Iu3LuXei3ne_FDw 4) www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2RDB64LMD33T6?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawHWsFpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcOTU81qo2WjcUGaFNsDAcI0LMxPnhlrqbDCnI1JpJHrfJOyLCQq5_Do3A_aem_ZQNq9i8aXsIhEr1voparqg

[@sofiastj]

Calling this "grooming" is honestly insulting to victims of actual grooming.

[@teslashark]

What M4L does with education is also grooming to make the kids more subservient to the church, the hereditary conservatism, and the businesses. I want to challenge them to ban my novel Encryption Straffe - which has the argument that conservative education is grooming.

[@JeantheSecond-ip7qm]

They’re telling victims of grooming that what happened to them is equally as bad as allowing children to read books with LGBTQ+ characters. It diminishes what happened to them.

[@witness1603]

it's also ironic, coming from the people who LOVE underage marriage and covering up child abuse scandals...

[@cedrickulacz8468]

Worse, the deliberate attempts to refer children learning about the LGBT+ community as "grooming" tends to protect actual groomers.

[@TheCakeIsALie-1]

That's the whole point. Turn it into a buzzword without any meaning

[@seabeans1506]

Moms for illiteracy

[@watermelonuu]

couldn't have said it better

[@assignedturtle]

I'd go so far as to call them "Moms for Bigotry".

[@Transwithhands]

Ignorant idiot moms of Idiots for Idiots 😂😂😂

[@gregoryvn3]

Moms for ChristoFascism

[@BooksToAshes]

Getting upset that a book is “read backwards” and referring to a manga volume is one of the stupidest things I’ve seen in a while. People call the left “snowflakes” but I have NEVER gotten upset over such minuscule things in my life. Wtf

[@valmaihanson1989]

It’s just xenophobia at this point!

[@moonstone___]

it’s so privileged to be upset about stuff like this lol. imagine having *so few* real life struggles you have to sit around and invent issues about COMIC BOOKS EXISTING ! i wish my life was that easy.

[@babydeer111]

I'm pretty sure I was in elementary school when I realized Japanese books are read right to left. Who in their right minds thinks media written in another language is wrong.

[@LorewithouttheE]

@@babydeer111 for real, i remember reading manga as a kid and they had 'guide' pages in the front and back telling you how to read manga correctly, it's not hard! those weirdos are just, as rachel said, racist and homophobic

[@joannahenry937]

seriously gotta be one of the most asinine things i've ever seen. it makes me wonder if she even knows it was originally in japanese and was translated or if she thinks they just decided to print it backwards to be "deviant" or something.

[@lowpolyharrymason]

It's so wild that they use the term "for liberty" when their "liberty" is banning anything like they don't like. Keep doing what you do, Rachel. You're awesome.

[@c.lstrife]

At this point, words don't have meaning to them. They just use it to look like they are the good guys.

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

It's for the gullible people who go "well, they say they're for liberty, so they must have a valid viewpoint!" They do not care about being hypocrites.

[@Pensnmusic]

​@@c.lstrifeit also denies their adversaries the same language by tainting/changing the words

[@lowpolyharrymason]

@@c.lstrife absolutely. Such a joke

[@lowpolyharrymason]

@@CEMonaghanOfficial yuuup. 100%. It's all good to them as long as they get what they want.

[@moonstone___]

if you see drawing of a toddler’s butt and think “this is Adult Content!” you are the gross weird one and i honestly would question if it’s safe for *you* to be around kids.

[@cassettetape7643]

Yup!

[@Urmumlel7025]

Are they gonna ban Minions next?

[@samwindmill8264]

Wonder what they'd make of seeing the Nevermind album cover

[@moonstone___]

@ the uncensored one, even!

[@nigeladams8321]

How pissed must they be at inside out

[@kaialexander6806]

Them trying to ban books that depict parental abuse is maybe the most obvious example I've seen of the idea that every accusation is a confession. Inshallah the kids of Julia and Brian are able to get out and away from their parents soon.

[@SomeRandomEcho]

That’s a wonderful point. God I hate this so much. How are kids supposed to be able to recognize abuse or understand those who have suffered abuse if they never learn anything about it?!

[@FaizatheTempest]

@@SomeRandomEcho That's the point. Cruelty is the point. They want to keep kids ignorant so they can groom and abuse their kids.

[@julietfischer5056]

The sad thing about this is that some of the parents who want to ban such books do so because they find the topic too upsetting (for them) to talk about.

[@gregoryvn3]

Anyone who spends so much time and energy trying to keep kids as controlled and ignorant as possible? They have reasons. 😒

[@susan825]

Imagine what M4Lcould accomplish if they focused on making sure all minors have health care, medication, clothes that fit, access to art and music and pe classes...

[@ReadswithRachel]

Don’t get me started. I’ve given them suggestions so many times.

[@Dachusblot]

That would require them actually caring about kids living good lives and not just lashing out against anything that dares to challenge their extremely narrow, fragile worldview.

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

@@susan825 Yeah, but they actually aren't pro-kids. They're pro-controlling YOUR kids.

[@YashaSkaven]

@@susan825 that would require them not being a money funnel organization for conservative glowies

[@anothercub6958]

​​@@YashaSkavenIt would also require them to have the capacity to actually talk to people face to face, have meaningful conversations, and advocate for change through methods that don't amount to bullying and maliciously using systems for their own gain.

[@DEAD_REST]

When I was in my junior year of high school, I read a book called Dime. It was about an underage black girl who was dragged into SW by an older man. That book made me realize for the first time that what I and an adult co-worker at the time were doing was wrong. That was the first time I realized I might be being taken advantage of. Sometimes, it's good for kids to read about these things. Sometimes, it's actually incredibly important.

[@peggyluwhoreads]

I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm glad you were able to come to the realization. I hope you have had success in healing.

[@DEAD_REST]

@@peggyluwhoreads Thank you- I'm happy to report I'm doing much better now. It's a rough journey, but I'm now in a very loving and very healthy relationship with a partner who is nothing short of amazing.

[@peggyluwhoreads]

@@DEAD_REST I'm very happy to hear that. I'm wishing for continued happiness and joy for you and your lovely partner.

[@zainabzolita8436]

I need to read that book now.

[@Rennar3210]

It has been shown by mountains of data that decent sex ed literally helps children recognize and get help to escape SA. It's incredibly suspicious that these people are opposed to things like sex ed and books written to educate kids on harder topics.

[@AbsolutelyAri1]

I never understood why people think gay is inappropriate for kids. If they're old enough to be straight, they're old enough to be gay.

[@atomicgoblin]

But also, some kids have gay/ trans parents so it's important that other kids understand that. My daughter has two dads, myself and my husband, and we're both her biological parents, as I'm trans and I just had to stop my hormones when we decided we wanted to start our fault. The banning of lgbt materials in schools is only sanctioning bullying as other children won't have any understanding of just how normal our lives are and may single her out.

[@GnarlyTrashFire]

They seem to think straight is default. I don't think the most of the world understands how many people are bi/pan/etc who seem straight because they date the opposite gender.

[@Bunni504]

Plus it’s not like gay characters in children shows and books would be getting down and dirty. It’s just holding hands and other innocent stuff.

[@Rennar3210]

They refuse to admit that people can share legitimate same sex love, so they paint it as "sexual". Thus, to them, simply acknowledging that gay or trans people exist is "sexualizing children"

[@monster-enthusiast]

Going after Sasaki and Miyano is wild. It's one of the most tame bl you could pick. "It's romace and it's backwards." Oh? So the most obvious homophobia and racism? Nice. But it's not like I'm surprised.

[@wisterianyx]

Its so apparent how blatantly homophobic they are that book is literally just a romance between two boys

[@joannahenry937]

i knowwwww it made me so sad that they banned it, sasaki and miyano is such a cute wholesome story. it also pissed me off the way that lady said it was "a relationship that's inappropriate" like what's inappropriate about it ma'am?? the fact that it's between two boys? volume 1 barely has anything they don't even kiss how can she say it's inappropriate? and when she says "the entire book is focused on a romantic relationship" i can practically hear her wanting to continue to say "between two boys" but she thinks it'll sound too blatantly homophobic like newsflash asshole you're not fooling anyone. we all know what this is about.

[@BasiliskKingOfSerpents]

Absolutely. I mean, I guess if you really read into it, the fact that it talks about BL as a genre could be considered to be too spicy for some people who really don't want to think about the fact that somewhere, elswhere, out in the world, smut exists, but... I'm not sure I give them enough credit to say they understood that much. I'm more inclined to believe that it really is as shallow as "it's two boys and it's Foreign"

[@teslashark]

Yes, they think Japanese sequencing is satanic. Same as Arab and Persian writing.

[@velvoo7509]

THE WAY I STARED, BAFFLED... Not Sasaki and Miyano.

[@EALoArt]

The sad thing is many of those parents calling people a groomer, who want to protect their child from even a hint of information on sex, are going to be shocked and appalled when their child becomes pregnant. Where I grew up & went to school they taught abstinence only sex ed. We also had one of the highest pregnancy rates for high schoolers.

[@ScorpionClaws789]

Honestly, I wonder how much they'd actually care. They get to use their child as a piece in their propaganda campaign AND abuse their grandchildren, in their eyes it might be a win-win.

[@julietfischer5056]

Or be devastated when someone they trusted abuses their child, and the child never said anything because Mom and Dad were forever telling them to be quiet and obey adults.

[@gregoryvn3]

It's the traditional conservative way! 😬

[@Urmumlel7025]

Every accusation is a confession. These people are walking, talking projectors.

[@viciousbagel]

To quote a post I saw on Tumblr: if something is personally disgusting to you and you don’t want to read it, that’s fine. If something is personally disgusting to you and you don’t think ANYONE should be allowed to read it, you are espousing fascist ideologies. It’s as simple as that.

[@balanc-joy9187]

I love this, so true and so concise.

[@AgentB4Bisexual]

the SINGLE exception is proship BULLSHIT, but otherwise i 10000000000000000% agree

[@viciousbagel]

@AgentB4Bisexual Nope, sorry. You don’t just get to have a little bit of censorship. Proshipping (and other types of dark/problematic fictional content in general) does not warrant censorship, because there is no clear line where suppression of such content can be drawn, and you will inevitably run into the slippery slope of censoring any and all content around dark subject matter (including people who have experienced such things in real life/who are trying to tell their stories and/or work through their trauma via fictional writing). We’ve seen this happen before, both in real life and on social media. LiveJournal comes to mind as a prominent example, where in an attempt to ban underage fanfic, they started censoring *any* discussion about CSA and CSAM, including the testimonies and writing, both fiction and nonfiction, of real victims. I find fanfic sexualizing fictional children utterly disgusting, but unfortunately, when you start issuing blanket bans on content that discusses CSA (fictional or real), you also start suppressing works written to process trauma, to raise awareness, and/or to explore a dark and fucked up topic from an emotional/intellectual perspective. The same is true with proshipping. If you are saying that because something (proshipping, which involves no real people and does not harm anyone) is personally disgusting to you, that no one should be allowed to read it, that is fascism. Sorry.

[@viciousbagel]

@AgentB4Bisexual Nope, sorry. You don't just get to have a little bit of censorship. Proshipping (and other types of dark/problematic fictional content in general) does not warrant censorship, because there is no clear line where suppression of such content can be drawn, and you will inevitably run into the slippery slope of censoring any and all content around dark subject matter (including people who have experienced such things in real life/who are trying to tell their stories and/or work through their trauma via fictional writing). We've seen this happen before, both in real life and on social media. LiveJournal comes to mind as a prominent example, where in an attempt to ban underage fanfic, they started censoring any discussion about CSA and CSAM, including the testimonies and writing, both fiction and nonfiction, of real victims. I find fanfic sexualizing fictional children utterly disgusting, but unfortunately, when you start issuing blanket bans on content that discusses CSA (fictional or real), you also start suppressing works written to process trauma, to raise awareness, and/or to explore a dark and fucked up topic from an emotional/intellectual perspective. The same is true with proshipping. If you are saying that because something (proshipping, which involves no real people and does not harm anyone) is personally disgusting to you, that no one should be allowed to read it, that is fascism. Sorry.

[@viciousbagel]

@AgentB4Bisexual Nope, sorry. You don't just get to have a little bit of censorship. Proshipping (and other types of dark/problematic fictional content in general) does not warrant censorship, because there is no clear line where suppression of such content can be drawn, and you will inevitably run into the slippery slope of censoring any and all content around dark subject matter (including people who have experienced such things in real life/who are trying to tell their stories and/or work through their trauma via fictional writing). We've seen this happen before, both in real life and on social media. LiveJournal comes to mind as a prominent example, where in an attempt to ban underage fanfic, they started censoring any discussion about CSA and CSAM, including the testimonies and writing, both fiction and nonfiction, of real victims. I find fanfic sexualizing fictional children utterly disgusting, but unfortunately, when you start issuing blanket bans on content that discusses CSA (fictional or real), you also start suppressing works written to process trauma, to raise awareness, and/or to explore a dark and fucked up topic from an emotional/intellectual perspective. The same is true with proshipping. If you are saying that because something (proshipping, which involves no real people and does not harm anyone) is personally disgusting to you, that no one should be allowed to read it, that is fascism. Sorry.

[@scapegoat13]

16:55 "it's an unamerican, hopeless message" is NOT EVEN CLOSE TO A GOOD REASON TO BAN A BOOK JULIE JFC

[@teslashark]

Wait till they hear about what I wrote, tell them to ban mine.

[@missraincanyon]

Yup and it isn't even untrue how many people are in poverty in the "land of the free" These people are pathetic

[@resdent2922]

I've always been a bit confused about that concept - "unamerican." Last I checked, America itself has always been a cultural melting pot since it's infancy. Therefore, what exactly is considered "not American" to these people when basically everything pretty much is?

[@SomeRandomEcho]

@@resdent2922 I’ve realized that people have never truly widely accepted the “melting pot” concept across history. There have always been groups that people hate and that are widely discriminated against. Weird considering how pro-melting-pot all my history lessons have been as a kid. I just wish that the majority of adults upheld the standard and that having basic empathy was more universal.

[@resdent2922]

@SomeRandomEcho I find this also a bit hypocritical, seeing how a lot of these people will also acknowledge and sometimes even try to show their appreciation for their racial/cultural heritage in the modern era. This is especially the case when you realize they're talking about the parts of their heritage which originate outside of the territory that is America today.

[@seabeans1506]

Maybe a weird take, but I can’t understand why children need to be left in the dark all the time. Children should be taught about "nono places" and consent to be touched. They shouldn't be left in the dark so that abusers can get away with harming them in secret. There should be some level of sex ed to clarify these things when they are in like kindergarten.

[@CEMonaghanOfficial]

It makes a lot more sense when you learn that M4L founders and organizers have been discovered doing weirdo things. Including being convicted sex offenders.

[@RandomAnagram.]

Don't need Sex Ed in kindergarten, they're just learning their ABCs and 123s which they barely can even grasp apparently if reading levels are to be trusted. First year in middle school I can see it being taught because that is the time when puberty hits most kids. *Parents* need to teach their children stranger danger and what an inappropriate touch is, it's called _parenting and caring for your child_ . There are books about it parents can borrow from the library or can buy to read with them if they are having trouble broaching the topic when they are small.

[@sofiastj]

YES

[@moonstone___]

yes, exactly. this attitude of sheltering children from the concept of consent actively harms them. even if they aren’t victimized, they’re not given authority of their own bodies. they’re not treated like full humans. consent is NOT inherently sexual but for some reason almost everything is treated as sexual by these absolute weirdos and it really creeps me out in the context of children.

[@kweenz600]

@@RandomAnagram. but for the kids whose parents don’t or won’t teach them, educating students in a school is another layer of protection.

[@Poyson365]

15:40 not Julie realizing she might have accidentally pronounced "Chile" correctly and going back to make sure she mispronounces it.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Jaw was on the floor over that

[@moultingrook8091]

@@Poyson365 I caught that too like “lol oops I wasn’t racist and belittling enough let’s try that again: or CHILI or whatever”

[@The_LadyAJ]

I caught that too. Unbelievable.

[@AXIDlK]

Wait, is it not pronounced like chili.... I thought that was correct(The education system failed me, I'm in high school dude😥)

[@The_LadyAJ]

@@AXIDlK Chili is the Americanized pronunciation. Don't worry about not having known. The correct pronounviation is closer to 'chee-lay', but most people will know what you mean if you say chili.

[@BandFairy]

I'm sorry, was her argument seriously "we can't have books that show non-sexual nudity of a fictional creature because there are children who are being sexually abused and what if they see a fictional creature's fictional booty."?

[@annaa3772]

The fictional creature part is especially weird, since every animal out there is totally naked.

[@BandFairy]

@annaa3772 I wouldn't be surprised if this is also the type of woman who would be offended by cat butt coasters. Like, who's just out here sexualizing every body part they see, even on non-humans? The allosexuals are not okay.

[@FEED_ME_A_STRAY_CAT]

​@@annaa3772shhh don't give these people any ideas! Next they'll be making dogs wear pants

[@LorewithouttheE]

right??? as if seeing a goblin's booty in a humorous picture book is THE biggest problem that hypothetical child would be dealing with, like what....

[@cawingcrows2072]

@@BandFairy winnie the pooh literally doesnt wear pants 😭

[@SirSpenace]

I'm a 34 y/o trans man in Rhode Island and M4L has been doing the ROUNDS at our school board meetings. Thank you for fighting back against their hatred!

[@SirSpenace]

Also, please try to refrain from the whole "If you don't have kids in this district then you don't belong here" trap. Many trans people aren't able to afford children with our additional medical expenses, and many of us spend a large portion of our adult lives unpacking/unlearning trauma we experienced while young. That doesn't mean we don't still have friends and family who are impacted, though.

[@Anonymous_Dumb]

As a trans minor who's been a bit out of/behind the loop, i wholeheartedly agree. These are amazing, beautiful, and definitely *needed* so people don't end up.. like M4L members

[@bleuumscarlett7977]

SHE'S MAD MANGA IS READ "BACKWARDS"?? 😂😭 omg LADY, it's just that japanese is traditionnally written from right to left, that's it, this is so dumb

[@julietfischer5056]

Easier to simply translate the dialogue and otherwise leave the format alone.

[@kylajensen1957]

More likely, the story is a boys' love and she's a homophobic Karen.

[@zainabzolita8436]

So is the quran it's sad that we come to this. I know a child who their teacher told them they are pronouncing their Hispanic last name wrong 🫠 poor kid. The mom was super mad and I question how much worse that school district is about to get.

[@kylajensen1957]

@@bleuumscarlett7977 i guarantee it's only because it's shonen-ai

[@Cal-fb7we]

three years ago when this book ban thing started my middle school book club was cancelled because the teacher wasn’t allowed to give us books just in case they were “inappropriate”. This specific school didn’t even have a library, teachers had collections of books in their classrooms that they were banned from giving out to students anymore just in case a parent got angry. It really upset me. A teacher was almost fired for giving a kid a book. the impacts of these people and these bans go beyond the books themselves.

[@dionysus_adores]

That's insane, if I was a parent I would be so grateful that these teachers are willing to let my kid borrow a book. And since there is no library, those teachers can send me their Christmas list. I love reading although I'm dyslexic due to teachers like these.

[@reneeannreads]

My mom (retired Kindergarten teacher of 37 years) was listening to this video while I watched on my phone and she wanted you to know that teachers appreciate your fight for literary freedom and literacy education. My whole family of educators are huge supporters of your work!

[@Tomorrow_lauren]

My mom is a librarian that literally taught college classes on banned books, I grew up on books like these. I believe it turned me into the empathetic person I am. You are fighting the good fight in Florida, and I am betting your kids will thank you for it 🎉 ❤ fun fact, imho, my mom is also a big factor in why my brother is one of the foremost experts on films that are pre-1934 & enforcement of the hays censorship code ❤

[@ReadswithRachel]

That is awesome! Your mom is a hero and your brothers work is important

[@nikkismith2858]

In England in the late 90s to kill a mockingbird by harper Lee was on the national curriculum for 15-16 years and The Bluest eye by Toni Morrison for 16-18 years both banned in the USA (probably southern states) we were also taught about slavery as the British started the whole new world trafficking slaves at 13-14 years old it was compulsory in 1995.

[@demi8267]

18:11 There's something so ironic to me about someone who wants to "protect the children" from sexual content also decrying asexuality. And as someone who is asexual, I am seething. What about my non-interest in sex and it therefore not playing a part in my life makes me harmful to children? Please know that these videos you make are important, even if people give you ridiculous comments. I come from a very liberal part of the Midwest so the fundie stuff is hard for me to understand. Your work helps me understand the madness behind the Christian nationalist shit and how much effort needs to be put into keeping books available for people - and since I work in a bookstore, that's really important to me.

[@randomspider725]

Yo, I’m also an ace from the Midwest! And yeah, it’s so messed up how these people will try to “protect” kids from sex, yet see asexuality (something they should approve of) as something that will pose a sexual danger to children??? Make it make sense. It’s pretty clear that these people don’t actually care about kids or aceness… they just don’t like anything that doesn’t fit their narrow mindset and they use “protecting children” as a moral shield because kids are naturally vulnerable AND they don’t have the ability to speak up for themselves (being dependent on the people around them), making them the perfect puppet for whatever grandstanding fascists wanna do.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

I am asexual too. God, they hate every type of sexuality and religion, don’t they. Asexuality is rare to find in books and films so for someone to want to take those away plus every other book on the planet is infuriating. People like these book challengers makes everyone feel like an outcast and marginalized which is so freaking wrong. But it feels funny they are against people not wanting to have sex. Considering how many Christians preqch about not having sex until marriage, you think asexuality would be a godsend for them, but nope.

[@wombatiferous]

See, people, especially teenagers, aren't supposed to be interested in sex, because sex is dirty and bad. But they're also not supposed to reject the idea of sex entirely, because getting married and having little Christian babies should be the ultimate goal in life. Marriage is a magical switch that turns sex from dirty and bad to good and holy, or at least tolerable for the sake of having Christian babies. Or something like that. It's batshit.

[@annaa3772]

@@gabrielleduplessis7388 They're just against people who are different from them. There's nothing about asexuality by itself that could be construed as inappropiate. It doesn't even make sense from a religious viewpoint (there's no obligation to be attracted to people in Christianity and it wouldn't make any sense for that to be a thing).

[@gamewrit0058]

💜💚🖤👍

[@rom.na005]

I'm Persian and we read and write from right to left. By their logic, we should never learn English or read English books because for us they are the backward books! OH NO I'M WRITING BACKWARDS!!!

[@Anonymous_Dumb]

Lmao! SoOoOoOoOoOo EeEeEeViIiLlLlLl ,live os si txet sdrowkcaB [X yllatot

[@gregoryvn3]

The horror, the horror! 😵

[@charlottekl2958]

Of course, by their logic, you'd have been doing it wrong from the start. According to them, you should absolutely learn English and never write in your native language ever again. Because they're racists!

[@cjdoesart]

I cannot STAND m4L. Ugh. They need to be opposed at every meeting they try to usurp!

[@FIXINIT3]

I remember finding one piece in a public library when I was little, I opened the first page and saw a message saying something along the lines of "this book is supposed to be read backwards, your on the wrong side!" And I flipped it around and read it that way. crazy this woman is crashing out over the inability to flip a book over.

[@kylajensen1957]

Yeah, English translators get cute with it. It's honestly funny. One Yu-Gi-Oh bunkoban warned me "you don't want to spoil a great ending!"

[@brynnhambley7964]

You're a hero dude, I wish more booktubers/creators were talking about this. Book banning and censorship like this is fascist and just leads to the banning of more art (films, plays, music, etc.). MFL can suck it 🖕

[@alyzu4755]

So, should the Torah be banned? Because "you read it backwards"? The level of ignorance in this country is repulsive. Thank you for everything you do.

[@LorewithouttheE]

sadly, they probably *would* want to ban the Torah, if they could get away with it.... 😮‍💨 the US is such a clownshoes country

[@GogiRegion]

@@alyzu4755 It world be hilarious if they banned the Torah but allowed the Bible. “Sorry Jewish students, if you want to read Leviticus, you need to use our Bible version and not our Torah version.”

[@WhyAreAllTagsTaken]

Next they’ll probably ban the Qur’an because it’s read the same way, if it’s not already banned just for being a Muslim text (thankfully it’s in my library along with the Torah, Bible, and other religious texts).

[@valmaihanson1989]

Rachel, as a newer patron to you, and a librarian, you’re a gift to my profession. I hope you have a lovely holidays and new year. ❤

[@ReadswithRachel]

Omg, that means a lot! I hope you have a great holiday season too!

[@frankensteinlives]

This is so sweet!

[@belovedwinter]

Your work is so important, Rachel. Keep spreading the word about these hate groups masquerading as "good people".

[@thatradfailure5197]

Leaving a comment in the hopes that someone sees this and realizes what M4L is all about. Remember, the people who scream "think of the children!" while removing anything that can give the children language, knowledge, and experiences that can help them, they're not thinking of the children. Those people want to control their children, ignoring the rights of their own children. It was never about the children. It was about control. It is ALWAYS about control.

[@charlottekl2958]

Yes. Theirs are *exactly* the circles where child abuse by parents is rampant. That's not an insult, that's empirical. And they're terrified of their children learning about the world, recognising that abuse, and getting out.

[@nubbosaur]

This is honestly so eye opening to the reality of modern day book burnings/ book banning- as someone who lives in a very "blue" area, I've heard that bannings are happening but never realized it was this ridiculous and insidious. One of my closest friends had a baby last month, and so my mom brought over 3 home cooked meals and two baby books as a gift. One book was a "baby faces" book which had an image of two twin baby boys giving each other a kiss. That night her husband went behind her back, took a picture of the page, sent it to my mom with a rant saying "This is inappropriate. How dare you bring this disgusting filth into my home to my son. You are never welcome here again. Do not ever come here again". My mom called me in tears, trying to understand what was even going on.

[@nubbosaur]

I should add that at this point my mom and I didn't realize her husband was this reactive, and my friend herself only found out he had done this the next day. The baby was only two weeks old and she'd just had a medically traumatic, life altering C-section. He didn't take any time off of work to care for said newborn he was "protecting', or to care for his wife while recovering.

[@julietfischer5056]

@@nubbosaur- Do you have a guest bedroom? If so, keep it on standby. Sounds like she might need it one day.

[@balanc-joy9187]

@@julietfischer5056 Exactly.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Imagine coming to discuss a topic with educated and researched opinions. That'd be crazy, right? The only reason why they call you "groomer" is because they think it's a good way to dismiss you and make the issue about something that it's not actually about. It's a massive red-herring/ad-hominem combo and I despise every bit of it.

[@Zer0.th0ughts]

"Some people are succesful so we cant ever talk about privilege" What kinda logic is that Julie??????

[@dilificus]

It is so unsettling that people like this want to deprive young readers of books about parental abuse. Do they... not want the children to be able to recognize when they're being abused or when their friends are being abused? Hm. Makes me wonder how they treat their own children.

[@roxassora2706]

Yes. I want to see more books that are critical of corporal punishment in schools. And books that educate kids on other forms of abuse.

[@lexbel8394]

Reminds me of how they prefer to portray trafficking as little kids getting snatched out of their front yards when it’s more often vulnerable queer teens getting stuck in bad situations after being kicked out by their bigoted parents.

[@silentstephi]

Ma'am, you f*cking go, I could FEEL your shake through the video when you had to read the "Redeeming Love" bit, my gods, I would have been so terrified x.x

[@ReadswithRachel]

I hate standing at that podium so much lol I shake the whole time

[@cassettetape7643]

​@ReadswithRachel Your courage is inspiring 🤍

[@CalSomething]

Keep cooking those weirdos Rachel. I grew up in Florida, went to Christian, Charter and Public schools throughout my 12 years and it's really disgusting the lengths those people will go to in order to control a child's mindset. When a person in their formative years aren't exposed to other people's beliefs, lives and our trauma they grow up in a bubble that can keep them from empathizing at a later age. Protect the kids yes, but always educate them for the world as it is. Much love✌🏾

[@vexywexypoo]

"Moms for liberty" .... liberty to do what? Liberty to take away my personal liberty to read any book I want? Interesting.....

[@TheMischievousbull]

People who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, before the Nazi party hit it's height they started by banning books. Don't suppose we can start calling them that? Some books have been banned in the UK but most of them have been relinquished, at least 2 of them have caught my interest. I'm going to try and find them

[@scapegoat13]

M4L: it's about protecting the children! Also M4L: nudity in childrens book might trigger children who have been SA'd! ....weird priorities you got there maam

[@dianaharris7506]

Love how they pretend to care about those kids when in reality they'd probably cover it up.

[@noko8692]

100% she was also being homophobic (obviously) about Sasaki and Miyano lmfao 'this center around a romantic relationship' uh huh and why is that a problem ? Please tell me because that manga is genuinely cute wholesome stuff that happens to have a same-sex relationship The point she made was close minded, racist and extremely stupid because atp you might as well ban every manga and i doubt your average teenager would appreciate not being able to read one piece anymore, i dont know why anyone hearing this would take it seriously

[@imaginarylivingbody7154]

Also it’s a shoujo manga, it’s probably not going to have very explicit sexual content. Shoujo is targeted towards teenagers and young adults. It’s not going to be porn. But someone who is racist to the point they think that a different reading order is going to ruin kid’s lives won’t know what the hell manga demographics are lmao.

[@pagesinked]

​@@imaginarylivingbody7154Its shounen-ai or boys love genre, which is different than yaoi genre which is explicit sexual content. shoujo is the main character is fem and marketed to girls usually.

[@joannahenry937]

yeah she made me so mad honestly, her skirting around the fact that the real reason she objected was homophobia and trying to say the relationship was "inappropriate" lmao how exactly is it inappropriate??

[@emiliapawny4746]

"This centers around a romantic relationship" So does a lot of children's media? Beauty And The Beast? Cinderella? 100% homophobic

[@sabrinat6838]

@@imaginarylivingbody7154 well... BL/yaoi is shojou as is much porn so not necessarily alrhough ofc i concur. This manga is boring as hell as well as being only romantic nothing offensive at all or interesting. Its like a popcorn read.

[@VeePunz]

It gets my blood boiling when I see how they constantly interrupt you when you are trying to make very educated points at the podium. It's like they have the attention span of a goldfish and aren't used to actually listen to well constructed points and arguments. 😵‍💫 It's like if they'd listen until the end they could figure the point out by themselves 🫠 Kudos to you and all your hard work and your fierce determination ❤️

[@julietfischer5056]

They aren't there for a rational discussion and to find common ground: they are there to force others to bow to them.

[@VeePunz]

@julietfischer5056 Yeah, I know sadly. It's still so infuriating 🥲

[@ringsystemmusic]

it’s the most common debate tactic of the right actually. They drag you down to the minutia at the beginning so you waste all your time explaining what a door is instead of making the point you went there to make.

[@julietfischer5056]

@@ringsystemmusic- Or they try to lure you into proving you're not a pervert when they have no intention of learning anything.

[@lauramatthews391]

Long time watcher, first time commenter, but I just had to tell you that I cheered when you shut down that man @ 28:15! Speaking in public like that is an incredibly brave thing to do, especially while getting heckled and you handled it beautifully. You are doing such amazing work to stop the spread of misinformation and the impact M4L is having in your area, thank you Rachel! Much love from Australia

[@vanessam9251]

The way she kept her cool ❤ no snark and to the point and just class.

[@moultingrook8091]

I wrote a rant, got too spicy, and so I’m starting over. I mostly just wanted to say THANK YOU for being there, defending these books, libraries, and kids, and bringing attention to this crisis of freedom. Thank you for speaking on behalf to the underprivileged parents in your counties that, even if they are aware and care, may not be able to afford to attend. Thank you for speaking on behalf of the teenagers that MAY ALREADY be there but get talked over and ignored because they are young. Thank you on behalf of my middle school and high school self who read just about every book in her school libraries and would not have been able to read so much if I hadn’t had access to those libraries and the books in it. And thank you for using your platform to speak out about M4L and book banners by name. Yes, it is happening in Florida, but it’s happening in my state too, and it needs to be talked about.

[@tmd_95]

Thank you for saying this!! It really sucks when you care about local issues and want to do something, but have no time, money, or connections.

[@Amaiguri]

I admire what you're doing so much. If I had been a child telling an adult to stop destroying property, I would have appreciated an adult to step in and try to protect me. I can only hope as an adult that I would step in to protect a child if I see one

[@Reverse_Cowgirl-cat]

The saddest part about all this, is the amount of energy this sucks from the people defending their childs personal freedoms. It's like how flat earth ppl don't need to spend any time researching their claims while physicists do, because they are trying to be accurate. Like arguing with a toddler.

[@ThatFlamingFroggo]

Lowkey, Gender Chaos sounds hardcore.

[@venihiam1591]

@@ThatFlamingFroggo I wish my gender was Chaos. That sounds like so much fun.

[@remem95]

Genderfluid on steroids?

[@procrastinator99]

Honestly sounds like a badass Metal band name.

[@Pupaya757]

I’m so taking this

[@chilljelloton2089]

remember! multiple mfl memebers have been charged for statutory SA! they have had several members who have been legally confirmed to be an active danger to minors!

[@aperson9973]

It's so frustrating. It's never about the kids. It's about them. It's always about their preferences and they use the "protection of children" as an excuse to force their own ideals on others. Disgusting, selfish and idiotic.

[@CaptainPeregrin]

There is SO MUCH validation in having stories about childhood experiences like your own, especially abuse. Just having different perspectives on it is valuable, even if the characters don't respond to it perfectly.

[@LorewithouttheE]

and i'd say not having characters respond to it perfectly is very needed, yeah! 👍 so readers, especially ones coming from similar experiences, can see a variety of reactions and not feel like they're responding "wrong" in their own life - or understand that sometimes people who have been through abuse or other pains will deal with it in all kinds of ways!

[@Zombikaff]

Just want to thank you for all you are doing. I feel lucky my dad encouraged my devouring of books since I could read. He never limited what I could read, I had my adult card at ten. He directed me to banned books. He still encourages me to read. What you do will make it so the next avid reader will be able to read that book that possibly sparks a lifetime love. You are fighting the good fight.

[@blast_processing6577]

In my experience, kids don't read books that they're not equipped to deal with. They put them back on the shelf and find something else.

[@ReadswithRachel]

i did this myself with books in high school

[@Leah-xz8zv]

Unless a child or even a teen is reading at a really advanced age their normally only going to be attracted to topics within their age range. Even as kid who was an advanced reader I rarely engaged with anything outside of my category because what child is going out there to way to engage with things they don't understand, can't relate, or care about? Most adults don't even do that.

[@reallylongsnake]

26:35 My jaw fell open. What a horrific thing to use as a shield for your hateful campaign. Of course very few people would dare challenge that kind of sentiment, so she’s free to hide behind it like a coward. Insane.

[@VENOMIIIIIII]

As a victim of grooming and pedophilia, people calling you a "groomer" for speaking out about m4l feels like a slap in the face.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I don’t like talking about it, I’ve mentioned it before and I just could not do it in this video, but it also happened to me at 17 by my nearly 30 year old boss. I know what it looks like and now actively try to prevent it happening to other kids. So to get called a groomer now over THIS in particular is a really weird experience because I know if the guy who assaulted me ran for office on a M4L platform they’d vote for him. They don’t care about us and they don’t care about stopping groomers.

[@TheBigJayAgenda]

Same

[@Karasus_drug_dealer]

Been there too, my abuser was protected…not me

[@c.lstrife]

Him *interrupting her*: Let me finish. That section pissed me off. Also thank you for sticking up for those teens and protecting someones property. I hate when teens/kids get bullied. These bozos are the reason why our reading comprehension in this country is dropping and that adults who cant read have to go to a "Adult education center," (which cost more tax paying dollars btw) in large groups and its getting worst. This is also why the next generation is performing at a lower grade level, too. But oh wait, its the teachers fault 🙄.

[@Mirachaya]

To moms for liberty: *middle finger* To you: thank you for keeping your school library stocked!

[@monster-enthusiast]

I'm so glad people like you exist. If I was in your district I'd be right there with you.

[@ToyshiaHughesJohnson]

As a school librarian it saddens me to see this happening I work hard to ensure our collection reflect the students and families in our school 😢

[@chickenelafsworld7105]

M4L will talk about “protecting children” but like it hasn’t been that long since I was in high school and a bunch of kids were literally cheering on one of my teachers for going to challenge them at a school board meeting. We would joke with faculty about getting tomatoes to throw at them because we all hated their asses. My younger brother is still in school and that hasn’t changed. They’re “protecting” kids but the kids don’t feel protected by this! I have friends who were abused as kids, and they still hated M4L with a passion! They tried to take away the books that we all used to cope with our conservative families, of course we all hated them! I think it says something that the adults I saw in school who supported book banning were almost always people I knew for a fact had abused their kids, meanwhile the kids they abused were literally wanting to throw shit at M4L.

[@amyfs4913]

That they want to ban Sasaki and Miyano is just outrageous. Its a very cute story and if they are "afraid" of any sexual content in there, I can, with certainty, say that the only "sexual content" in that manga is a kiss. Other than the racism I really can’t tell why somebody would ban such a wholesome story. It could also be because this is a story about two boys falling in love.

[@LorewithouttheE]

it's the last part, yeah (and the racism) people like them have painted anything queer as inherently "sexual" and it's just....so frustrating. ugh.

[@procrastinator99]

100% its pure homophobia. And racism.

[@no1legobatmanfan]

im almost 17, trans, gay, all that and i live in florida. youre doing incredible work ❤️ it scares me how bad its getting here. why do we have to regress so much? i hope the future is better

[@sophiegrant8029]

I remember being in year 10 reading This Book is Gay in math class, and my teacher absolutely humiliated me for reading it because "It was inappropriate to read." I wish more people were like you, advocates for the importance of diverse media and literature for young people.

[@ibbyf8442]

Someone needs to take a look at the change in social attitudes towards p3dophilia accusations. The way both m4l people and puritanical teenagers just throw around such a serious accusation is beyond concerning to me

[@ReadswithRachel]

I agree.

[@corigram]

According to some/many/most of them, if you're not with them, you're a pedo/groomer. They particularly attribute pedo/grooming to members of the Democratic party and all liberals, progressives, and leftists. However it's all about projection of their own malfeasance (stats on conservatives/evangelicals/religious types demonstrate this quite plainly) onto others, especially their perceived "enemies." It's gotten very old. As has their inability to differentiate between capitalism, socialism, communism, Marxism, and fascism.

[@aperson9973]

Right!? It's being turned into a buzzword, so the actual victims aren't treated with the importance they deserve.

[@JadeReloaded]

I am offended on behalf of actual bears, who are a lot better at parenting than the person using the mamabear name.

[@Turnshavetabled-o3x]

I am so happy that I work in a school that has an entire section of our library for m4l books that have been banned. The whole motto is read the books to see why they banned them and fight against it

[@Sola-Noir222]

Seriously these people are a virus in our society ~ I'm so sick of this nonsense

[@FaerieLilyXD]

I've never been this early WOWEE. THANK YOU for the conversations you start, the hard topics that need to be had and the ability to show us what holding accountability looks like. I haven't watched yet as it's been a whole 41 seconds but I just appreciate what you do.

[@sofiastj]

Rachel, you're a badass. I'm so happy you were there to step between children and someone harassing them. Thank you for being an advocate for and (actually) protecting kids. I truly look up to you in so many ways.

[@BandFairy]

Not Julie pronouncing Chile correctly and then pausing to "correct" herself to say it the American way! 😂😂

[@BobTim]

She has to hit her daily racism quota, after all.

[@Bowmansimon]

Thanks!

[@KNSLogon]

You are doing amazing work. Exhausting work that shouldn't have to be done. But thank you so much for being present in these meetings. Encouraging people to get involved in their own. It's so exhausting having to fight this fight just to put books on shelves.

[@rockmangurlx4973]

Censorship is the worst

[@nancyjay790]

Okay. I am older than dirt. The assassination of both Kennedys (JFK and Robert Kennedy) and of Martin Luther King Jr occurred in my childhood. There was an attitude at that time which even I, a child, caught wind of, that experiencing different cultures and becoming aware of and sensitive to different cultures and beliefs would make those aware people better balanced and able to advance in their own lives. And now, those who have been in the majority of American stats feel threatened by differences and by any alternatives to how they choose to live. This includes trying to eliminate Diversity Equity Inclusion, framing people having opportunities as forcing schools and businesses to only take minorities, put any depiction of sympathy towards people of color as trying to attack white people, and so on. It's detrimental to these people who choose to be scared of shadows which are basically nothing menacing in reality.

[@JohnathanFallSeasonGuy]

So MFL is basically people who don’t read protesting against books.

[@MaryaHach]

Well done, Rachel. This video was incredibly thorough and well researched. Keep up the good work!

[@OverAnalyst]

2:57 "backwards" panic (R to L) is wild. Imagine a different writing system, GASP! Esp since the Bible in Hebrew is also R to L. You rock, Rachel!

[@theotherghostgirl337]

I love that their tagline is that they don’t want to co-parent with the government, when they DEFINITELY want to co-parent other people’s kids

[@saniwa655]

Nooooo! Not "Sasaki & Miyano" too! It's a mild BL and the cutest, there's no explicit stuff (they smooch at best) and portrays the growing relationship between them so adorably. 🥺😭 Edit: Not asexuality being "inappropriate" too now. So sex is a no go, but no sex is also a no go? We are reaching Schroedinger levels of irony here.

[@joannahenry937]

yeah it made me so sad that they banned it, sasaki and miyano is so cute and wholesome, literally the only reason someone could possibly have to object to it is homophobia 😢

[@shadominx3696]

Ellen Hopkins books are so incredibly important, they were the books that opened the doors to all of these incredible authors. If I didn’t read those books as a teenager I wouldn’t be as understanding an adult as I am now. It also made me fall in love with poetry. On top of making me understand my mother’s addiction and the reason why she abandoned me and my sisters. These people are sick. Just because these books don’t portray the same people and lives that they had, they knew, they are, they have this intense need to ban it. Because how dare kids open their eyes to the potential suffering of their peers in order to become kinder to others. Stupid, amiright?

[@galaxycandypop255]

if I ever publish my books, M4L would HATE my stories lmao

[@roxassora2706]

Same with my old fanfics. Even though I hate them too. But for completely different reasons.

[@thomasakagi7545]

If they don't hate your books, you're probably doing it wrong.

[@raymondteodosbandlabvlog1676]

I wonder if we all started jokingly calling them MILFs for Liberty, whether they’d be grossed out enough to back off? 🧐

[@corigram]

MILFs for Liberty has a nice ring to it, lolol. I don't want to be held to the promise, however, because I wouldn't want to f any of them! Ewww, too yucky to even contemplate! Plus they're into threesomes and I don't swing that way.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Im so sorry you were treated like that i have so much respect for you thank you for standing up for the kids I really enjoyed wings of ebony it's such a powerful read

[@nicolerose6372]

This makes me so sad. Where I live in Canada, these are the kinds of books that are faced-forward in the library stacks, that are put on recommeded reading lists by the librarians, that are placed on displays right when you walk in. Books with some of these themes have been read to my child in school as early as kindergarten. It crushes me that some places don't even let them EXIST in the schools.

[@burritocinema]

21:19 Her wanting the book to end on an ideological note really aligns with her whole “This isn’t what America is supposed to be sentiment”; these people aren’t engaging with reality. Someone writing about their own experiences with racism in America reads as “UnAmerican” because her whole understanding of how the world works is filtered through an ideological lens; not an honest lens. It’s cognitive dissonance on steroids. These people genuinely should not be involved with book bans is they can’t even grapple with the realities of the world we’re living in.

[@CoolKitCat123]

I was just in Tampa for research this past week and I slowly realized that I was in Hillsboro County which I really only know about because of your videos and all the horrible book banning. Had mixed feelings because I was like “omg Reads With Rachel lives here” and also “ewww all those crazy ass people live here too” My favorite thing to do when I travel is to go to local bookstores and I was shocked by how few are in Tampa! That means that kids can’t even go buy the banned books (assuming that their families even have the resources to do that). You are doing such an amazing service to these kids by providing these books! Thank you for all you do. I did go to Black English and Mojo Records and Books and they are both so good! I’m so glad you’re supporting Black English! ❤

[@lay1034]

The Poet X is such a powerful book. When I was student teaching, one of my friends taught it to her kids. The Admin were thinking about having her stop teaching it, and I watched as her kids came to her worried, begging for them to be able to keep reading. It is so important to have these options available to kids!

[@RebbieChan]

Thank you for standing up for the school libraries and helping donate as well

[@alostkoi]

Sometimes i wonder if the US is real or not. Sounds absurd.

[@CassilovesMocha]

As an American, sometimes I still wonder the same... in my opinion, if the USA stays on this path of electing old buffoons, taking away our rights over Christian Nationalist 💩 beliefs, and then corporations price gouging WITH EVERY SINGLE product, service and basic need, while they get massive tax breaks.... well, let's just say, I don't see how we could remain a "developed and civilized" country for much longer.

[@Ely.S13]

I’m Australian and one of our public libraries in our state randomly banned same-sex PARENTING books. They did this without any notice. They didn’t even have romance or health science in it for them to fight against by calling it “porn”. It wasn’t even a school library to “protect the kids” as they put it, it was a general public library. It was literally just books on how to parent kids as a same-sex couple. I’m proud to say that ban lasted less than a day. The rest of Australia kicked up such a fuss the government told them they’d pull funding if they decided to move forward with the ban. I was ready to travel 4 hours just to protest but thankfully by then they’d decided it was better if they didn’t ban the books 😇

[@Drakochannojutsu]

Their behavior makes me so sick and I'm glad you are helping bring less common voices into libraries for the kids. The library was my favorite place as a kid and I ravenously read through stuff I got there because my teacher in 4th grade made sure we got library time every week on Wednesday and it was my favorite day. I hate to think that kids aren't getting to do that because of the bigotry and disgusting hypocrisy of these people who feel so righteous about it. Since you enjoyed Iron Widow I can definitely recommend Xiran Jay Zhao's middle grade book Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor as well! I know for sure it would get challenged to hell and back because the main character has vague thoughts of having a crush on another boy in not so many words (but obviously we can't have boys thinking it's okay to like boys!!!!!) and also delves into Chinese history (the scandal the horror oh nooooo) but if you haven't yet, I feel like you'd love it.

[@awkwardhandmovements]

Continue fighting the good fight, Rachel ✊🏻

[@BigBlack81]

Your intro might be the fastest upvote I've given to a video in the history of KZbin. Like barely 9 seconds in and I'm cheering. Please make more. Thank you.

[@eirhanhayes8960]

My mom was briefly involved with a branch of M4L. 😬 I cant stand them. And it was exhausting arguing with her.

[@insaynnecrazey4634]

Huge admiration for everything you do for literacy and public schools. Sending all good wishes your way❤❤

[@cj1986x]

Truly. I used to be a public school teacher and I am have so much respect for Rachel for what she is doing.

[@ericjohnson3518]

Thank you for fighting ..... It's ridiculous things have gone this far

[@kylinajordan]

God gave more free choice to mankind than the freedom these parents give to their children. As a parent, I can not imagine being this controlling over my child, demanding to know which books my child has checked out behind their backs.

[@silvermoonanime]

I’ve been donating books to my local library but I never thought to donate to school libraries. You’ve inspired me! ❤

[@hollyschell8784]

Im in Knox County TN… Mom’s for Liberty has made its way here. They’ve banned 45 from public schools 5 from elementary. Im saddened and disgusted.

[@OxPolya]

Thank you for speaking out against book banning. ❤