TALK ABOUT CENSORSHIP

Texas School District Tells GOP Rep to Shove His Silly Book Burning Crusade

The Austin school district ignored Rep. Matt Krause’s list of 800 books that “might make students feel discomfort.”

The Austin school district is not indulging a Texas state lawmaker’s crusade to identify and catalog hundreds of books related to health, gender, and sexuality. Rep. Matt Krause, a Republican running for state attorney general, demanded that several school districts identify books that speak about “material that might make students feel discomfort ... or convey that a student, by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously”—part of a nationwide crusade by conservatives who want to determine what teachers can teach in their classrooms. His list of 800 books included some award-winning titles on race, and innocuous health books like The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine and books on sexually transmitted diseases.

A spokesman for the district said in a statement that they had “decided that a response is not necessary, especially since anyone can search our library catalogues on this website.” Other districts that received requests—largely in urban areas—have said they will either comply or are reviewing the request.