traverse390 asks:

Are we at risk of censorship of LGBTQ+/adult material re: U.S. 2025 federal policies?

The short answer to your question is yes. Of course, there is a risk of increased censorship of LGBQT+ and "adult material" in 2025 and beyond for those of you living in the United States.

The worrying trend of banning books in schools and public libraries across the United States will worsen before it gets better. The Comic Book Journal reported in September that:

"The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, which tracks book challenges and bans around the U.S., recorded that 378 different graphic novels were threatened with bans or challenges in 2023, with a total of 1,020 total censorship attempts. In the last three years, the numbers have seen a huge jump – 2023's total censorship attempts are twenty times what they were just three years ago in 2020."

In March last year, The Guardian reported on the recent American Libraries Association report covering all of 2023's known book bans. Amongst other things, the report detailed "Seventeen states [that] saw attempts to ban more than 100 books: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin."

Why is the banning of books so prevalent across American public schools and libraries?

Sadly! The banning of books and the occasional outright burning of them has been a regular occurrence throughout American history. Despite its relatively young age as a country, the USA has been banning books pretty much from the get-go. Think about it this way. The first white Europeans arrived in the country and settled in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and these same "Founders" banned their first book in 1637.

The first book ever to be banned in the United States was New English Canaan by Thomas Morton, who established an early colony in Massachusetts where settlers and native people co-existed fairly harmoniously. Morton espoused a more pragmatic approach to colonization with the land's original inhabitants. This was seen as a threat by the Puritan settlers, and Morton was subsequently twice exiled back to England, where he wrote New English Canaan. He was not a white savior of any kind. He was a fur trader and businessman, and most of the book describes the "opportunities" the New World presented to entrepreneurial readers. Nonetheless, his pragmatic views on peaceful co-existence with native people were seen as a threat to the fabric of the new society the Puritans were attempting to build, and he was punished for it.

It is the fear that certain types of ideas, practices, and beliefs can "undermine" the cultural fabric of America that drives book bans. So! It comes as no surprise that graphic novels that depict "non-traditional" romantic and erotic relationships and/or characters who are non-conformist to the hetero-dominant culture will be targeted by censorious organizations and individuals.

While I wish to focus specifically on the type of material that matters to you in your question, I would like to remind everyone that it isn't just LGBTQ+ material that is being banned. Far from it…

The most recent high-profile case of statewide book banning, including comics and manga, happened last year in Tennessee when the state legislature brought in the HB843 mandate. Books in school libraries must be suitable for the age and maturity levels of the students. Some of the types of content deemed inappropriate for school-age children include any type of nudity, "descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement," excessive violence, and of course, LGBTQ-related subjects.

ANN reported on the mandate at the time that includes the first eight volumes of Assassination Classroom, Jujutsu Kaisen, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes (volumes 1 and 3), all of Attack on Titan, and Akira, which really pisses me off. Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha is also on the banned books list in Tennessee, which is a perennial favorite of many younger readers. It contains some sexually suggestive moments, and some of the key characters, including the protagonist, possess an element of what one could argue is gender fluidity, but it is incredibly subtle, and I am genuinely surprised it made it onto this list.

The depiction of LGBTQ characters in manga is not uncommon, and so you have every right to worry about whether more works could be banned in the future. Manga like Sailor Moon, Claudine, Hunter X Hunter, and Rose of Versailles vary in their depictions of same-s*x couples and/or openly trans characters. Some depictions are more overt, others are more subtle, coded even. Some are serious and core to the story. Other characters provide light relief. Nonetheless! They exist and they are featured in some of the most popular and important works of the past forty years, which I find surprising because Japan is also a socially conservative country. For these works and for these characters to exist, and be known and popular with readers is remarkable and a testament to the fact that the majority don't have major issues with depictions of "alternative lifestyles" in literature, contrary to what much of the media and some politicians tell us.

ScreenRant reported in November that Richmond County School District in North Carolina recently banned (pending a review) Unico: Awakening Volume 1, the new reimaging of Osama Tezuka's classic manga by Samuel Sattin and illustrator, Gurihiru following a complaint from a "concerned parent." The parent's six-year-old son purchased a copy of the manga at a local Scholastic Book Fair, and she was "shocked to discover depictions of animal cruelty (I hope they never read Tezuka's Buddha Volume 1. That poor bunny!) and gun violence".

The book ban movement in the USA over recent years has most definitely grown, and as The Guardian reports it is "particularly prevalent in Republican-led states, as religious-political activism gains strength," but the canceling, boycotting, and banning of pop culture in your country is something that unfortunately is a "both sides" issue, and it cuts to the bone of your First Amendment rights. The more organized book banners know this, and while many of us may wonder whether your federal law-makers might seek to increase the scope of these bans, it isn't necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing access to what they may consider to be "dangerous" and/or "unsuitable" reading material for children and young adults. The market will ultimately decide what reading material you can have access to, and unfortunately, book banners know this.

The Unico manga is a case in point. School libraries never used to hold graphic novels or manga in them. Public libraries barely did either. Unico is a flagship manga title for Scholastic's Graphix imprint, which is dedicated to publishing creator-owned graphic novels for early, middle-grade, and young adult readers. Graphix launched in 2005 with Jeff Smith's epic series, BONE #1: Out From Boneville. This imprint came about in part because of the huge shift in boy's reading habits starting in the late 90s. This is when I, as a 15-year-old, first discovered "edgier" books like Alan Moore's V for Vendetta and The Killing Joke in my local library.

This recent ban, "pending review," of Unico is noteworthy because Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a major supplier of books to school libraries. They have a better understanding of what is and isn't acceptable when it comes to age-appropriate literature for school-age children than almost any other publisher. Censorship is a slippery slope, and what one parent may find unacceptable for their six-year-old to read is not necessarily the same as another parent who also monitors what content their kids are consuming. I wanted to use Unico as an example of censorship that isn't driven by an organization, and which doesn't seem politically or religiously motivated.

America's moral majority has been at war with comics as a corrupting influence since the early 1950s and what is now commonly referred to as the "Moral Panic," which was a reaction by the press, religious groups, and politicians against what many considered to be the gradual decline in standards of decency and morality in the media and the arts. Especially film-making and comic books. This moral panic also coincided with a rise in reporting around juvenile delinquency. Senate hearings were held, and miles of column inches were printed, resulting in the voluntary implementation of the Comics Code Authority, which was a self-policing and self-censoring program committed to by all of the major comics magazine publishers at the time. Unbelievably, "The Code" continued well into the 2000s with the final holdouts, DC and Bongo Comics, discontinuing their carrying of the unmistakable CCA badge on every comic cover they printed.

What concerns me is that with your country's rightwards political momentum when it comes to issues of identity and culture, alongside its anti-globalization economic policies, increasing downward pressure on manga and comics publishing will impact readers well beyond the USA's borders. If America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold. Less than 21% of comics, manga, and graphic novels are currently printed within the USA. If aggressive tariffs are brought in against the majority of America's major international trading partners, including China, where 24% of domestic publishers print their books, the price of the average tankoban is likely to increase considerably. This will mean lower print sales. Combine this with potentially more states banning more manga, and it isn't out of the question that some books may be discontinued and others not printed at all. And sorry, Canadians, Aussies, and Brits, but if fewer books are published in the USA, that means fewer titles for you, too.

I abhor the idea that a book can be dangerous, and I find it ridiculous to believe that a comic or a book can fundamentally change the reader's sexual or gender identity. I've read a lot of books in my lifetime, and none of them caused me to become a straight, cis-hetero male. I am just one, and that identity has, in all likelihood, influenced what types of comics, books, novels, etc. I like to read, as well as what types of movies, series, animation, etc. I like to watch the types of video games I like to play. I feel seen all day long by the culture I inhabit. Erasing what little pop culture is available that recognizes those of us who are not part of "the norm" seems unnecessarily cruel to me.

Based on the strength of some of the aforementioned LGBTQ-friendly manga brands, it could be commercially damaging for some of the biggest names in manga publishing, too. I believe that a change is coming, and it may well impact the print publishing of manga and comics in a significant way. With English-language digital manga and comic sales barely representing 20% of all graphic novel sales currently, perhaps these changes will signal a significant increase in digital manga sales.

References:

Deb Aoki report re: impact of tariffs on manga imports… "In The Comics Journal, Gina Gagliano explains how new tariffs will likely affect comics/manga publishing in 2025 (spoiler: it's not good for readers or publishers)."

"What will potential tariffs mean for comic publishers in 2025? "We'll likely have less customers." - The Comics Journal

"The state of comics and censorship during Banned Books Week" - The Comics Journal, September 2024 [Source: The Comic Book Journal "The state of comics and censorship during Banned Books Week", Gina Gagliana, September 23, 2024

"Books bans in US schools and libraries surged to record highs in 2023 - Though the list is broad, many of the 4,240 books were targeted because they related to issues of LGBTQ+ communities or race " - The Guardian, March 14, 2024

Choice quotes from the forums:

Well, censorship of adult or controversial content is already happening.Whether it's Japan doing this to itself or due to social changes around the world.

This is absolutely drop dead terrifying.

The focus on library bans seems geared toward the all-ages LGBTQ+ side of the question, but don't forget that the same forces are pushing for blanket criminalization of pornography. There are already multiple states that companies releasing adult manga/anime won't ship to.

Mod note: don't conflate libertarianism with LGBT. This is your only warning.

Also, I mentioned that if the book ban goes beyond anime/manga, is that going to escalate to targeting Asian-American/AAPI communities. I asked because a few days ago, I read an article from KQED (a local PBS in San Francisco) about the local Japanese-American communities are going to protect undocumented immigrants and come to the defense of the larger immigrants communities due to their experience of the Japanese internment during WWII. So that is my biggest worries as a anime/manga fan, if Japanese-Americans are building a big resistance toward Trump's treatment to the immigrant communities and the wider AAPI communities, is this going to lead to Trump and MAGA attacking not only the Japanese-American communities, will the MAGA/Trumper dare go after anime/manga and the fandom as an act of retaliation, is that going to lead to more manga ban in the school and public libraries? Is that going to lead to the FCC going after companies like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and other streaming companies that stream and license anime, what about manga publishers like Viz Media, Kodansha USA, etc...

The only thing really saving us from censorship and the other crazy things that these Christo-fascists want to do are the judges and courts blocking the orders and lawsuits being made and present right now which will only increase as time goes on at this pace and will be an astronomical amount.

literally not a single judge will defend queer cartoon kiddie porn sweetie

As a straight person, I feel like the opposite has been in effect on Reddit for a few years now. Unless you're towing water for Left leaning causes, you'll get downmarseyd or your comment will be deleted by a mod. If platforms would stop censoring opposing viewpoints, that would be great. This applies to both Left (Reddit) and Right (X) dominated platforms.

chud whining about chuds being censored on reddit in unrelated topic award

A new campaign group for gay and bisexual rights but not transgender rights has been formed in the Labour Party https://t.co/UOom4e5Wtb

— LabourList (@LabourList) February 13, 2025

A new campaign group for gay and bisexual rights but not transgender rights has been formed in the Labour Party.

Labour LGB aims to "defend and enhance the rights of LGB people" whilst also calling for protections for single-s*x spaces and "supporting the principles that same-s*x attraction is real and that biology matters".

It comes as another rival group to LGBT+ Labour, Pride in Labour, held its first annual general meeting last weekend and called on the party to deliver on its manifesto commitment to implement meaningful reform to the Gender Recognition Act.

Dee McCullough, a spokesperson for Labour LGB, said: "We are a coalition of proud Labour Party LGB members.

"The last Labour government delivered a raft of landmark reforms that we celebrate. Civil partnerships, equal age of consent, equal employment rights, adoption law reform and abolishing Section 28 to name a few. In the years ahead, we need to be vigilant in maintaining these rights. We must defend the Equality Act which spelled out that sexual orientation is a protected characteristic.

"We want to ensure that the Labour government continues to accept that same-s*x attraction is real and that biology matters. These principles must be embedded in legislative proposals and in government policy.

"We would encourage Labour Party LGB members to join Labour LGB. In the ongoing debate about LGB rights within the party, the voices of LGB people must be heard in branches, CLPs, at party conference and in Parliament. The campaign for equality never ends."

The move comes amid claims that the government is shelving a manifesto commitment to make it easier for people to legally change their gender, with a party source telling The Guardian that changes may not be brought forward before the next general election.

The Prime Minister's spokesperson told reporters the government "stands by our commitment to modernise gender recognition rules as set out in the manifesto and we'll set out our next steps on this work in due course."

'No LGB without the T', says rival LGBT+ group

Some LGBTQ+ groups within the party have spoken out over the formation of Labour LGB, claiming it aims to "divide the LGBT+ community" within the party.

Alex Charilaou, co-chair of Labour for Trans Rights, said: "The values of the labour movement are those of equality, social justice and solidarity. This new group's plans to divide the LGBT+ community in Labour will not work.

"Trans people are at the frontline of a wider reactionary culture war. Gay, lesbian, bi and other LGBT+ people recognise that their rights are just as under threat from growing far-right attacks as the trans community.

"We hope LGBT+ Labour will disavow this group as antithetical to the aims of the LGBT+ rights movement and the Labour Party."

Co-chair of the Pride for Labour group Jamie Strudwick called on the Labour leadership to "act immediately to protect trans people before we go past the point of no return".

"Pride in Labour exists to champion LGBTQIA+ rights within the Labour Party. We are utterly appalled that a new splinter group, Labour LGB, is seeking to capitalise on the vile transphobia which is so deeply embedded within our society.

"We will always be extremely clear on this ‒ there is no LGB without the T.

"We are at an extremely dangerous crossroads where trans people and their right to exist is being brought into question, and we cannot allow this sickening cycle to continue.

"Be under no illusion ‒ the vast majority of gay, lesbian and bisexual people stand firmly with trans people, because they have always been, and always will be part of our family."

In response, McCullough said: "We are proud to be Labour and proud to be LGB. Our aim is to represent people who are same-s*x attracted."

LGBT+ Labour gave no comment when approached by LabourList.

It's from the Daily Beast and I don't see it mention anywhere about an insider at the Kremlin.

Either way...let's see how Redditors are taking the "news"...

Something new is coming to the shops. ⚡️💙⚡️ officialsonichu.com/collections/... www.etsy.com/shop/Officia...

— CPU Jesus Christ Chan Sonichu Prime (@cpujcwcsprime.bsky.social) 2025-02-04T17:18:03.180Z

skyview

Chris' handlers still haven't figured out how to use the bluesky block features yet like they do on . Probably because nobody actually uses bluesky. Weens barely even try even though chris officially switched there to fight drumpv and elmo or whatever.

Bad Nazi - musk for his arm movement and trump for attacking DEI

Good Nazi - actual swastika wearing neo Nazis in Ukraine fighting hecken ebul fascist Russia

Now you know!

Someone want to invite her here?

Shadow the hedgehog is a half alien, artificial creation who uses he/him pronouns despite canonically having the soul of a little girl.
His entire arc is about rejecting what he was made for and choosing a purpose for himself even if the world is against him.
He's not transphobic https://t.co/1h9nc6eWXX

— Space Rat💙💫 (@galaxylover06) March 1, 2024

🚨🚨BIG SCOOP: Musk’s DOGE Teen Was Fired By Cybersecurity Firm for Leaking Company Secrets

Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm’s servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information.https://t.co/I4Fimayk6V

— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) February 7, 2025

I am more willing to chalk this one up to youthful indiscretion since I think he must have been a high school underclassman in 2022

Thread full of women who never watch the superbowl talk about how they're boycotting the superbowl to protest orange man.

How to support Drake’s album this week?
🚨🚨

1. Purchase the digital album here now - https://t.co/6GKeKHkYk1

2. Purchase the album and the songs on iTunes and Amazon upon release

3. Stream the album.

4. Leave an overnight streaming playlist running when you’re not actively… pic.twitter.com/CgikQQBEtl

— Drake Charts ⁶𓅓 (@DrakeChart) February 12, 2025

While every month is black history month, this month is special due to the fact all chuds have to legally abide by the government's set status. This month is dedicated to... DRAKE! Aubrey "Drizzy" Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. As a figure in popular music, he has been credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop artists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_(musician)

Now... why is this month dedicated to Drake?

• Super Bowl

Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl. Now you might be asking why he's included as a reason. Drake basically put this guy on the spot, prior to this Kendrick was famous in rap spaces while Drake was a name everyone knew. When Kendrick Lamar initially dissed Drake, it led to a whole snowball effect that eventually led to hit song "Not Like Us" dropping. Full timeline if you're wondering about the history of this beef: https://www.vulture.com/article/drake-kendrick-lamar-feud-explained.html Not Like Us is a diss dedicated directly at Drake, and it's his most famous song. It revolves back around to the same debate about if Kanye put Taytay on the map. Kendrick got awarded a multitude of grammies for this false mediocre song all because of Drake, Kendrick was appointed to play at the Super Bowl because of Drake, and while performing at the grammies AND the Super Bowl he still sang the song about Drake. Everything about this guy revolves around Drake.

Related lyric/song:

• Grammies

Mostly explained in the previous paragraph.

• New Album

Drake is about to drop a collab album with famous rapper Partynextdoor. I'm guessing most of the tracks are gonna be love songs and maybe two will be rapping. The linked tweet gives a full rundown on how to celebrate black history month with Drake.

• Beautiful Music

Drake has a very nice discography, with hits ranging from Passionfruit to Jimmy Cooks he's very diverse in the areas that a black person can properly sing in. You could probably find a Drake song for any occasion. Some of my personal favorites (it should be very easy to see his diverse discography with these picks):

• Pioneer in black culture

Kendrick reversed hundreds of years worth of black activism in one 30 minute show. If Drake was on that stage, we would've somehow gotten Obama a 3rd term. Since Drake also has some jewish heritage, he's loved by many in jewish communities. Around my very southern part of town, the stores usually play only white songs and the occasional Drake song. I've heard Drake referred to as "one of the good ones" before. All in all, the people love this guy.

I have themed my profile accordingly. Have a nice night and remember to support real black artists (not fakers like Kendrick LAMEar).

An east London councillor has been charged with perverting the course of justice by allegedly trying to influence a 16-year-old girl into dropping her allegation of r*pe.

Abdul Malik, 50, who represents Blackwall and Cubitt Town ward on Tower Hamlets Council, was due to appear at Thames magistrates court on Friday to face the charge for the first time.

It is said he "contacted the father of a 16-year-old complainant of r*pe and told him to get his daughter to drop the charges against the male alleged to have r*ped her and get him out of custody, which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice".

The incident is alleged to have happened on January 23. The father and aunt of the suspected male feminist are accused of also intervening two weeks earlier.

Abdul Roqib, 45, is accused of contacting the 16-year-old on January 10 "to ask her to drop the charges against his son, which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice".

Rahela Begum, 41, is also accused of also contacting the girl on the same day to allegedly try to convince her to withdraw from the criminal case.

All three defendants are due to appear in court to face a charge of committing an act or series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

Malik sits on Tower Hamlets council for the Aspire Party, which is led by the borough's directly-elected Mayor Lutfur Rahman.

He currently sits as chair of the Human Resources Committee, and also has a seat on the licensing committee, having first been elected to the council in 2022.

It is understood Malik, of Mercury Walk, Tower Hamlets, Roqib, of Warrior Square in Manor Park, and Begum, of Rye Road in Hoddesdon, were held in custody before their court hearing.

Thousands of little white boys will remember Cooper DeJean’s pick six in the Super Bowl for the rest of their lives.

Seeing someone who looks like you play the position they said wasn’t for your kind means everything.

This is our Jackie Robinson moment. pic.twitter.com/YcfbZBkRvd

— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) February 10, 2025

The end is here and they’re literally crying pic.twitter.com/PChhWBqU6c

— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) February 16, 2025

SMDH

The r here stands for r-slurred btw

long comment threads where someone says "maybe it was just a bad movie" and people responding "no it's failing because America bad and everyone hates black people"