The Massachusetts Senate last week passed, “An Act Regarding Free Expression” (S.2338), legislation to limit bans on books and other materials from schools and public libraries, with a 37-3 bipartisan vote.

“Here in Massachusetts, we don’t ban books—we celebrate them,” State Sen. Julian Cyr, the bill’s co-sponsor, posted on Facebook. “What an honor to have so many authors and librarians and Free Speech advocates at the State House today to share in this moment.”

Reported the Boston Globe on this and a second, similar bill prior to the vote:

“We are seeing a rising threat to intellectual freedom across the country, and Massachusetts, unfortunately, is not immune to the national wave of censorship,” Cyr said in a Globe interview.

“We’re hearing deep concerns both from librarians, as well as authors and other creators about attempts at censorship,” Cyr added. The [legislation], he said, ”ensures that public and school libraries can offer diverse, inclusive books, media and materials without political interference in Massachusetts.”

The legislation comes as conservatives across the country have sought to remove books often dealing with subjects such as race, gender and sexuality.

Read the complete Boston Globe story here.

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