ACLU: “It’s 2022 and Two Books Are on Trial for ‘Obscenity'”

UPDATED (August 30, 2022)Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Books Said to Be ‘Obscene’ for Minors in Virginia Beach (via 13NewsNow)
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Obscenity Case Seeking to Bar Barnes & Noble From Selling 2 Books to Minors Dismissed by Judge (via The Virginia-Pilot)

Comments/Statements

• (Aug 30): Comment on Virginia Beach Free Expression Victory from Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers
• (Aug 30): Virginia Judge Rejects Obscenity Proceedings Against Gender Queer and A Court of Mist and Fury (via ACLU)

UPDATE (July 5, 2022) Hearing to Determine Whether Books in Virginia Beach School Libraries Are Obscene Set for August (via Daily Press)

—End ALL Updates—

From the ACLU:

…last month, a Virginia resident initiated obscenity proceedings against two acclaimed books: Gender Queer, a Memoir, by Maia Kobabe, an autobiographical graphic novel that depicts the author’s experience as a non-binary and asexual person; and A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas, a fantasy novel. The obscenity proceedings come amid a nationwide rise in efforts to restrict people’s access to books, and our ability to read, learn, and think for ourselves — but they could be the first to result in a statewide ban on publication or distribution.

Last week, several independent bookstores and a number of national organizations representing book distributors, authors, and libraries filed joint motions urging a Virginia court to dismiss these obscenity proceedings. We represent these distributors alongside the ACLU of Virginia and Michael Bamberger of Dentons, arguing that the case threatens the rights of both young and adult readers — and the First Amendment rights of our clients, as well as other booksellers, distributors, and publishers, to provide access to such materials.

More From the ACLU:

On June 22, 2022, our clients—local bookstores Prince Books, Read Books, One More Page Books, and bbgb tales for kids, as well as American Booksellers for Free Expression, Association of American Publishers, Inc., Authors Guild, Inc., American Library Association, Virginia Library Association, and Freedom to Read Foundation—filed motions seeking to dismiss obscenity proceedings against two books, highlighting the unconstitutional nature of the proceedings and noting that the books are not obscene as a matter of law.

Learn More, Direct to Complete Post

See Also: Additional Info and Links to Motions

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Conference Presentations, Libraries, News, School Libraries