A new executive order announced by the Trump Administration on Jan. 20 has raised further concern about book-banning trends across the state of Maine. Some say the order, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” could lead to further ostracization and even restrictions on literature exploring gender identity and fluidity, a concern of particular gravity to those within the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) program.
PEN America, an organization that defends books and fights censorship in literature, is actively tracking the impact of the executive order across all U.S. states. One of their mottos is “PEN America’s programs defend writers, artists and journalists and protect free expression worldwide.” The group advocates against book bans nationwide and focuses on the importance of free expression in education.
In PEN America’s Maine data set, book bans reported between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 are tracked across school districts, categorizing removals by administrative decisions or formal challenges.
The Hermon School Department saw the highest number of book bans, with over 50 titles removed by administrative restriction in August 2023. These bans included “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, which explores race and identity in Afghanistan; “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur, a poetry collection addressing trauma and resilience; and “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a satirical anti-war novel.
Additionally, Maine School Administrative District 6 faced formal challenges leading to bans of books such as “Juliet Takes a Breath” by Gabby Rivera, which follows a queer Latina protagonist navigating identity and “A Year Without a Name” by Cyrus Grace Dunham, a memoir about gender transition.
The Maine Campus spoke with English Professor at the University of Maine Elizabeth Neiman, who is the Director of the Women’s Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) program at the University.
“I am not an expert on book banning, but I did have the pleasure of participating in a couple of discussions in the fall that the WGS program had organized on book banning, and so was able to hear local librarians and high school teachers talk about these issues,” said Neiman.
She noted that the books most frequently targeted for bans tend to explore themes of gender identity, LGBTQ+ experiences and critical race theory.
“It is not surprising to me to hear of the books that have been banned in recent years. It is definitely books surrounding gender and especially books that explore queer identity, gender fluidity and anything concerning critical race theory,” said Neiman.
Neiman also expressed concerns about the executive order’s impact on education.
“I certainly am concerned. It is hard to see these specific and very close-to-home attacks by the administration on areas that are very much related to education, including the sciences behind it all. I think we should all be concerned,” said Neiman.
