The nation’s largest publisher and several bestselling authors, including novelists John Green and Jodi Picoult, are part of a lawsuit filed Thursday challenging Iowa’s new law that bans public school libraries and classrooms from having practically any book that depicts sexual activity.

The lawsuit is the second in the past week to challenge the law, which bans books with sexual content all the way through 12th grade. An exception is allowed for religious texts.

Penguin Random House and four authors joined several teachers, a student and the Iowa State Education Association — the state’s teachers union representing 50,000 current and former public school educators — in filing the federal lawsuit.

  • @surewhynotlem
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    7510 months ago

    I think being sued by John Green must feel a lot like being sued by Mr Rogers.

    • @YoBuckStopsHere
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      6010 months ago

      Conservatives HATE John Green because he is an intelligent member of society informing teenagers on real life issues and has a history of supporting education. These are things they can’t stand.

      • @[email protected]
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        1610 months ago

        John Green is a Christian and was a student Chaplain at a hospital. I doubt they can do the religion dance with him either.

        • @Kyrinar
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          2110 months ago

          His brother Hank is Atheist IIRC, and people have asked them before how that affects their relationship. They basically answered “what do you mean, why would it?” So while they can try to take that angle I doubt it’d go over well.

          I love the Green bros.

    • @[email protected]
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      10 months ago

      To those who dont know john, hes an OG youtube guy who along with his brother Hank used to run Vidcon and who still run just buckets of charities, including building a hospital to limit child mortality in Sierra leone.

      Most recently, john was so passionate about tuberculosis treatment and how pharmacies were gouging 3rd world countires for the cure, that the internet forced the big players to sell the drugs at cost, which the aid orgs that they work with confirmed. This likely saved millions of lives/yr.

      This is a good, thoughtful guy who not only cares, but who actively tries to help.