Censorship of protected expression
Removing, suppressing, or shutting down constitutionally protected speech, art, or expression at a government institution because of its viewpoint or content. It matters because government institutions -- libraries, museums, public universities -- are supposed to host a range of viewpoints, not enforce an official one.
2026 Events (13)
West Point ordered professor to stop teaching human-caused climate change, then declined to renew his contract after he objected, lawsuit says
Adam Kalkstein, a tenured geography professor who taught climatology at the United States Military Academy for 17 years, sued West Point and three administrators in federal court on August 24, 2026, alleging he was pushed out for refusing to comply with a directive -- issued on White House orders -- to stop teaching cadets that human activity is a primary driver of climate change. According to the lawsuit, West Point stripped Kalkstein of tenure in 2025, ordered the geography department in September 2025 to stop teaching anthropogenic climate change under threat of dissolving the department, and declined to renew his contract in 2026 after he protested the directive to the academy dean. West Point said in a statement it was aware of the allegations but declined further comment.
Missouri officials threatened to defund Columbia library over lawful LGBTQ+ story time, alleging grooming without citing a violated law
On July 28, 2026, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state Sen. Rick Brattin held a joint press conference threatening to block state and federal library funding after Columbia's Daniel Boone Regional Library held a $26 "rainbow story time" reading two children's books, "Rainbowsaurus" and "Big Wig," to preschoolers on July 25. Hoskins and Brattin, backed by a warning letter from Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, called the event "unconscionable, if not criminal" and accused it of grooming children, but neither could identify which law the books violated, and Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson stated on the record that discussing LGBTQ+ issues is not a crime.
Verite News and Type Investigations revealed Louisiana Gov. Landry required 100+ state employees to sign NDAs blocking disclosures
On July 24, 2026, Verite News and Type Investigations published an investigation revealing that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry required more than 100 state employees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) prohibiting them from publicly disclosing information about their government work. The agreements, characterized by reporters as a "gag order," preemptively bar state employees from speaking publicly about their official duties, suppressing potential whistleblowing and public accountability. At least 100 Louisiana state employees had signed the agreements as of the investigation's publication.
Kennedy Center cut Whitney Cummings's Trump-Epstein joke from Bill Maher's Mark Twain Prize broadcast on Netflix
On July 21, 2026, Netflix broadcast the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize ceremony honoring Bill Maher with a joke Whitney Cummings had made at the June 28 live taping about Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein cut before air. Netflix confirmed the Kennedy Center exercised its contractual right to remove the joke, stating that the streamer's own preference is not to cut material from any comedian's set. Cummings confirmed on her podcast that the Kennedy Center made the decision, noting that Donald Trump is the institution's boss.
National Park Service replaced the President's House slavery exhibit in Philadelphia overnight, softening Washington's role as enslaver
On July 15, 2026, the National Park Service completed an overnight swap of the interpretive exhibit at the federally owned President's House Site in Philadelphia, installing Trump administration-proposed panels that historians say soften George Washington's role as an enslaver of nine people at the site. Workers replaced the displays "under the cover of darkness," in the mayor's words, days after the Third Circuit ruled that Philadelphia had no legal authority over interpretive content at the federally owned memorial. The new panels devote more space to the early presidency and recast Washington's views on slavery, drawing condemnation from Philadelphia's mayor and civil-rights advocates.
Florida International University disciplined seven students with reprimands and compelled 'reflection' videos over silent anti-ICE protest
On June 29, 2026, Florida International University issued written reprimands to seven students and ordered each to record a compelled two-minute "reflection" video on the university's indoor-protest policy, punishing them for a March 13, 2026 silent protest against FIU's cooperation with immigration enforcement. The students, members of a group called ICEBreakers, had stood silently displaying "ICE OFF FIU" shirts for a few minutes during a campus event and left without disrupting it -- an account FIU's own internal review confirmed. The university nonetheless charged seven of the roughly 20 participating students and threatened a hold on their registration and financial aid if the videos were not submitted.
Cromaine District Library Board voted to relocate more than 160 challenged LGBTQ-themed books to its adult section without review
On May 21, 2026, the Cromaine District Library Board of Trustees in Hartland Township, Michigan, voted 4-1 to relocate more than 160 challenged books — most of them LGBTQ-themed — from the children's and teen sections to the adult section, without completing the review its own appeals process required. The board had read only 58 of 218 challenged titles before abandoning the review, after earlier rewriting the library's collection-development policy with assistance from Alliance Defending Freedom and removing the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights protections.
Rutherford County, TN library board fired director who refused to move 100+ LGBTQ books from children's section
On March 30, 2026, the Rutherford County Library Board in Murfreesboro, Tennessee voted 8-3 to fire library system director Luanne James for refusing to comply with the board's March 16 vote to relocate more than 100 LGBTQ-themed books from the children's section to the adult section of county libraries. James had stated that moving the books would violate First Amendment protections and her professional obligation against government-mandated viewpoint discrimination.
University of North Texas staff dismantled student protest art installation and power-washed chalk messages at CVAD Gallery
On the morning of March 24, 2026, University of North Texas facilities staff, directed by university technician Jonathan Figueroa and acting on instructions from the university's lawyers, dismantled and discarded a student-organized outdoor protest art installation outside the CVAD Gallery in Denton, Texas. The memorial, curated by the student group NOISE, had stood for nearly a month in response to UNT's February 2026 removal of artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez's ICE-critical exhibition. Staff also power-washed sidewalk chalk messages from walkways where the university's own policy explicitly permits chalking.
Mohave County supervisors rejected 36 library books, bypassing formal review to target LGBTQ+ content
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on March 2, 2026 to reject a slate of already-cataloged donated library books, objected to by Supervisor Ron Gould primarily for LGBTQ+ content, by invoking the board's authority over donations rather than the library district's established formal reconsideration process. Library Director Jake Barillaro confirmed that process was not used; because the books were reclassified as rejected donations, 36 physical books across 20 titles were removed from county library collections, more than the 13 the public was told about at the meeting.
Isle of Wight County, Va., school board members pressured superintendent to suppress anti-ICE student walkout
In the hours before a Feb. 27, 2026 student-led anti-ICE walkout at Smithfield High School in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, School Board Chairman John Collick and board members Brandi Perkins and Mark Wooster pressured Superintendent Theo Cramer to invoke facially neutral conduct and political-activity policies to stop the protest and discipline any participating student or staff member. Collick, invoking his authority as chairman, directed Cramer to "do everything you can do to prevent a walkout" and posted a public Facebook statement urging parents to keep their children from participating. Roughly 150 of Smithfield High's 1,300 students walked out during a non-instructional period without incident, and the school ultimately took no disciplinary action against students or staff.
University of North Texas administrators removed artist's ICE-critical exhibit to avoid Texas legislature backlash
University of North Texas President Harrison Keller and then-Provost Michael McPherson had artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez's ICE-critical exhibition "Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá" removed from the CVAD Gallery in Denton, Texas, around February 9-11, 2026, days after it opened February 3. Leaked text messages show McPherson said removing the show would make it "easier to manage any barking from our friends in Austin," a reference to the Texas legislature, even though UNT's own art policy bars viewpoint-based censorship.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock scrubbed two race-focused history lectures from its website citing state law
Arkansas Times reporting published January 24, 2026 revealed that University of Arkansas at Little Rock administrators had pressured organizers of its "Evenings with History" lecture series to retitle or add disclaimer language to two lectures on race and history, citing the state's 2025 ACCESS Act, and had the events' announcements removed from the university's website after a history professor refused to make the changes. Rather than accept the administration's requested edits, UALR's history department voted to withdraw from the two lectures entirely, and the university said only that it was reviewing its participation in the series for compliance with the law.
2025 Events (7)
University of Alabama suspended two student magazines serving Black and female students, citing DOJ anti-DEI memo
On December 1, 2025, the University of Alabama told the editors of Alice Magazine, which covers women undergraduates, and Nineteen Fifty-Six Magazine, which covers Black undergraduates, that both publications would immediately stop, citing the university's interpretation of a July 2025 memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi offering non-binding anti-DEI compliance guidance. Former staff sued the university in March 2026, alleging the shutdown was unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton ordered AI-screened review of course content on race, sex and gender identity
On December 1, 2025, Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton issued a memorandum requiring faculty across the system's five universities to disclose course materials touching on race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity for mandatory Board of Regents review, with some professors reporting the system used an AI tool to prescreen syllabi and reading lists for flagged content before any human review took place. Creighton, who became chancellor in November 2025 after spending nearly two decades in the Texas Senate pushing similar restrictions, built the review process using new curriculum-oversight authority regents gained under a 2025 Texas law he authored.
Texas enacted SB 12 barring public-school instruction and student clubs on sexual orientation or gender identity
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 12, a "parental rights" law that prohibits instruction, guidance, activities, and student clubs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in K-12 public schools and bars school employees from referring to a student by a name or pronouns differing from those on record. Authored by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, the law also requires prior parental consent for student health services and club participation and took effect September 1, 2025. LGBTQ+ advocates and educators said the measure erases transgender students and dismantles support systems in public schools.
Texas enacted SB 412, exposing teachers and librarians to prosecution by removing 'harmful material' defenses
On May 19, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 412, which stripped the affirmative-defense protections in the state Penal Code that had shielded public schools, libraries, and museums from prosecution for distributing material "harmful to minors" when that material carried educational, medical, scientific, or artistic value. By removing those defenses, the law exposes teachers, librarians, and parents to criminal charges over books available in public institutions. The measure took effect September 1, 2025, and civil-liberties and library groups warned it would drive broad removals of books, disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ titles.
West Virginia Gov. Morrisey signed SB154 restricting school LGBTQ instruction and requiring staff to disclose students' gender identity to parents
On April 30, 2025, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed Senate Bill 154 into law, prohibiting public schools from providing instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity and requiring school employees to report any student's request for recognition of a gender identity differing from their birth-certificate sex to administrators, who must then notify the student's parent or guardian. The law, codified at W.Va. Code 18-5-29, took effect July 11, 2025 and empowers the state Attorney General to enforce it, with violating school personnel subject to discipline or dismissal.
Utah enacted HB77, banning Pride flags from public schools and government buildings; first such state ban
On March 27, 2025, Utah enacted House Bill 77, "Flag Display Amendments," after Gov. Spencer Cox declined to sign or veto it and allowed it to become law. The measure bars government entities and public schools from displaying any flag except an approved list — the U.S. flag, Utah's state flag, and official government, military, and comparable flags — and was widely promoted as a ban on Pride flags in classrooms and public buildings. Utah became the first state to enact such a ban, enforced by the state auditor through fines.
Ohio Gov. DeWine signed HB8, barring K-3 gender-identity instruction and requiring schools to report students' well-being changes to parents
On January 8, 2025, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 8, the "Parents' Bill of Rights," which the General Assembly had passed during the lame-duck session on December 18, 2024. The law prohibits "sexuality content," defined to include "gender ideology," in kindergarten-through-third-grade classroom instruction and requires advance parental notice with an opt-out for such material in other grades. It also directs school personnel to notify a parent of any change in a student's counseling, monitoring, or health-and-well-being services and bars staff from encouraging a student to withhold that information from a parent.
2024 Events (2)
Bow, N.H. school district banned two parents from campus over anti-trans-athlete protest wristbands
On September 17, 2024, during a Bow High School girls' soccer game, Bow, New Hampshire school officials ordered parents Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote to remove pink "XX" wristbands worn in silent protest of a transgender athlete's participation, paused the game, and called police to remove those who refused to comply; the district later banned both men from school property and games with no-trespass orders. Superintendent Marcy Kelley testified she viewed the "XX" symbol itself as "anti-trans" and "exclusionary." On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed a district court ruling and found the district likely engaged in viewpoint discrimination, holding the protest was passive and non-disruptive and remanding the case.
Idaho Gov. Little signed library-restriction law defining 'homosexuality' as harmful to minors
On April 10, 2024, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed H0710, the "Children's School and Library Protection Act," creating a private cause of action against public and school libraries that fail to relocate materials deemed "harmful to minors" to adults-only sections within 60 days of a complaint. The "harmful to minors" standard the law enforces is defined in Idaho Code to include "homosexuality" as sexual conduct. The law took effect July 1, 2024.
2023 Events (9)
President Biden signed the FY2024 NDAA, codifying DoD's facially neutral 'approved flags' policy that excludes the Pride flag
On December 22, 2023, President Biden signed H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, into law as Public Law 118-31. Section 1052 of the law prohibits display of any flag other than an enumerated "approved flag" list in Department of Defense workplaces and public areas; the Pride flag is not among the categories on that list, codifying the exclusionary policy the Pentagon adopted under a 2020 Esper memo. An explicit provision banning Pride flag displays, passed by the House, was removed during conference negotiations, leaving only the facially neutral approved-flags list in the enacted law.
Texas Gov. Abbott signed SB 12 restricting drag and other "sexually oriented performances" on public property and before minors
On June 18, 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 12 into law, restricting "sexually oriented performances" on the premises of a commercial enterprise, on public property, or in the presence of an individual younger than 18. The law, authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes, creates a criminal offense for performers and authorizes civil penalties of up to $10,000 against businesses; though its text does not name drag, its sponsors and Abbott described it as targeting drag performances. It took effect only in 2026, after years of litigation in which it was initially struck down as unconstitutional.
Texas Gov. Abbott signed HB 900, requiring vendors to rate and pull sexually explicit books from public school libraries
On June 12, 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 900, the READER Act, into law at a Texas Capitol bill-signing ceremony. The law requires book vendors, as a condition of selling to Texas public schools, to rate the titles they sell for sexual content and to recall any rated "sexually explicit," which must then be removed from school library shelves, while books rated "sexually relevant" require written parental consent to check out. The Texas Education Agency was given authority to overrule a vendor's ratings, and vendors that refuse to comply are barred from selling to Texas schools.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB 359 banning drag story hours and restricting drag performances before minors
On May 22, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 359 into law, banning "drag story hours" at state-funded schools and libraries and restricting "sexually oriented performances" in front of minors on public property or at businesses. The law defines a covered drag performer by a "flamboyant or parodic" persona and "glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup," and imposes an outright ban at any location receiving state funding. It was sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, and heavily amended before passage.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1069, extending classroom gender-identity restrictions through grade 8 and mandating sex-based pronoun rules
On May 17, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed CS/CS/HB 1069 into law, expanding the state's 2022 "Parental Rights in Education" law by extending its restriction on classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity from grades K-3 through grade 8. The law defines sex in the state education code as an immutable biological trait, bars teachers and school employees from providing students their preferred pronouns or titles when inconsistent with their sex, and prohibits requiring students or staff to use pronouns that do not correspond to a person's sex. It also broadened the process for challenging school library and instructional materials.
Florida Gov. DeSantis signed SB 1438 restricting minors' access to drag and 'adult live' performances
On May 17, 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1438, the "Protection of Children" act, creating criminal penalties and business-licensing sanctions for admitting minors to "adult live performances." Though facially neutral, the law was framed and widely understood as targeting drag performances and LGBTQ+ expression, and Orlando's Hamburger Mary's sued within days. DeSantis signed the measure at a Christian school in Tampa during the 2023 regular legislative session.
Indiana enacted HB 1447, barring 'obscene' materials from school libraries and stripping educators' 'harmful to minors' defense
On May 4, 2023, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1447, which bars public school and charter school libraries from making available materials deemed "obscene" or "harmful to minors" and requires published catalogs and challenge-and-removal procedures. The law also removed the "legitimate educational purpose" affirmative defense that had shielded schools and their employees from Level 6 felony prosecution for disseminating material "harmful to minors." The library-restriction language, originally a stalled standalone bill, was inserted through a closed-door conference committee without public testimony.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB0003, the nation's first law criminalizing drag and adult-cabaret performances
On March 2, 2023, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed SB0003, the "Adult Entertainment Act" (Public Chapter No. 2), the first state law in the nation to criminalize "adult cabaret performance" — defined to include "male or female impersonators" — on public property or anywhere a minor could view it. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Jack Johnson and Rep. Chris Todd, passed the Senate 26-6 and the House 74-19 and took effect April 1, 2023.
Arkansas enacted Act 131 restricting 'adult-oriented performances' after narrowing an explicit drag ban
On February 24, 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Senate Bill 43 into law as Act 131, adding a definition of "adult-oriented performance" to state code and barring such performances on public property, with public funds, or where minors are present. As introduced, the bill explicitly defined drag by reference to a performer's gender identity and classified it as a regulated adult-oriented business, but sponsors rewrote it twice to remove all references to drag and gender identity after opposition from LGBTQ advocates and the ACLU of Arkansas. The enacted content-based version reframed the restriction around nudity, prosthetic genitalia, and appeals to the "prurient interest."
2022 Events (1)
Florida Gov. DeSantis signed HB 7 restricting classroom and workplace speech on race and sex
On April 22, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 7 (Stop W.O.K.E. Act), barring K-12 schools, public colleges and universities, and employers from teaching or requiring training that endorses specified concepts about race, color, sex, or national origin. Federal courts subsequently blocked the law's workplace and higher-education provisions as unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination in separate lawsuits; the K-12 classroom provisions were not enjoined and remain in effect.