Frank Strong

These people are really weird.
The book banners I mean.
Not the good kind of weird either.
Creepy weird.

Hi again! It's me with an another installment of the last book I ever thought would get banned--my picture book about a unicorn and kitty who are pals. A quick look at what this school district bizarrely found objectionable. 1/

This is such a key point and a BIG part of the politics behind the push for a mandated reading list in Texas. (Read Annie’s whole thread, though!)

A barn in Georgetown, Texas.

A Texas-y interior in Georgetown, Texas.

I’m about to go for a run along the limestone ledge of the San Gabriel River. Then I’m going to listen to some good music with the folks I love, have another round of pecan pie, and try not to think about the worst people in this state at least until the clock hits 0:00 on tomorrow’s UT/A&M game.

Cover of the Oxford American’s Austin issue, featuring Willie Nelson.

Thankful today for this holiday reading from @oxfordamerican.bsky.social. The fascists want you to think they own this state, but every page of this issue reminded me why I choose to live here. The generosity, open-mindedness, and creativity of Willie Nelson is the Texas I fight for.

15 years ago today, Willie Nelson was arrested in Texas for 6 oz of Cannabis.

God, who produces it naturally across the globe, remains at large.

Please don’t say “genitals” one more time, Carroll ISD SLAC. Listen to the audio of the committee that decided to ban Pretty Perfect Kitty Corn from Carroll ISD. If you dare.

You'll never guess what book got the Carroll ISD school library advisory committee to say "genitals" a dozen times in 20 minutes. @txfreedomread.bsky.social will have more on this story soon, but for now, you have to hear this audio. open.substack.com/pub/franklin...

These people love gendering everything and love talking about and imagining genitals. It's WEIRD.

This is NOT normal. It's weird to read a book about a unicorn sitting in paint & make it sexual. The hyper-fixation on non existent genitals & sexualizing benign stories is harmful. The book isn't sexualizing unicorns or kids, the women on the committee are. THIS IS NOT HEALTHY.

This is an incredibly relevant thread for Texans, given that TEA is developing a state-mandated reading list. www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/tex...

the lesson is ALWAYS play the long game :)

Please don’t say “genitals” one more time, Carroll ISD SLAC. Listen to the audio of the committee that decided to ban Pretty Perfect Kitty Corn from Carroll ISD. If you dare.

You'll never guess what book got the Carroll ISD school library advisory committee to say "genitals" a dozen times in 20 minutes. @txfreedomread.bsky.social will have more on this story soon, but for now, you have to hear this audio. open.substack.com/pub/franklin...

Picture of my dumb mug holding my award plaque.

Picture of me, my wife, and my daughter holding my award.

So, so honored to receive a National Intellectual Freedom Award from @ncte.org for fighting censorship. This is truly a highlight of my career.

@frankstrong.bsky.social accepting @ncte.org‘s Intellectual Freedom Award!!

Honored to know him, awed by his work, and privileged to walk along the path he’s hewing.

@txfreedomread.bsky.social

Thank you so much! It was such an honor! And also such a treat to meet you in person.

Censorship related sessions - NCTE Convention 2025 Thursday 11:30-12:45 Intellectual Freedom Dreams Deferred: Banned in the "Blue(ish) States" Room 203 2:30 English/ELA Department Chairs Facing Tough Topics Together Room 402 Friday 9:30a-11a The...

Headed to #NCTE2025? This doc has the sessions related to censorship! The bolded sessions feature members from @ncte.org's Committee Against Censorship.

The book banners are on the wrong side of history, but we need community, solidarity, and strategy to make that happen. Join us in the work.

This is so great. If you’re in Denver at #ncte, check these out! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Pozole, tamales, a chalupa and salsa macha.

Thankful for the parents at my school. They are the best.

Thank you! These people are insane.

1. When I was in middle/high school (80s) we were reading IT and Flowers in the Attic 😬. Still turned out ok!

2. Think it may be time to pull a nation wide Lysistrata to try and set this country on a better path 😁😂.

Thread. When Ai or other software tools are used to review books, this sort of mayhem results. When are we going to stop demonstrating to kids that books are somehow dangerous?

Obviously not! But I wonder, thinking about the role AI played in this, how much of the determination was based on reviews of the book (and Streetcar & the poems of Anne Sexton) that said the theme was marital infidelity or used the word “sensual”?

I am so tired of hearing it’s to get porn out of school libraries when these are getting pulled too. If that wasn’t the goal, they’d say so

Image of the cover of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire.

Long thread alert! The 20 craziest books currently unavailable to students in New Braunfels ISD in Central Texas due to the efforts of Texas book banners.

(Not in order, just going through the list)

1. A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams (1947)

'Antivirus for libraries': How a Texas startup is capitalizing on book bans The company Bookmarked, whose cofounder advocated for SB 13, describes itself as a neutral player in the censorship debate. Critics disagree.

‘Antivirus for libraries’: How a Texas startup is capitalizing on school book bans www.statesman.com/politics/art...
@frankstrong.bsky.social @freadomfighters.bsky.social @txfreedomread.bsky.social

"“Elections have consequences.”

That's what West Shore School Board [PA] Chair Kelly Brent said after the board tabled three policies — including a restrictive book policy and an anti-LGBTQ+ bathroom policy — that had been priorities of the outgoing far-right majority."

1/2

Legit: people do not want bigots on their school boards wasting time and energy obsessing over genitals and sex. These fixations are not normal, are not related to education, and are a sign of needing some real HELP.

West Shore got what was coming.

archive.ph/udswh

Zing!!!

The whole list is linked below. For now, these titles are only under review, which means they've been pulled from shelves, but may yet return to circulation. Meanwhile, please let NBISD know what you think of their AI censorship, and tell Texas legislators how dumb SB13 is. nbisd.org/library-mate...

Movie poster for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Finally: 20. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Edward Albee (1962)

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor are pretty steamy.