Censorship Madness In American Schools: Anne Frank Banned
February 1, 2010 No Comments
So, yet again, Morning Quickie is bringing you a censorship story from the concerned parents of America.
This time a school district banned Anne Frank’s Diary because of one parent’s concern “about the sexual nature of the vagina passage”.
That’s right, only one person in the entire school district in Virginia thinks the passage is too sexually explicit and now all the students must miss out on the benefits of this story.
This is a newer, uncensored, version that came out in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of Anne’s death.
Being the diary of Anne’s 13th to 15th year of life I’m sure there are lots of passages about her growing sexuality and physical maturation. I don’t know exactly what the passages are that prompted this ban, but because only one parent complained I doubt they are very racy otherwise there would have been many more complaints.
The school will continue to teach the book, but it will be the older, censored version which is only about 70% of the story.
It’s sad that this has happened because I’m sure the girls reading this book would benefit from and enjoy reading the censored passages. I remember when I was that age I loved hearing about puberty stories and periods and boys; normal experiences for girls that age and probably one of the things that has made Anne so engaging for the young people reading her book because they identify with her.
I hope next time the school has more sense than to listen to the whims of one irrationally zealous parent.
You might also want to read:
Dictionaries Banned For Sex Words
