We made it through another legislative session here in Utah, and as has become tradition since the original book-banning bill was passed in 2022 (followed by additional attempts to restrict access in 2023 and 2024), the State again attempted to broaden the reach of Utah’s book ban law. 

This time, they failed, thanks to the efforts of citizens and groups who showed up, spoke up, and fought back. 

Last Friday, Utah Legislators brought HB473 before the House Education Committee. Much like other recent Utah bills (namely HB374 in 2022 and HB29 in 2024) meant to root out “porn in libraries,” the purported goal of HB473 is to protect children from inappropriate materials in research databases like EBSCO, Gale, and Proquest and provide a reporting structure for parents.

Despite claiming only a month ago that book-bans were a hoax, the Trump Administration has begun actively banning books from schools. As part of its continuing fight against diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Trump Administration has ordered all Department of Defense (DOD) schools located in the US to start clearing their library shelves of anything that could be seen as “radical indoctrination” of “gender ideology” or “discriminatory equity ideology.” 

Book bans also negatively impact children’s and teen’s mental health by trying to minimize their exposure to difficult issues.

FReadom Forum: Lunch and Learn Webinar.
Thursday, June 20th , 12-1 pm

Utah’s new book-banning law is scheduled to go into effect on July 1st. What will this mean for Utah students, parents, and educators?

Hear the latest updates on Utah's book banning legislation and learn what you can do to support the freedom to read.

We have three updates for you this week.

1. September 22-28 is Banned Books week and Let Utah Read is co-sponsoring two events. See below and our Events Page for more information

2. T-shirts are now available!

3. HB29 “Sensitive Materials” Law Update