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June 13 (UPI) -- Illinois has become the first U.S. state to prohibit the banning of books amid a surge in demands nationwide for books, predominately about LGBTQ people and people of color, to be pulled from library shelves. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at Chicago's Harold Washington Library on Monday signed into law legislation that protects schools and libraries from attempts to ban, remove of restrict access to books and other material.
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"Here in Illinois, we don't hide from the truth, we embrace it," the Democrat said in a statement.
The legislation, House Bill 2789, also directs state libraries, under threat of being made ineligible for grants, to adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, which states that libraries should provide materials presenting all view points and not proscribe or remove material "because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."
The bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, was signed after it passed the state's House 69-39 in March and the state's Senate 39-19 in early May.
"Young people shouldn't be kept from learning about the realities of our world; I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome and thoughtful about what comes next," Pritzker said.
"Everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the books they read, the art they see, the history they learn. In Illinois, we are showing the nation what it really looks like to stand up for liberty."
Pritzker signed the law amid an onslaught of demands for books to be banned.
According to PEN America, a U.S. nonprofit that fights to defend free speech, there were 1,477 books representing 874 unique titles banned nationwide during the first half of the 2022-23 school year, which represents an increase of 28% compared to the prior six months.
"PEN America recorded more book bans during the fall 2022 semester than in each of the prior two semesters," it said in a report published April 20.
The majority of the books targeted were about minorities, specifically people of color and LGBTQ individuals, with 30% of books banned about race, racism or feature characters of color and 26% of books banned had LGBTQ characters or themes.
Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah and South Carolina were where book bans were most prevalent, it said.
In Illinois, there were 67 attempts to ban books last year, an increase from 41 in 2021, the Chicago-Based American Library Association said.
The office of Illinois Secretary General Alexi Giannoulias added that the state is sandwiched between several others in the Midwest, including Missouri, Iowa and Indiana, that have passed legislation to remove books from libraries and punish librarians for showing certain content.
Giannoulias said he initiated HB 2789 after extremist groups, including the far-right extremist Proud Boys organization, targeted Illinois libraries.
"The concept of banning books contradicts the very essence of what our country stands for," Giannoulias said in a statement. "It also defies what education is all about: teaching our children to think for themselves. This landmark law is a triumph for our democracy, a win for the First Amendment rights and a great victory for future generations."
