Alberta’s latest contribution to the global culture wars arrived this week in the form of a book ban that makes Orwell look like light reading. Under the banner of “parents’ rights,” rightwing advocacy groups have successfully pressured school boards to purge titles featuring LGBTQ+ themes, apparently fearing that mere proximity to a rainbow sticker could turn children gay, woke, or – worst of all – curious.
Supporters insist they’re “protecting innocence,” though critics note that innocence seems curiously intact when it comes to graphic depictions of violence, war, or colonial conquest. “It’s only dangerous when two boys hold hands,” one parent reportedly said while buying their child Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Educators warn this growing movement is less about protecting children and more about manufacturing outrage. But with Alberta leading the charge, Canada may soon discover that nothing unites fractured politics quite like banning books nobody read in the first place.
