Stifling Teen Growth

Censoring is harmful to teens because it limits their access to books and other materials that would provide them with vital information. This information may not always be what others see as appropriate but teens, of a hetersexual and homosexual orientation, are better equipped to make an informed decision if they are able to access certain information. They are not always able to do this due to censorship in school libraries, community libraries, and ,to an extent, themselves via self-censorship. Censors were originally tasked with supervising manners and morals in the Roman Republic (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/censor). Since then it has evolved into the system or practice of censoring books, movies, letters, etc... as defined by Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/censorship). School libraries and public libraries are under pressure from censors to conform to the censors opinions as to what is moral. As our society changes, our morals change as well. What was immoral in the past, is not today and what is immoral today may not be tomorrow. The teens of today need information that is being censored today, not in the future.

More than 30 percent of teen suicides are due to fear, confusion, anxiety or even persecution resulting from their being - or suspecting that they might be - homosexual (Cart, 97). The isolation and despair LGBTQ youth experience places them at high risk for a variety of other problems including homelessness, substance abuse, and suicide ( as cited in Hughes-Hassell, Overberg, Harris, 12). If those teens had access to information in the form of books, or other media that percentage may have been lower. Stories featuring a homosexual protagonist or secondary characters give them someone to relate to. These stories convey the feeling that they are not alone, and that they are normal, it could also show them healthy ways of expressing themselves, and examples of healthy loving relationships . These stories are not just for the homosexual teen, but for the heterosexual teen as well. For the heterosexual teen they would convey tolerance and how to have a relationship with a homosexual whatever that relationship is: friend, relative, neighbor, teacher and so on (Cart, 97). Having stories that feature Lesbian Gay or Questioning themed literature in the school library can also open a world of understanding to teachers, to administrators, and even to the broader community (Hughes-Hassell, Overberg, Harris, 12).

Teens of either sexual orientation censor themselves on a daily basis. They censor their words and their actions. When they do not ask for books discussing their issues from their librarians, or teachers they are censoring themselves. Teens do not understand that teachers and librarians did not have these issues growing up and may not know how to deal with certain issues or that the issue needs to be addressed. Unless teens