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Publishers Support Controversial Book Decision
The Association of American University Presses issued a statement in April supporting the University of Minnesota Press, which has been criticized in the media and in the Minnesota legislature for publishing a controversial book on children and sex. Seventeen other organizations also signed the statement. It reads as follows:
The undersigned organizations strongly support the University of Minnesota Press, which has been attacked for its decision to publish Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Minors from Sex, by Judith Levine. Without even reading the book, critics have called for its suppression and demanded that the Minnesota legislature cut the funding of the University of Minnesota.
Ideas become controversial when they challenge conventional wisdom. Many are unwise. However, some are beneficial, challenging us to examine our basic assumptions and consider changing the way we have always done things. The First Amendment exists to allow us to debate the wisdom of those ideas and make up our own minds. Censorship only supports a status quo that cannot otherwise be defended.
We applaud the University of Minnesota Press’s decision to face that challenge and enrich the public debate about this essential issue. Its decision is one of which a great university can, and should, be proud. We trust the University of Minnesota appreciates the value of a courageous press to its educational mission and reputation.
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