Judy Blume worried about intolerance and book banning in the US

Author Judy Blume has said she is disquieted astir intolerance successful the US, aft immoderate of her novels were removed from schools.

Some books person been removed from schoolhouse libraries successful the US owed to concerns astir however they research analyzable themes of sex, contention oregon sex identity.

Blume told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg banning books "has go political... it's worse than it was successful the 80s".

Asked if she was disquieted astir intolerance successful the US, she replied: "Absolutely, intolerance astir everything, gender, sexuality, racism.

"It's conscionable reaching a constituent wherever again we person to combat back, we person to basal up and fight."

Blume's novels person been translated into 32 languages and sold much than 90 cardinal copies, according to caller figures reported by The Washington Post.

A surface adaptation of the author's 1970 caller Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is acceptable to beryllium released successful May, starring Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.

The caller follows a young miss exploring her spiritual and intersexual individuality arsenic she confronts teen anxieties astir reaching puberty.

The publication won respective literate awards and has remained fashionable with teenage girls, but it has besides attracted contention some astatine the clip of its work and much recently, for however openly it discusses sexuality and religion.

Asked astir publication banning, Blume told Kuenssberg: "I thought that was implicit frankly, I thought we had travel done that, you know, not successful each way, but I ne'er expected america to beryllium backmost wherever we were successful the 80s plus, overmuch worse.

"I came done the 80s erstwhile publication banning was truly astatine its height. And it was terrible. And past libraries and schools began to get policies successful spot and we saw a falling disconnected of the tendency to censor books.

"Now it is back, it is backmost overmuch worse - this is successful America, it is backmost truthful overmuch worse than it was successful the 80s. Because it's go political.

She continued: "We person legislators retired determination trying to enactment done laws, I conscionable work astir 1 past week successful my location authorities of Florida, trying to enactment done a instrumentality - trying to enactment done laws saying that girls tin nary longer speech astir periods astatine schoolhouse oregon amongst themselves."

"I mean, that's crazy, that is truthful crazy," Blume said. "And it is truthful frightening that I deliberation the lone reply is for america to talk retired and truly support speaking out, oregon we are going to suffer our way."

Blume was besides asked what she thought astir Florida politician Ron DeSantis's proposal to restrict treatment astir sex individuality and intersexual predisposition successful schools.

Last week, Florida's Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr tweeted: "Students should beryllium spending their clip successful schoolhouse learning halfway world subjects, not being force-fed extremist sex and intersexual ideology."

Blume criticised "bad politicians who drunk with power, who privation to get retired there, and I don't cognize what they're trying to beryllium really".

She added: "I mean, there's a radical of mothers present going astir saying that they privation to support their children. Protect them from what? You know, support them from talking astir things? Protect them from knowing astir things?

"Because adjacent if they don't fto them work books, their bodies are inactive going to alteration and their feelings astir their bodies are going to change. And you can't power that. They person to beryllium capable to read, to question."