Sofia Sasse

The US has always been considered a “land of the free,” and the “home of the brave”; it is the most powerful country in the world, and certainly the one with the biggest influence on Brazil. The country, however, has become a divided land in politics and Florida especially, is leading the nation into a pit of censorship guised as an attempt to “protect the young” from what they deem is a negative influence. Ron DeSantis, Florida’s current governor and leader of the conservative movement in the US, has become one of the most notorious figures in American politics. It is a bad time to live in Florida, unless you are white and a man.

“Don’t Say Gay” has become the nickname for DeSantis’ recent law: the Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill reads:

“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” (Diaz 2022)

Essentially, it establishes that children cannot be exposed to conversations about sexuality or gender; Ron DeSantis himself stated that instilling the message to young kids that “they can be whatever they want to be” was “inappropriate” for children. This bill has extended since then, from being applied only inside classrooms into the banning of over 300 books in libraries in Florida’s schools. Any book that “depicts or describes sexual conduct” is also permitted to be banned for kids 8th grade and younger to read, as well as the discussion of topics such as sexual orientation or gender identity (Diaz 2022). 

Some notable mentions for books banned from Florida schools’ libraries include: the Dune Chronicles (Frank Herbert), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky), The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), Atonement (Ian McEwan), and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Ocean Vuong)–which we read in our own school for IB English Literature (Goldberg 2023). If you have read The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll know that a large portion of the novel is focused on how authoritarian states censor and restrict information to subdue a group of people; isn’t that ironic?

There has been criticism of the law from all over the world: the Walt Disney Company criticized it, stating that it should have “never been passed,” and the leaders of the Trevor Project–a prominent non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ+ teenagers–have stated how much of a setback the passing of this law is for the advancement of support for these kids in schools. The bill has also been stated to undermine the existence of the LGBTQ+ community, and reduces awareness of them among children. 

The rise of censorship in the US extends beyond elementary and middle schools; “Republican lawmakers in Kentucky advanced a bill Friday to put limits on drag shows,” and there have been attempts in universities to punish or fire faculty members for speech or expression (Schreiner 2023). There have also been critics of laws that criminalize hate speech, as it should, according to them, be considered a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment (Boone 2023). 

Enough about the United States; how does censorship in states like Kentucky and Florida affect Brazilian politics? It is important to realize that Brazil often follows in the footsteps of the United States. It is no question that one of the countries with the most influence over Brazilian culture at this time is the US, and with the increased radicalization of political opinions, it is a worrying thought that perhaps the more conservative government officials may begin implementing laws like these to the Brazilian justice system. There is, of course, no guarantee that Brazil will always follow the patterns created by the US; however, it is important to acknowledge how much influence US politics has on, not just Brazil, but the world.

It is important to draw a line between censorship and the limiting of publications made to offend or hurt a group of people. Hate speech is, and should be, criminalized in Brazil–hate speech is defined as the act of inciting violence or hate against a group of people based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, etc. Many have said that the period of censorship in Brazil has been over since the end of the military dictatorship, where it was the most prominent (Meirelles 2021). Censorship has always been a method of control of the population, in order to keep a good image of the government or the president, but there is always a chance for its resurgence, especially with the rise of extremist branches of the government that do not necessarily agree with the dissemination of information about sexuality or gender to young kids. 

Contemporarily, there are few signs of restrictions of freedom of speech in Brazil reaching the levels of censorship in the United States. At the least, there is discourse arguing that there remains a “ghost” of censorship over Brazilian laws; at most, the international community deems the government as authoritarian and a threat to democracy, as there have been increasing levels of attacks against journalists (over 208 reported attacks). Forthwith, there have been alleged threats to democracy in recent years, which also comes in the form of censorship of the press and the media. There were cases where there were limitations placed on the dissemination of information regarding the number of deaths due to Covid-19 (Meirelles 2021), and international news outlets such as The Guardian have criticized the Bolsonaro regime of “totalitarianism and censorship” (Buarque et al. 2020). People who are considered “anti-patriots” are also condemned by the government, such as Petra Costa, Brazilian filmmaker who was nominated for an Oscar for her documentary “The Edge of Democracy” (Buarque et al. 2020).

Books have not been banned in schools, and there are no laws outright against the dissemination of information; however, we are reaching an era of Brazilian politics where extremism and radicalization have become commonplace, not only within the government itself but also with supporters of certain politicians. To realize and understand the impact of censorship is crucial, and similar and grave circumstances have been raised in our richer neighbor: the United States, once one of the most liberal and free places in the world, and a model for global development especially for the Americas. The threat against freedom of speech is a threat against democracy, and there is little we can do apart from educating ourselves. Without freedom of speech, you would not be reading this article right now, and it is crucial for young minds to develop critical thought through an exposure to differing ideas.

Bibliography

Boone, Rebecca. 2023. “Experts Say Attacks on Free Speech Are Rising across the U.S.” PBS NewsHour. PBS. March 15, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/experts-say-attacks-on-free-speech-are-rising-across-the-us. 

Buarque, Chico, Caetano Veloso, Sebastião Salgado, Arnaldo Antunes, Djamila Ribeiro, Milton Hatoum, and Petra Costa. 2020. “Democracy and Freedom of Expression Are under Threat in Brazil | Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Sebastião Salgado, Arnaldo Antunes, Djamila Ribeiro, Milton Hatoum, Petra Costa and Others.” The Guardian. February 7, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/07/democracy-and-freedom-of-expression-are-under-threat-in-brazil. 

Diaz, Jaclyn. 2022. “Florida’s Governor Signs Controversial Law Opponents Dubbed ‘Don’t Say Gay.’” National Public Radio, March 28, 2022, sec. Efforts to restrict rights for LGBTQ youth. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089221657/dont-say-gay-florida-desantis.

Goldberg, Deborah. 2023. “Collier County Removes 300+ School Library Books from All Grade Levels.” PEN America. November 5, 2023. https://pen.org/more-than-300-titles-banned-in-collier-county-florida/.

Meirelles, Jovana. 2021. “Censura No Brasil é Coisa Do Passado? | Politize!” Politize. July 2, 2021. https://www.politize.com.br/censura-no-brasil-e-coisa-do-passado/.

Schreiner, Bruce. 2023. “GOP-Controlled Kentucky Senate Passes Bill to Limit Drag Shows.” PBS NewsHour. March 10, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/gop-controlled-kentucky-senate-passes-bill-to-limit-drag-shows.