Censors in Our Midst

Abstract

THIS IS NOT AN EASY ARTICLE TO WRITE, for I have unpleasant news to report to the members and friends of the National Council of Teachers of English. At the 1980 NCTE Convention, a self-appointed censor or censors effectively eliminated some NCTE members' right to read. Censors in our midst at a convention of people dedicated to the right to read? Sadly, yes. As incoming co-chair of the NCTE Committee on (Concerns of) Lesbians and Gay Males in the English Profession, I thought it especially important to share some simple lesson ideas with the members who would attend the Classroom Idea Exchange. Each participant in the exchange was to provide two hundred copies of a classroom idea clearly marked with the appropriate teaching level. I prepared materials suitable for teaching students in junior high school through college about denotations and connotations of language. I also decided to include, as a sample of a highly effective publicity device, a brochure describing the gay literature course I developed in Dade County, Florida, last year. The latter was placed on the college table only. I arrived at the Classroom Idea Exchange at 10:23 for the 10:30 opening Sunday morning. Since the crowd was large, the doors had already been opened. I began my walk past the tables, taking one copy of each item. When I finished collecting the materials, I realized I had not seen my denotations and connotations exercise, though the gay literature course brochure was there. I first checked with the NCTE staff coordinator to make sure all materials had been distributed. She assured me