At a time when book bans have soared to their highest levels in decades, a countertrend is emerging. Lawmakers in several Democratic-leaning states are now pursuing bans on book bans. The Washington and Maryland legislatures have already passed them this year, while Illinois did so last year. Minnesota is one of several states across the country that are actively considering varying degrees of prohibitions on book bans. Activists say books by LGBTQ+ and authors of color are among those most frequently banned. Conservative parents argue that the books are too sexually explicit or otherwise controversial, and are inappropriate especially for younger readers.