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'Bible's back baby': Internet shuts book on Illinois gov JB Pritzker after he toots his own horn about banning book bans

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a historic law on July 12, 2023, making Illinois the first state to legislate against book bans

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Governor JB Pritzker has been facing people’s wrath online after tooting his own horn about making Illinois, the first state to legislate against the book ban.

The 58-year-old Pritzker signed the historic measure into law on July 12, 2023, surrounded by librarians and educators at Chicago's Harold Washington Public Library.

The new law, which is set to take effect on January 1st, 2024, stipulates that Illinois would not permit state grants to libraries that do not support the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, which states that "materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."

On Tuesday, October 03, Pritzker took to his Twitter handle to share a video from the signing event, writing: “Illinois became the first state in the nation to ban book bans earlier this year. 2022 had the most attempted book bans on record for the ALA.”

“Unlike Republicans, I want our children to read as much as they can and to read different perspectives,” he continued.

Why did JB Pritzker sign the law against book bans?

Pritzker signed a bill into law Monday designed to discourage libraries from banning books. Illinois’ anti-book ban law came into play as many US states including Utah, Missouri, and Florida, pushed to remove certain books in schools and libraries, particularly those with LGBTQ+ themes and written by people of color.

The American Library Association reported that attempts to censor books in public libraries and schools hit a 20-year high in 2022, with twice as many attempts as in 2021.

The association noted that five states have passed laws punishing librarians who give youngsters access to "obscene" literature, and a dozen more are considering doing the same.

"Book bans are about censorship and marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies," Pritzker said at the bill signing.

Pritzker asserted that there were 67 efforts to outlaw books in the state in 2022 alone. He also claimed that renowned books like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘The Kite Runner’ had faced potential bans.

"The argument about banning books always begins with the claim that it's about protecting children. Yes, of course, we all want to protect our children so they're reading age-appropriate material," the governor added according to Daily Mail.

Internet slams JB Pritzker for bragging about banning book bans

Pritzker’s recent remarks about the anti-book ban law garnered immense social media attention, with one user saying “No words...I'm glad I grew up in the 80's when going to library time was full of fun, adventure, and innocence 😢”

“You are an expert in two things: 1] Lowering your own property taxes. 2] Gaslighting,” a second user wrote.

“Why don’t you make it cheaper to buy a house in this state for first-time homebuyers. Things people actually care about,” a third user fumed.

“Absolutely brilliant. Bring Bibles back in!” a fourth user asserted while another wrote “Why are you doing this? Why are you turning Illinois into a liberal dystopian hellhole? You are pathetic!”

“Another distraction from the mess he’s helped create,” one more user said.