Efforts to ban books have surged across the country, and Connecticut is no exception.
In 2022, there were 29 library title challenges in the state, according to the American Library Association. That number more than quadrupled the following year, reaching 117 in 2023.
The Accountability Project paired up with Connecticut Public state government reporter Michayla Savitt to explore the topic.
We interviewed librarians, parents and state lawmakers, and sifted through hundreds of school board meeting minutes.
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We found books that spark controversy in Connecticut are often intended for young readers, and discuss themes of gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual education, race and racism.
In one example, at the Cragin Memorial Library in Colchester, a patron filed a petition in 2022 against the book “Who is RuPaul?”, which was on display for Pride Month, a celebration of the impact lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have had in the United States and beyond. The book is part of a popular children’s biography series meant for kids ages 9 to 12.
The book was eventually put back on the shelves. But similar challenges have become more frequent, and the process of evaluating literature differs from one community to the next.
Joe Amon
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Connecticut Public
Kate Byroade, Library Director at the Cragin Memorial Library with the book “Who Is RuPaul?” open an illustration where VIVA is spelled out by the author in the older children’s section while speaking about how the selection policy at her library works, and how it comes into play with materials that may be viewed as controversial to some in Colchester, Connecticut March 26th 2025.
In response, Connecticut lawmakers have explored creating a more uniform approach. One bill, which is in committee, would immunize librarians from civil and criminal liability stemming from challenges to library materials.
Another bill would require all libraries to create a process to handle book petitions or challenges. Under the measure, a title couldn’t be removed solely because someone finds it offensive. Books would also be protected from additional challenges for three years if an attempt to have them removed fails.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, a Norwalk Democrat, helped introduce that measure. The legislation might make it easier to track exactly how many books are being challenged in the state.
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State Republicans have proposed other provisions, saying minors shouldn’t be able to access materials that have sexually explicit content or nudity.
“We’re not trying to ban books,” state Sen. Henri Martin, a Bristol Republican, said in an exchange at a February public hearing. “What we’re trying to do is protect our children.”
Joe Amon
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Connecticut Public
Kristen Hamilton of Suffield raises her sigh as word spreads the Kent Memorial library commission may cancel their public meeting that was to vote on library policy, “youth collection acquisition and retention policy presentation & discussion” at the town hall in Suffield, Connecticut March 20, 2025.
The American Library Association, a nonprofit that promotes libraries and library education, tracks efforts to ban or restrict access to reading materials nationally. To collect that information, it relies on news stories and reports from individual librarians.
That means some attempts to take books off the shelves can be missed.
Some librarians won’t report book bans out of fear, said Jenny Lussier, president of the Connecticut Association of School Librarians. Some school librarians in Connecticut have received threats for doing so, she added.
“We’re all professionals,” Lussier said. “We all want what’s best for our kids.”
Have you still seen a lot of mini-liquor bottles, littering the streets in Connecticut?
Members of one environmental group said they still see them, and believe a ban is the best way to solve a multi-tiered problem.
State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.
The group supporting local bans says it’s not just the litter, but also the fact mini-liquor bottles are easy to conceal and consume on the job, in the car, or at school.
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The group “Connecticut Towns Nixing the Nip” met this week, working on strategies to get a legislative hearing on the issue in the upcoming 2026 session.
Right now, stores collect a 5-cent surcharge for every mini-liquor bottle sold, resulting in about $5 million annually for town and city environmental cleanup efforts.
Town funding from nip sales
Average revenue per year 2021 to 2025.
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“Having talked to a number of towns, well a few towns, they like the money, said Tom Metzner, a member of the group. “It’s fairly broad in how it can be used. It’s environmental. It doesn’t have to be used for cleaning up nips. And so the towns have become somewhat silent on the issue of banning nips.”
The group cited Chelsea, Massachusetts, where minis are banned, both litter and alcohol related EMS calls decreased.
The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, which devised the “nickel per nip” program, said banning the mini-liquor bottles would be unprecedented.
Instead, it said the environmental group should be challenging municipalities to prove they actually use the money for cleanup.
Legislative leaders suggested several years ago the way to really do this is to have a redemption program for mini liquor bottles, and now, that could be possible.
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At least one state with the Clynk bottle collection program has redeemed mini-liquor bottles for cash.
The company just announced a major expansion in our state, but it told us it is not aware of a redemption program for mini-liquor bottles here any time soon.
National trust in the federal government is at some of its lowest levels in nearly seven decades, and many Connecticut residents fall in line with that belief, a survey found.
New data from the Pew Research Center found only 17% of Americans believe that what the government does is right either “just about always” or “most of the time,” hitting one of the lowest points Pew has seen since first asking this question in 1958. And according to a DataHaven survey, Connecticut residents trust the federal government less than state or local institutions.
While these are some of the lowest polling numbers seen in American history, national trust in the federal government has been on the decline for decades. Public trust initially dropped in the 1960s and ’70s during the Vietnam War from a near 80% but began rising again in the 1980s into the early ’90s. Trust peaked again after 9/11 before falling.
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The DataHaven survey found that of all Connecticut residents surveyed, only 9% trust the federal government “a great deal” to look out for the best interests of them and their family. About 28% trust the federal government “a fair amount.”
Federal government trust among Connecticut residents was at its highest in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the federal stimulus programs and child tax credit were active.
The DataHaven survey also asked about trust in local and state government. Connecticut residents generally trust these institutions more than they trust the federal government, the survey found.
Trust in the local governments was higher than trust in both state and federal, with 67% of residents surveyed trusting their local government “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
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And when it came to state government, 61% of residents trust the state “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
However, across the board, white residents are more likely to trust local and state government than are residents of color. Black residents had higher levels of trust in government than Latino and Puerto Rican residents, but less than white residents.
As of early 2025, the Connecticut State Police was facing a staffing shortage of roughly 300 troopers compared to the more than 1,200 troopers the department had in its ranks over a decade ago. This is due largely to retirements, resignations and a shrinking applicant pool.
Recent academy classes are helping slowly rebuild staffing, but Gov. Ned Lamont and police leadership say Connecticut still needs substantially more troopers to meet public safety demands. More recently, news outlets reported the department had 938 troopers.
This spring, troopers negotiated a 4.5% wage hike with state officials. Troopers’ base pay is on average about $116,000 per year, but that rises to $175,000 per year once overtime is included.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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CT Mirror partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
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Reginald David is the Community Engagement Reporter for CT Mirror. He builds relationships across Connecticut to elevate community voices and deepen public dialogue around local issues. Previously, he was a producer at KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR station, where he created community-centered programming, led live event coverage for major events like the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, and Royals Opening Day, and launched KC Soundcheck, a music series spotlighting local and national artists. Reginald has also hosted special segments, including an in-depth interview with civil rights leader Alvin Brooks and live community coverage on issues like racial segregation and neighborhood development. He began his public media career as an ‘Integrity in News’ intern at WNPR in Hartford.
