Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick recently turned up the heat on public school districts, vowing to push legislation that would penalize schools for keeping what he describes as “lewd” books on their shelves. Patrick plans to lower the annual school performance ratings of districts that fail to clear their libraries of these titles. Since the state uses these ratings to seize control of underperforming districts, the stakes for school administrators are incredibly high.
This issue went viral a few days after the announcement, thanks to a post by Dustin Pace (non_toxic_masculinity_) on Instagram and TikTok. Less than a day after he highlighted some of the books banned in Texas, the post garnered over 1.3 million views. Pace started his video with a clip of Patrick stating, “We’re coming for the books.” Pace then showed ten books banned from school libraries, some of which were There There by Tommy Orange, A Time To Kill by John Grisham, and Educated by Tara Westover.
In the caption, Pace wrote, “This week, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the quiet part out loud: “We’re coming for the books.” Earlier this year, New Braunfels ISD removed over 600 books and moved hundreds more out of younger students’ libraries in response to Senate Bill 13, including literary staples such as ‘Les Miserables‘ and ‘The Canterbury Tales.’ Now Dan Patrick has a “dirty books” list of over 2,200 titles he wants removed from school libraries.”
The vulgarity of knowledge
The reaction on social media was intense. One Instagram user commented, “The scary thing is the people banning books have probably not read any of them.” Another user wrote, “I have yet to see a book walk into a school and murder innocent children and teachers. Yes but let’s ban books and assault weapons.”
One user pointed to problems with banning There There. They wrote, “Ironic (& infuriating) that it’s a novel about Native people whose existence, history, identity, & culture have repeatedly been erased or suppressed”
The sentiment on TikTok was similarly critical. One user observed, “All authoritarian regimes started with banning books, just saying………” Another pointed out the kinds of books that usually get banned, writing, “So, books that cover racism, classism, poverty, abuse of authority, social injustice, toxic family relationships, mental health issues.”
One follower wrote, “this is absolutely terrifying. But even more so the lack of pushback.’ Pace responded to the comment, noting, “The apathy is the most terrifying.”
The Texas Tribune reported that Patrick made the comment during a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Wednesday. Flanked by easels displaying printed covers of books he deemed obscene, the Lieutenant Governor argued that school boards and administrators have not been following a 2025 law intended to remove lewd materials from the more than 9,000 campuses serving 5.5 million students in Texas.
Patrick reportedly stated, “It’s the law and we expect you to follow the law. So we’re coming for the books. We ask that you do it on your own and remove these books.” He further insisted that the state is not actually banning books. “There are no books banned in America. You can buy any book you want to buy if you want it,” he said. “But we do not take taxpayer money and buy these books for our schools.”
Per the Tribune, Patrick claimed that the books he displayed, which he said are prohibited in state prisons, were “so filthy, so dirty, so vulgar, so pornographic” that he refused to open them. He argued that more than 90% of parents and grandparents would not want their children exposed to such material, which he claimed included depictions of masturbation and graphic images of genitalia.
This push is part of a larger trend documented by PEN America, which has been tracking the rise of book censorship across the United States. According to their reports, the 2024-2025 school year saw 6,870 instances of book bans across 23 states and 87 public school districts.
PEN America defines these actions as any move to remove or restrict access to books based on content, often driven by pressure from community challenges or government officials. The report emphasizes that this is not a new phenomenon but a growing crisis. Since July 2021, the organization has recorded 22,810 cases of book bans across 45 states.
The organization highlights that many of these bans are rooted in fear. Even when laws do not explicitly require the removal of a book, school boards and administrators often “obey in advance” to avoid potential controversy or legal repercussions. PEN America noted that the bans disproportionately impact works exploring LGBTQ+ identities and race.
Published: Aug 29, 2026 09:24 pm