Listen to the episode that will get us buried in the algorithm because Natalia, Bethany, and Laura discuss what is defined as “sexually explicit conduct” in 18 U.S.C. § 2256, part of the U.S. Code that H.R. 7661 intends to update. H.R. 7661 is a bill introduced on Feburary 24, 2026 in the House of Representatives. This bill would prohibit the use of federalfunding in schools to include “sexually oriented material” intheir curriculum, as defined by the aforementioned US Code, but now to also include “gender dysphoria or transgenderism”, thus continuing the slippery slide of disenfranchising people on tenuous moral grounds.

More importantly, the bill proposes to restrict which books are acceptable for literature education, drawing on three specific lists of books. We discuss these lists, how literature becomes canonized, and ask ourselves questions like who are the people behind these lists, and why should they setthe canon for schools in order to receive funding from the federal government?

Congressional site for the bill (also showing it’s progress in the House) https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7661/text

Wikipedia listing of the works in Great Books of the Western World (both 1st and 2nd edition)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_World

Classics Every Middle Schooler Should Read

https://compassclassroom.com/blog/classics-every-middle-schooler-read/

Classics Every High Schooler Should Read

https://compassclassroom.com/blog/classics-every-high-schooler-should-read/