There’s a kind of censorship happening right now that’s harder to pinpoint than book bans or legislation—it’s the kind that happens before anyone even complains.

It’s the quiet removal of content from government websites, the scaling back of DEI initiatives at universities, the shift in social media algorithms to suppress “controversial” topics. It’s teachers skipping lessons, librarians reconsidering book purchases, publishers second-guessing their own authors.

And it all comes down to anticipatory compliance—the act of preemptively changing, removing, or avoiding content not because it’s been banned, but because people fear backlash.

The Silent Reshaping of Institutions

In schools, teachers are leaving out critical discussions about history, race, gender, and identity—not always because they’ve been told to, but because they “don’t want the emails.”

In libraries, some books never even make it to shelves—not because they were officially banned, but because a librarian knows a single complaint could put their job at risk.

In universities, DEI offices are being quietly dismantled, their work reframed or erased entirely to avoid “political controversy.”

In government agencies, references to climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, and systemic inequities disappear overnight from official websites, scrubbed not by force, but by fear.

On social media, platforms tweak algorithms to shift the visibility of certain topics—not by outright blocking them, but by making sure fewer people see them in the first place.

It’s not always dramatic. There’s no big announcement. No loud declaration that something has been erased. It’s subtle, steady, and incredibly effective.

And the result? A society where ideas shrink before they can even be expressed.

How This Shows Up in Publishing and Education

Though I don’t like to admit it, as a writer, I feel this pressure, too. I think about how my book will be received. Not by kids—they’re always open, always curious—but by the adults who decide what they’re “allowed” to read. I think about how much easier it would be to just avoid certain discussions, to make my characters and themes “safer.”

And I hate that it even occurred to me to consider that.

Because kids deserve better than sanitized, pre-approved stories. They deserve books that reflect the complexities of the world.

And here’s a spoiler alert: My Earthlog series will probably be controversial to some. Not because of its themes of friendship, belonging, or self-discovery. Not because it explores the challenges of middle school, the ups and downs of making friends, or the experience of feeling like an outsider. But because Zin, my alien character, uses they/them pronouns.

Not as a statement. Not as a debate. Not as a political position. Simply because Zin’s species does not have gender. It’s a worldbuilding choice. It’s just part of who they are. No explanation is given in the book, because none is needed.

But in today’s climate, I know that this one simple fact—the casual use of “they” in reference to an alien character—will be enough to set off certain people. And I also know that some schools, some libraries, some parents, will decide not to carry Earthlog because of it.

Not because it was banned, but because someone, somewhere, decided it was easier to just not deal with it.

That’s anticipatory compliance.

And that’s exactly why I decided not to change it.

Calm as Resistance: The Quiet Power of Refusing to Shrink

I’ve said before that calm is a form of resistance.

It means refusing to panic, refusing to retreat, and refusing to let fear dictate the stories we tell and the conversations we have.

If we let anticipatory compliance take over, we are teaching the next generation that the safest thing to do is stay silent. And I don’t want to send that message.

That’s why I wrote what I wrote. That’s why I won’t change what needs to be in my book. That’s why I advocate for intellectual freedom, access to information, and standing firm in the face of fear.

Because what we choose not to say matters just as much as what we do.

And right now, we need to be saying more.

EarthBlog, signing off.