Notice one thing about all of the comments by these self-appointed guardians of morality: Not one of them has expressed one iota of concern for what happened to Ford. Her trauma and pain mean nothing to them, nor does the considerable risk she undertook by stepping forward to tell her story.

Bookstores haven’t been the censors’ target for a long time. These days, it’s public libraries and public schools that feel the heat. The ALA reported 416 censorship attempts in 2017. Of the top 10 books most frequently targeted, half of them deal with LGBTQ themes.

Cries of persecution by fundamentalist Christians may raise money and inspire activism for Religious Right causes, but they wither in the face of the facts. In the United States, Christian groups often receive special treatment or exemptions from laws that similarly situated secular groups must follow. The position of Christian groups is often one of privilege.