Yes, Last Night at the Telegraph Club Is Banned!
ISBN: 9780525555254
Malinda Lo’s National Book Award-winning novel is set in 1954 San Francisco, where seventeen-year-old Lily Hu navigates the intersection of her Chinese American identity and her growing realization that she’s attracted to women. When Lily and her classmate Kathleen Miller sneak out to the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar in North Beach, Lily discovers a world she didn’t know existed, one that could destroy her family’s precarious standing during the anti-Communist paranoia of the Red Scare. The novel weaves together queer history, immigration history, and cold war politics with remarkable precision.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club recorded 19 ban instances in the 2024-2025 PEN America data, with removals concentrated heavily in Florida school districts including Broward, Hillsborough, and Lee County. The challenges cite LGBTQ+ content, a category that has become the single largest driver of book bans nationwide. The particular irony here is thick: a novel about a young woman hiding her identity during one of America’s most repressive eras is being suppressed during another wave of institutional hostility toward LGBTQ+ people. Lo’s book won the National Book Award, the Stonewall Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, none of which have insulated it from removal.
Why Was It Banned?
Where Was It Banned?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Last Night at the Telegraph Club banned?
Yes, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo has been banned or challenged in 30 documented instances across 1 states in the United States, including Florida. It remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.
Why was Last Night at the Telegraph Club banned?
Last Night at the Telegraph Club has been challenged and banned for the following reasons: LGBTQ+ Themes, Sexual Content. These challenges have come from school boards, libraries, and parent groups seeking to restrict access to the book.
Where is Last Night at the Telegraph Club banned?
As of 2025, Last Night at the Telegraph Club has been banned or challenged in Florida. Notable bans include Brevard Public Schools (2025), Broward County Public Schools (2025), Hillsborough County Public Schools (2025).