Just like the rest of the country, Tucson has had its share of censorship issues. After all, it is not unusual for books, plays or other forms of public expression to be deemed objectionable by some member of the community. Here are a few examples from the Star archives.
In 1977, it was the play “Ancient Ooze and All that Moves” that was stirring up trouble. Tucson’s Invisible Theater was presenting that play for elementary school students throughout the state. The theater was participating in a state Commission for the Arts and Humanities program.
In Kingman, after just one performance, the show was cancelled. The city manager said his daughter reported there was a lot of squealing in the production. He went on that “One girl wore a tank top with nothing on underneath it, if you understand what I mean.”
Susan Claasen, from the Invisible Theater, thought possibly the play’s language had created problems. This passage in particular was cited: “Well, it all started fifteen hundred million years or so ago./ When chemicals were mixing in the sea./ They kept mixing and kept mingling ‘til they felt a little tingling/ And that tingling was the start of you and me..”
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Having learned from the Kingman experience, before attending the play, TUSD required its students to obtain parental permission.
Also in 1977, it was an April Fool’s edition of Pima College’s downtown campus newspaper that caused the stir. According to the front page of that April 1st paper, the PCC board advocated the legalization of marijuana, cancelled graduation activities and passed a requirement that automotive students take transcendental mediation classes.
Other stories in the issue involved a student petition for wine in the vending machines, a 60-year old streaker and the expansion of student parking. Several new courses were added to the curriculum including The Benefits of War, Beginning Shoe Polishing and Introduction to Forgery.
This time, the complaints came from the administrative offices. The papers were seized by the college, shortly after they hit the stands. Students even reported the paper was taken from them while they were reading it. But, once it was determined that the paper had been approved by the advisor, the copies were allowed to be distributed.
In 1980, it was an advertisement that proved problematic for the district. At the last minute, the Palo Verde High School newspaper was told to pull an ad from Catalina Family Planning. The non-profit clinic provided a variety of birth control services to the community. Several parents called to object to running it.
Following a TUSD board meeting, the ad was allowed to run. The board criticized the administration for not checking with them before banning it. For his part, the superintendent, Merrill Grant, said the original decision had been well-thought out and he still felt it was inappropriate. He was surprised the local press made such a deal about it.
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