Art should never be kept from public viewing on religious grounds because it denies the work to all people, regardless of their religion. Further, if every religious viewpoint were left to choose which pieces were acceptable, our public museums would be left with bland, lifeless art. This was the Arts Advocacy Project's rationale when it applauded the Brooklyn Museum of Art for displaying the art exhibit "Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection" despite then-mayor of New York City Rudolph Giulani's threat to withhold city money from the museum if it went ahead with the exhibit, which Giulani found "sick" and offensive to Catholics.
Censoring artwork in public schools because the work contains an ethnic or racial slur is counterproductive because it takes away a golden opportunity for students and teachers to discuss the evils of racism and bigotry. In the case of the 2010 cancellation of the play, "To Kill a Mockingbird," at a Florida high school, the loss was magnified because the censored play makes a particularly powerful statement against racism and mob rule.
Books in public schools are frequently targeted for censorship because a parent objects to a book's sexual content, as was the case in an Indiana school's 2008 banning of the novel, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." In addition to the denial of freedom of expression caused by the banning, the problem of the common good arises again, denying the many because of objections by a few. This particular case had other First Amendment ramifications, as well, because the school paper's story on the banning compelled school administrators to institute a new policy demanding prior review of the paper's future issues. One bit of censorship often leads to another.
In 2010, the National Portrait Gallery removed David Wojnarowicz's AIDS-related video "Fire in My Belly" from an exhibit because of pressure from the Catholic League and Republican members of Congress. Aside from the flagrant constitutional violation of elected officials using their "power of the purse" to censor artwork from public viewing, members of government determining what may or may not be seen by the American public based on those members' personal taste is frightening in the extreme. Taxpayer money supports public display of art for everyone, not just one point of view or ideological bent.