A recent free-speech controversy centers on a book that challenges (at least in part–I haven’t read the book) legitimizing trans surgery for minors, as opposed to adults. The author, Abigail Shrier, has herself published responses to calls for censorship (even burning) of her book. For those who are interested, one of her columns is in the Wall Street Journal.
Instead, I recommend checking out this very long commentary by Glenn Greenwald, https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-ongoing-death-of-free-speech, which I find thoughtful and restrained, as opposed to Shrier’s WSJ screed that to me is a mixture of appropriate concerns and off-the-wall, shameful claims.
Greenwald’s is a reflection on the painful tradeoffs between militantly supporting free speech and listening to understandably offended pressure groups.
Personally, in censorship matters I weigh whether a statement is akin to crying fire in a crowded theater (which is too easily invoked) against the danger of oneself being censored if one allows censorship for speech (symbolic or otherwise) or writing one doesn’t like.