Woman responsible for censorship of Roald Dahl’s books identified as ‘non-binary, asexual, polyamorous relationship anarchist’

In a profile on Inclusive Minds' website, Barrett is described as ‘they/them’ and a ‘writer and editor with a passion for championing inclusive content and policies.’

Woman responsible for censorship of Roald Dahl’s books identified as ‘non-binary, asexual, polyamorous relationship anarchist’
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A former project manager at the inclusive children's book group, Inclusive Minds, has been identified as the individual who led a mission to re-edit Roald Dahl's books, to ensure they were not offensive to readers.

As previously reported by Rebel News, Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books have been heavily edited to remove language that might be deemed offensive.

Changes include words like “fat” and “ugly” being removed from books including Matilda and James and the Giant Peach, and the Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have been reimagined as gender neutral.

Jo Ross-Barrett, who describes themselves as a “non-binary, asexual, polyamorous relationship anarchist who is on the autism spectrum,” is believed to have been in charge of the secretive project to deliver a large-scale, comprehensive review of inclusion issues and potential solutions for copyright holders and publishers of one of the most famous classic children’s book collections in the world, according to National Review.

In a profile on Inclusive Minds' website, Barrett is described as “they/them” and a “writer and editor with a passion for championing inclusive content and policies.”

Inclusive Minds used “sensitivity readers” and “inclusion ambassadors” to edit children's stories, with the “ambassadors” sometimes as young as eight years old. Some of the “ambassadors” included a trans-identifying poet and a queer, trans-identifying, and intersex person.

The Telegraph reported on some of the changes made to Dahl's books, causing author Salman Rushdie to tweet that “Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.”

Dahl's publisher, Puffin, has now said it will release two versions of each of his books.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s, responded to the criticism in a statement, saying:

We’ve listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation. … We also recognize the importance of keeping Dahl’s classic texts in print. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience Roald Dahl’s magical, marvelous stories.

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