The novel that inspired one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, and a global film franchise, is no longer allowed in Utah public schools.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire’s 1995 reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, has been banned statewide by the Utah State Board of Education. The decision, finalized Jan. 5, places Wicked among three new titles removed from public schools, alongside Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
The move comes amid a broader push by Utah to remove books from school libraries under the state’s Sensitive Materials Law. Since 2024, at least 22 additional titles are in various stages of review or removal, marking one of the most aggressive statewide book-banning efforts in the country.
While Wicked is often celebrated for its themes of friendship, political power and moral ambiguity, the novel, like its stage adaptation, has also long resonated with LGBTQ+ readers. Its exploration of outsider identity, queerness-coded characters and resistance to authoritarianism has made it a cultural touchstone for queer audiences. The Broadway musical, which debuted in 2003, has become a defining piece of modern queer theater and remains one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history.
Other books already removed or currently under review in Utah include What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which was also adapted into a Broadway musical. Many of the challenged works are written by women, authors of color and LGBTQ+ writers, a pattern that has drawn increasing scrutiny from free speech advocates.
In response to the growing number of bans, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah on behalf of several authors and two anonymous Utah public high school students. Plaintiffs include authors Kurt Vonnegut, Arnold, Ellen Hopkins and Amy Reed. The ACLU argues that the removals violate the First Amendment by eliminating access to age-appropriate literature without proper consideration of educational value.
Utah’s Sensitive Materials Law, first passed in 2022 and expanded in 2024, mandates the removal of books deemed objectionable by the state. Previously banned titles under the law include Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, The Bluest Eye by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Nanette Vonnegut, the daughter of Kurt Vonnegut, referenced the Supreme Court’s 1982 ruling in Board of Education, Island Trees School District v. Pico, which found that school boards cannot remove books simply because they disagree with their ideas. She said Utah’s actions deny students “the freedom to read, think, and grow.”
Tom Ford, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Utah, echoed that concern, saying, “The right to read and the right to free speech are inseparable,” and called the law unconstitutional censorship.
One of the student plaintiffs added that removing books from libraries sends a powerful message about whose stories are valued — and whose are erased. For LGBTQ+ students in particular, advocates say the loss of books like Wicked can deepen feelings of isolation and silence stories that help young people better understand themselves and the world around them.
As Wicked continues to thrive on stage and screen, its removal from Utah schools has reignited a national conversation about censorship, representation and the right of students to access diverse and meaningful literature.
