UK campaign group Stonewall has warned that children’s books depicting LGBT people are vital for the wellbeing of young people exploring their sexual orientation and gender identity, following a spate of attempts around the world to remove titles depicting gay or transgender characters from library shelves.
Earlier this week in Canada, the Ottawa Catholic School Board was reported to have pulled Raina Telgemeier’s acclaimed graphic novel Drama from the shelves of primary schools, moving it to middle and high schools where it would “more appropriately target 13+ students”. Aimed at children aged 10 and older, the book follows a girl who wants to help with her school play, and features a side story in which two boys kiss. It has proved controversial in the US in the past, with the American Library Association naming it as one of the country’s most challenged books.
According to broadcaster CBC, elementary schools were told by the board that the book was “not necessarily” being removed for LGBTQ content, but for “the actual relationship content … It is not a book we really need younger kids reading without guidance.”
Following protests – including one from Telgemeier, who said: “I’m sad for the kids who need this book but can’t access it” – the board decided to reinstate the graphic novel in elementary schools, saying it remained “fully committed to having safe, inclusive, and accepting schools”, according to CBC. Telgemeier said she was overjoyed at the reversal, because “all kids deserve representation, validation, and visibility in media at every age”.
Meanwhile in the US this week, a group of parents in Kansas attempted to have several children’s books featuring transgender characters – including picture book I Am Jazz – removed from the children’s section of Andover library. The protesters described them as “sexual revolution agenda, indoctrination of children”, according to the Wichita Eagle.
LGBT children’s books are frequently challenged around the world. In the US last year, preachers in Maine objected to young adult LGBT books in a display of censored literature in a library, saying it was “promoting a far-left political view that sees homosexuality as acceptable”, while in Iowa, an evangelical Christian filmed himself burning LGBT children’s books he had checked out of the Orange City public library. The library later received hundreds of donated books, while the man was charged with criminal mischief and is due to appear in court on 22 January.
In Hong Kong in June, a local activist issued a legal challenge to the government over its decision to remove 10 LGBT children’s books from display in the country’s libraries and place them into closed stacks, where they could only be accessed upon request.
Stonewall’s head of education programmes, Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton, said on Friday that inclusive books were not only beneficial for LGBT young people, but “help all pupils develop an understanding of difference”. The group’s 2017 School Report found that only 20% of LGBT students were taught about same-sex relationships at school, while 77% never learned about transgender people or gender identity.
“Stonewall was set up 30 years ago to fight against the introduction of Section 28 – a piece of legislation that allowed bullying to flourish as it effectively banned teachers from talking about same-sex relationships or LGBT issues,” she said. “It’s crucial we don’t repeat history. Celebrating difference is an important step toward building inclusive learning environments where all young people can be supported to reach their full potential … this makes representations of LGBT people in books and education materials vital for young people who might be questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Transgender author Juno Dawson saw her LGBT guide for children, This Book is Gay, moved from the children’s section to adult non-fiction in an Alaskan library four years ago.
“I think it highlighted a general issue in that some bookshops and libraries still regard young adult titles as children’s books and shelve them alongside. YA books aren’t for children and I think we’re all in agreement on that,” she said.
“However, I’m against policing at what age a young reader reaches a stage of ‘readiness’ for YA as that’s individual to each case. If these libraries are separating kids’ and YA titles I don’t see a problem with that. If they’re specifically segregating titles with LGBTQ content, that’s flagrant prejudice and bigotry.”
