Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

in
Two Boys Kissing
By David Levithan

Two boys try to set a world record for kissing after their friend is beaten in this YA novel. One lady tried to get it thrown out of libraries for sexual content.

National Book Award longlist

Stonewall Honor Book

Inspired by true events

Banned

Cover image of two boys kissing - author states that the cover shows what happens in the book and does not lie. When asked if this would discourage LGBT teens from openly reading or checking out the book from libraries, the author conceded this was possible but says that having the book in the library, representing the community, and normalizing the subject is more important.

#5 on the ALA's Top 10 Banned and Challenged of 2016

2014 - Virginia - A parent filed a complaint with Fauqier County Schools to remove the book after reviewing 46 sample pages on Amazon.com and disagreeing with the sexual content (claiming not the homosexual content). The school refused to remove the material from the libraries. On appeal to the school board committee, a unanimous vote allowed the book to stay in the school libraries.

2016 - "condones public displays of affection"

2019 - Iowa - Religious activist Robert Dorr checked out the book and two other from Orange City Public Library and posted a video of himself burning the books. Dorr was convicted of criminal mischief and forced to pay a fine.

Sources

Aviles, Gwen. “Religious activist convicted for burning LGBTQ library books.” NBCnews.com. August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019 from https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/religious-activist-convicted-burning-lgbtq-library-books-n1040051

Request to Ban ‘Two Boys Kissing’ from Virginia High School Library Denied - School Library Journal

Spotlight on Censorship: ‘Two Boys Kissing’ - Intellectual Freedom Blog

This One Summer Tops ALA’s Top Ten Challenged Books List - Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

TWO BOYS KISSING - Marshall University Libraries

Two Boys Kissing - National Coalition Against Censorship wiki

Two Boys Kissing Stays on Shelves in Virginia School System (For Now) - Comic Boook Legal Defense Fund

George by Alex Gino

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George
By Alex Gino

Rule Number 1 of Cheer Club: You don't talk about Cheer Club.

Banned

Banned or censored for containing transgender characters and "sexuality was not appropriate at elementary levels."

Family Research Council (and other Christian groups) claim the book will confuse kids about gender issues.

Sources

Christian groups slam transgender book 'George,' saying it will only confuse kids

Goodreads - George by Alex Gino

Spotlight on Censorship: ‘George’

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

in ,
This One Summer
By Mariko Tamaki

A book that in no way follows the plot of Three Men and a Baby (which is crazy) but was banned from a bunch of places.

Banned

General attack as a Caldecott Honor as the book is targeted at 12 and up and Caldecott books are targeted lower.

#1 on the ALA Top Ten Challenged Books of 2016 for including "LGBT characters, drug use, and profanity, and it was considered sexually explicit with mature themes."

2016

Minnesota - Henning schools removed the book from the K-12 library; restored to 10-12 grades with parental permission

Florida - Seminole County schools removed the book from elementry schools and reviewed the book in high school library where it was retained

Sources

ALA. "Top Ten Challenged Books of 2016" http://www.ala.org/bbooks/NLW-Top10 Retrieved 2017April26

CBC Books. "This One Summer removed from 3 Florida high schools" http://www.cbc.ca/books/2016/02/this-one-summer-removed-from-florida-high-schools.html Retrieved 2017April26

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. "Case Study: This One Summer" http://cbldf.org/banned-challenged-comics/case-study-this-one-summer/ Retrieved 2017April26

Diaz, Shelley. "“This One Summer” Restored to Henning, MN, School District Library, with Restrictions" School Library Journal. http://www.slj.com/2016/06/censorship/this-one-summer-restored-to-henning-mn-school-district-library-with-restrictions/ Retrieved 2017April26

Flood, Alison. "Minnesota school's ban on graphic novel draws free-speech protests" Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/25/minnesota-schools-ban-on-graphic-novel-this-one-summer-mariko-and-jillian-tamaki-protests Retrieved 2017April26

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

in

One boy's climb from apartheid to tennis champion. 

Banned

1993

California - Challenged at Amador High School in Sutter Creek

New Jersey - Challenged at Manasquan schools for a brief yet graphic homosexual passage

1996

Connecticut - Challenged at Lewis S. Mills High School in Burlington for brutal and graphic language

North Carolina - Temporarily pulled from Greensboro high school libraries after a resident sent letters to the school board and administrators, claiming the book could encourage sexual assault among children

1997 - California - Challenged but retained on a reading list for high school sophomores at Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton after parents referred to it as "pornographic and racially insensitive"

1999 - Ohio - Removed from Federal Hocking High School English in Athens for sexually graphic passage

2000

California - Removed from a sophomore reading list at Armijo High School in Fairfield for sexual content

Michigan - Kearsley school officials deleted six sentences describing a homosexual molestation scene in the book after parents found it offensive

2006 - California - Challenged but retained at East Union High School in Manteca after challenged for use of words such as "penis" and "anus" during a scene where young boys prostitute themselves for food

2007 - California - Banned from Burlingame Intermediate School

2010 - California - Challenged but retained in San Luis Obispo High School.

#39 on the ALA Top Banned Books 2000-2009

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. 2014.

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

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"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell 20

in
And Tango Makes Three (Classic Board Books)
By Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell

Title: And Tango Makes Three

Author: Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

Publisher and Publication Year: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005

Summary

In a world where penguins are locked up in cages called zoos, two male chinstraps dare to find… whatever it is you call companionship in penguins. Love? Sure. Hot, sweaty penguin love. Then a guy gives them an egg because fuck it, let's see what happens. The thrilling conclusion comes when the egg hatches and the two become daddies. Join us as we talk about And Tango Makes Three.

Banned

General:

  • Some parents and other adults who should stop trying to raise other peoples kids have objected to children reading a book about homosexuality, misreading the whole point of the book entirely.

  • The idea about comparing penguin love to human love has been found ludicrous by some, which is a pretty good argument because penguins don't have higher brain functions. That being said, "senior penguin keeper Rob Gramzay said that he never saw the pair complete a sex act, but the two did engage in mating rituals like entwining their necks and vocalizing to one another." Co-author Justin Richardson also said “We wrote the book to help parents teach children about same-sex parent families. It's no more an argument in favor of human gay relationships than it is a call for children to swallow their fish whole or sleep on rocks." That being said, the book is also not a call against homosexuality in any way, simply enforcing that families come in all shapes and sizes. Think about that when you read, that humans can learn a lot about forming families.

Specific Cases:

2006

Illinois - Shilo - Parents at Shiloh Elementary School requested the book be allowed checked out with parental permission, but the superintendent vetoed the matter.

Missouri - Moved from children's fiction to nonfiction in Savannah and St. Joseph after parents complained it had homosexual overtones. 

Missouri - Rolling Hills - book moved to nonfiction section by Library Director Barbara Read after parent complains of gay themes.

North Carolina - Charlotte - Superintendent Peter Gorman of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools ordered the book be removed from school libraries. A committee reviewed the decision claiming policy on challenged books were not followed.

2008

California - Lodi Public Library - resident challenged, claiming its "homosexual story line that has been sugarcoated with cute penguins

California - Chico - Three parents complained the book was unsuitable for young children. A school committee voted to retain.

Iowa - Ankeny - parents at local elementary school asked it be restricted for parental check out. School board voted 6 to 1 to keep the book in circulation.

Maryland - Calvert County - Parent requested the book be placed in a section for "alternative or non-traditional families". Another parent also claimed the book should be labeled or removed as being too young for sexuality and that when the penguins "slept together," it was referencing sex. The library board voted to retain the book both times.

Ohio - Dublin - Eli Pinny Elementary retained the book after a parent's concern that the book "is based on one of those subjects that is best discovered by students in another time or in another place."

UK - Withdrawn from two Bristol primary schools following objections from parents.

Virginia - Sterling, Loudoun County - Superintendent Dr. Edgar B Hatrick, after parents complaint, removed book from all school libraries despite staff complaints. The book was returned after Hatrick found "significant procedural errors that he believes void the process followed in this matter."

2009

Minnesota - retained in the Meadowview Elementry School in Farmington despite a paren't concern that "a topic such as seual preference does not belong in a library where it can be obtained by young elementary students."

Missouri - North Kansas City - Challenged but retained after parent's complaints about inappropriate "human sexuality education" and "tries to indoctrinate children about homosexuality."

2011 - Minnesota - Rochester - Pulled and removed from Gibbs Elementary School library but later put back after district policy had not been followed. The parent who challenged the book was required to be present when any item was checked out.

2013 - Utah - Marked for removal in the Davis School District because parents might find it objectionable.

2014 - Singapore - National Library Board (NLB) announced it would destroy three children's books with pro-LGBT families themes as they saw the titles as being "against its 'pro-family' stance following complaints by a parent and its own internal review." The decision was eventually reversed pending review.

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

$12.48