Jimmie Johnson Reporter

U.S.

Book ban battle: Parents fight to censor books on sexuality, race in public schools

Feb 10, 2022

Jimmie Johnson Reporter

By Jimmie Johnson (Reporter), Dan Reardon (Video Editor)

Complaints are piling up by the day in public school libraries across the country, as parents aim to ban books they consider inappropriate for children to read. According to the American Library Association, 273 books were challenged by censorship attempts during the 2020-21 school year. Many of the books in question tackle two complicated issues: race and sexuality.

As a result, school district leaders from across the country have heard a wave of complaints from frustrated parents.

Parent, author at odds over “Out of Darkness”

On Sept. 15, 2021, parent Kara Bell read an excerpt from a sexually explicit book her child picked up at an Austin, Texas school during a Lake Travis Independent School District meeting.

“Take her outback, we boys figured, then: hand on the titties; put in her coin box; put it in her cornhole, grab hold of that brake, grab that corn toe,” Bell said. “You can find that on page 39 of the book called ‘Out of Darkness,’ which you can find at Hudson Bend Middle School and Bee Cave Middle School.”

“Out of Darkness” author Ashley Hope Perez fired back in a video she posted on her YouTube channel.

“I didn’t write ‘Out of Darkness’ for Kara,” Perez said. “I wrote it for brave, big-hearted readers ready to face the painful aspects of our country’s history. I believe it should be available in libraries that serve teenagers along with the other young adult books that have been recently banned in Central Texas.”

Oklahoma bill aims to give more power to parents

Oklahoma State Sen. Rob Standbridge (R-Norman) has taken the fight to ban books even further, writing a bill that would give parents the right to request the removal of books involving sexuality from school libraries. If passed, it will also allow parents to sue school districts up to $10,000 per day if the book remains in circulation after being banned from a school.

A few books that address sexuality and gender identity issues include “All Boys Aren’t Blue”, “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,” and “Two Boys Kissing.”

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, tweeted a video of parents’ reaction to what they call transgender indoctrination:

https://twitter.com/Heritage/status/1481649739988877312?s=20

Texas lawmaker sends a letter requesting books be reviewed

In a letter to the Texas Education Agency, Rep. Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth) compiled a 16-page list of books he wanted school districts to review.

He also lists books about the Black experience that he believes may harm white students, including “Stamped: Racism, AntiRacism, and You” and “The Hate U Give.”

Krause wrote those books “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race.”

Progressives take aim at classic novel

And it’s not just some conservatives attempting to ban books. Some progressives want to ban books, too. A book on their list, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” which they consider racist, uses the N-word repeatedly and portrays a white lawyer as the savior for his Black client.

ALA issues statement opposed to book bans

The American Library Association issued a statement in response to book bans.

“We stand opposed to censorship and any effort to coerce belief, suppress opinion, or punish those whose expression does not conform to what is deemed to be orthodox in history, politics, or belief,” the ALA wrote.

Since September 2021, at least a half dozen school districts have reversed their decisions on book bans, including school districts in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, and California.

Tags: Society at Large

JIMMIE JOHNSON: A GROWING LIST OF BOOKS IS UNDER REVIEW…

ANCHOR: “Community concerns tonight over what’s on the shelves in school libraries. One book in Indian County has already been pulled from the shelves permanently and others might follow.”>

JIMMIE: …THE GOAL IS TO BAN BOOKS IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

ANCHOR: “A Virginia school district is pulling library books off of the shelves and some board members say they want to burn them.”>

JIMMIE: SOME PARENTS ARE CALLING CERTAIN BOOKS INAPPROPRIATE FOR KIDS.

WHY ARE THESE BOOKS UNDER FIRE? LET ME EXPLAIN.

NATS: “Now, have any of you seen these bad things for real? We burn almost every physical book in the country.”>

JIMMIE: THIS IS FAHRENHEIT 4-5-1. A FICTIONAL FILM BASED ON A DYSTOPIAN NOVEL ABOUT AN AMERICA WHERE BOOKS ARE BANNED AND BURNED.

AND THIS IS A REAL-LIVE, CURRENT VIRGINIA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER WITH THE SAME BIZARRE IDEA.

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: ”I think they should be thrown in the fire.”

JIMMIE: CONCERNS OVER WHAT STUDENTS ARE READING HAVE SOME PARENTS FIRED UP.

PARENT: ”Lead this district, protect our children or get out of the way.”

JIMMIE: THE BOOKS CONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE MAINLY TACKLE TWO ISSUES: SEXUALITY AND RACE.

TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THIS YOUNG ADULT’S BOOK, TEXAS MOTHER KARA BELL SAID HER SON PICKED UP AT HIS SCHOOL.

KARA BELL: ”Take her outback, we boys figured, then: hand on the titties; put in her coin box; put it in her cornhole, grab a hold of that brake, grab that corn toe. You can find that on page 39 of the book called ‘Out of Darkness,’ which you can find a Hudson Ben Middle School and BK Middle School”

ASHLEY HOPE PEREZ: “I didn’t write ‘Out of Darkness’ for Kara. I wrote it for brave, big-hearted readers ready to face the painful aspects of our country’s history. I believe it should be available in libraries that serve teenagers along with the other young adult books that have been recently banned in Central Texas.”

JIMMIE: IN OKLAHOMA, ONE LAWMAKER IS PUSHING A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW PARENTS TO REQUEST THE REMOVAL OF BOOKS INVOLVING SEXUALITY.

IT WILL ALSO ALLOW PARENTS TO SUE UP TO 10-THOUSAND DOLLARS A DAY IF A BOOK IS STILL IN CIRCULATION AFTER BEING BANNED.

A FEW OF THE BOOKS IN QUESTION ADDRESS GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES INCLUDING ALL BOYS AREN’T BLUE, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MARLON BUNDO, AND, TWO BOYS KISSING.’

IN VIRGINIA, PARENTS WANT TO BAN HUNDREDS OF BOOKS FROM HIGH SCHOOLS. TITLES THEY SAY ARE “SEXUALLY EXPLICIT” AND ADDRESS GENDER IDENTITY.

PARENT: “Results for gay, 172. Results for heterosexuals, 2. One of the books is actually, ‘Speak no evil, hear no evil,’ which is about a Nigerian gay boy. Results for pedophilia,16. Lesbian, 84.”

JIMMIE: THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, A CONSERVATIVE THINK TANK, TWEETED THIS VIDEO OF PARENTS REACTION TO WHAT THEY CALL, “TRANSGENDER INDOCTRINATION”.

MOM: “It’s very confusing to a child. It has no business in a book that is meant for children.”

JIMMIE: TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE MATT KRAUSE MAKES HIS CASE IN A LETTER TO THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY.

IN IT, HE ATTACHED A 16-PAGE LIST OF BOOKS HE WANTS TO BE REVIEWED.

THE BOOKS ADDRESS SEXUALITY, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND HAVE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT IMAGES.

HE ALSO LISTS BOOKS ABOUT THE BLACK EXPERIENCE THAT HE SAYS COULD HARM WHITE STUDENTS, INCLUDING STAMPED: RACISM, ANTI RACISM, AND YOU AND THE HATE U GIVE.

KRAUSE SAYS THOSE BOOKS “MIGHT MAKE STUDENTS FEEL DISCOMFORT, GUILT, ANGUISH, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.”

AND, IT’S NOT JUST CONSERVATIVES TRYING TO BAN BOOKS. SOME PROGRESSIVES WANT TO BAN BOOKS TOO, LIKE ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD,’ BECAUSE IT’S CONSIDERED RACIST, USING THE N-WORD REPEATEDLY AND PORTRAYING A WHITE LAWYER AS THE SAVIOR FOR HIS BLACK CLIENT.

ATTICUS FINCH: ”The defendant is not guilty but someone in the courtroom is.”

JIMMIE: IN RESPONSE TO BANNING BOOKS, THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ISSUED THIS STATEMENT: “WE STAND OPPOSED TO CENSORSHIP AND ANY EFFORT TO COERCE BELIEF, SUPPRESS OPINION, OR PUNISH THOSE WHOSE EXPRESSION DOES NOT CONFORM TO WHAT IS DEEMED TO BE ORTHODOX IN HISTORY, POLITICS, OR BELIEF.”

THERE ARE CASES WHEN BOOK BANS WENT INTO EFFECT, BUT STUDENT PROTESTS FORCED SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO REVERSE THEIR DECISION. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BANNING BOOKS FROM SCHOOL LIBRARIES?