Fighting Book Ban Attempts

Check out our Instagram @lgbtatorr for our posts on the topic

Representation

"'I know personally at least, and from what I’ve heard from so many other people, we don’t ever get any mentions of LGBTQ people in any of our school curriculum or books we read for class and things like that, so just having access to those books in the library can be really important for people to feel like they are allowed to exist and feel represented,' Cusolito said." - Standard Times

Most marginalized groups are hardly ever represented in literature and other media, so when we are, it is incredibly important that we preserve access to these books. The validation of our experiences and identities is something many students don't receive from their parents or peers. In addition, reading books by queer and trans adults can help us feel that there is a future for us, in a world which feels so against our survival.

Acknowledgement and Support

Many of the scenes in these books which have been presented as “inappropriate” by those wanting to ban them are either autobiographical from when the author was young, or otherwise depicting something occurring when the character in the book is young. It is ignorant to assume that students haven't experienced these same things. Whether it's sexual assault, suicide, hate crimes, or other abuse - unfortunately many queer teens have faced trauma. Seeing their experiences reflected can help them process - and then find resources to connect with help, since they’re at school.

Empathy

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books." - Dr Rudine Sims Bishop

"And sometimes, if I'm trying to get through to somebody and get them to kind of understand what I've experienced, they will be a little bit defensive or uncomfortable... but when you're reading it in a book there's nobody there to judge you so you can take it all in, and you're really getting inside that character's mind." - Alia Cusolito, to the Standard Times

Demonizing these books demonizes the marginalized students and makes school more unsafe for us. The GSA faces dehumanizing harrassment on a daily basis. As was written in the letter read to school committee by Rhonda Baptiste, signed by 631 people: “Engaging in reading builds empathy. When kids read books centered on someone different from them, they learn to see others as fully human."

Queer & Trans Joy

These books can change others' perceptions of us, and provide much-needed representation and acknowledgement of our experiences.

They are also simply books. They invite us into a world of love, pain, celebration, heartbreak, and joy. They often end with a message of hope, and invite creativity and imagination. We dare to imagine a world which is celebratory and safe for all queer and trans people.

More inappropriate than other books?

“I for one do not want my minor children exposed to such adult material,” wrote one commenter in the Marion Matters Facebook page. “Stop sexualizing children.” - Sippican Week

It is quite clear that the sexual content in some of these books is not the real topic making people uncomfortable. There are so many books, movies, and other materials we are shown in and out of school which would be considered much more inappropriate - including many of the “classics” which are our required reading. Why is it only the books centering marginalized people which are considered "inappropriate?"

"There’s so much stuff on the internet, I guarantee everybody in high school has seen so many worse things, so to get that kind of content from your school library, in a place where you can then have adults and resources to go and talk to if you need anything — I would much rather have people get that from school than somewhere else." - Alia Cusolito, to the Standard Times

"After hearing about this complaint, I personally read Gender Queer. I found the images in it no more sexual that any paintings or statues that are in the Museum of Science. I can understand that some people might be concerned about this book at an elementary school library but not at high school library." - anonymous tritown citizen

It is obvious which books are being targeted: those focused on queer people and BIPOC folks. It is also important to note the national context of these attacks: not only are many of the same books being targeted all over the country, but it is part of a wider movement to frame queer people as pedophilic - a stereotype which has lasted for decades and harmed a countless number of people.

Parents' Decision?

One of the main arguments being made is that parents have a right to choose what their children read and have access to. We agree, to an extent. You have every right to email and tell the school librarian that you don't want your child to read a certain book(s). Exerting control over what other families choose is not your right. Allow each family to make the best choice for their own child.

Get Involved

Familiarize yourself with the books being targeted. The list we were currently dealing with is in both news articles, but it’s essentially the same books being targeted all over the country. If you read these books, you can then have a better understanding of the material being discussed, and get some great reading recommendations!

Keep an eye on the agenda for school committee meetings (on our school website) and if there is an item on the agenda related to diversity, equity, and inclusion work (more than the usual Equity Subcommittee Report), or the book banning attempts, please attend and make yourself heard if possible.

When school committee elections are coming up, stay informed and vote. We cannot emphasize this enough. There are some folks on school committee and others (such as those attacking the books) who will likely run in the future, and we need to make sure that the school committees are instead made up of only antiracist and empathetic people.

Run for school committee. This is arguable the most daunting task on this list, but if you feel qualified and ready to take on the challenge, this can be one of the most direct ways to affect decision making about our schools.

Stay connected. We need as much support from parents, students, and community members as possible, to show that we are not outnumbered. Even so, if everyone is taking their actions separately, it’s hard for us to be coordinated and know what is really needed at any point in time. Stay connected with other community members, and help spread the word when support is needed.

Always center student voices. At the end of the day, no matter how many angry parents show up, we are the ones affected by these decisions and their actions. We are informed and responsible enough to know what we need and speak for ourselves.