NHV Book Banning
Photo by Polina Zimmerman
Hello! My name is Jude Gepp, and I'm a student at North Hunterdon High School. I identify as genderfluid, and I have been 'out' publicly for about two years. My pronouns are they/them, and I prefer to be referred to using gender-neutral terms.
On Sept. 28th, 2021, the NHV school district held a Board of Education meeting, as per usual. During this particular meeting, people came to stand against specific library books. They mentioned Lawn Boy, Gender Queer, This Book is Gay, All Boys Aren't Blue, and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Some comments were public, others were submitted to the Board directly.
Following this meeting, the books were due to be reviewed by a committee consisting of a principal, an assistant principal, an English teacher, and a community member.
After a few months of inaction, the review has been published.
For four months, many people in this community had fought for their intellectual freedom. At the Board of Education meeting on January 25th, 2022, it was decided that Lawn Boy, Gender Queer, This Book is Gay, All Boys Aren't Blue, and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic will all remain in the NHV libraries.
But this is not the conclusion.
What did the Board of Education learn? Did they learn why these books are so important? Did they learn about the emotional impact their voices have on LGBTQ+ youth in NHV? Did the people who protested these books learn why their actions have such an impact? Did they learn why the LGBTQ+ community needs support?
In truth, not much has changed. The Board of Education has not learned. The adults in this community have not learned. The ignorance and inaccessibility within this district is suffocating.
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon