Banned Books Week Starts Sunday—And Guess Who Isn't Happy?

JESUSLAND—It's time once again for Banned Books Week, the one week in the year when literate America takes a closer look at what various religious and political interest groups are trying to keep the kids from reading—and surprise, surprise, most of what's setting off the fireworks are books and graphic novels with sexual themes. The theme of this year's Banned Books Week is "Banning Books Silences Stories—Speak Out!" and according to Patricia Mastricolo of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, one of the best ways to speak out against censorship is to make sure people know about the attempts to ban books. “It’s important to know that book challenges happen everywhere, not just in politically conservative or liberal areas of the country—everywhere!" wrote Mastricolo. "And if we don’t speak out, keep people informed, and protect these stories—even those we don’t particularly care for—then all books are more likely to be challenged and ultimately banned.” Top of this year's list of the most censored volumes is I Am Jazz, Jazz Jennings’ autobiographical picture book in which she shares her experiences as a transgender child, including her family’s confusion over and acceptance of her gender identity. That concept was so frightening that when a kindergarten student at Rocklin Academy Gateway in Rocklin, California who's undergoing gender transition brought in a copy of I Am Jazz, which was read aloud to the class, several parents removed their children from the school and called for a policy that would allow them to choose to keep their children from sharing a classroom with a transgender student. Also high on the hit list is And Tango Makes Three, a cute book about a family of penguins—a same-sex family, that is, and no penguin is cute enough to survive the wrath of The Saved when it comes to homosexuality. Also targeted: George, a novel about a transgender child; Drama, a novel with LGBTQ characters; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which contains both profanity and sexual situations; Sex Is A Funny Word, a book that promotes comprehensive sex education; and the perennial favorite, To Kill A Mockingbird, which deals with racial violence and slurs in the Old South. That short list barely scratches the surface of the dozens of volumes that have felt the wrath of censors over the years, including such innocent stories as Winnie-the-Pooh (banned because talking animals are supposed to be an "insult to God"); Harold and the Purple Crayon (banned for its encouraging themes of vandalism and destruction of public property); and Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, because it's supposedly "offensive, disrespectful and corrupt," plus it was claimed that its only themes are "sex and anti-Christian conduct." And it's not just the books themselves that are under attack; it's also some of the people who read them to kids: Transvestites! (The horror!) The whole controversy began earlier this year when San Francisco-based Michele Tea and RADAR Productions created Drag Queen Story Hour, where a number of drag queens volunteered to go to elementary schools around the country and read child-approved books to kindergarteners and other youngsters, all while dressed in their finest dresses and makeup. According to its website, "Drag Queen Story Hour events are happening all over the world at libraries, schools, bookstores, museums, summer camps, afterschool programs, and other community spaces," most of which readings are happening along the coasts, but there are also chapters in such diverse places as Austin, TX; Milwaukee, WI; Tulsa, OK; and Denver, CO. As might be expected, certain factions aren't too happy about that. "The very purpose of this incredibly inappropriate event should be questioned,” said Lafayette, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins. “The inclusion of the LGBQT [sic] Drag Queen realm into the Lafayette community, targeting our youngest children within a publicly funded venue, can only reflect the leftist agenda to deconstruct gender across America." (As of this writing, Lafayette's going ahead with the event anyway.) Even more upset was the religio-conservative Family Policy Alliance's Eric Teetsel, who reported on his members' visit to one event in Colorado: "This event was at a library, though the library—in response to heavy public criticism and media coverage—took great pains to say that it was not sponsoring the event," Family Policy Alliance wrote in an email to supporters. "So who was the sponsor? A local gay nightclub that also includes a gay bathhouse—a business where men have sex with other men. Not exactly the kind of folks that one would expect a library to facilitate interaction with children, especially in the #MeToo age. "Notably, the library also allowed the event—titled Drag Queen Story Time in this location—to be scheduled shortly after the library’s 'Story Time', presumably to attract more kids. "What the kids got was in large part political parody, followed by recruitment to kids’ drag queen competitions and an opportunity for all of the kids to get personal photos with the drag queens. "The story was A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a parody of a book about a rabbit by Mike Pence’s daughter. In this version, two male bunnies want to get married, and Vice President Mike Pence is the villain—a stink bug who tries to stop them. "After introducing various drag queens who hold various 'titles' from drag queen competitions, the lead drag queen invited kids ages 10 or older to compete for drag queen titles of their own. 'So,' he said, 'if you have kids who think this is great, or if they want to explore into other things, there are outlets for that.' The drag queen then detailed the titles and opportunities... "Despite what organizers say, there is nothing innocent or 'family-friendly' about these events. The story-times have a very specific agenda. According to event organizers, the mission of the program is to: 'capture the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.'" But perhaps the height of vitriol on this topic came from the religious LifeSite News' Laurie Higgins, who is apparently under the impression that Drag Queen Story Hour was created by the American Library Association, and wrote, "The ALA fancies itself a bastion of liberty and arch-defender of the free exchange of ideas. In reality, the ALA is most notable for being a censorious, partisan purveyor of perverse leftist ideas about sexuality. The ALA can't seem to find an idea too perverse for children and can't discern an age too young to be exposed to perversion. "The ALA pursues its hysteria-fomenting goal chiefly by ridiculing parents who, for example, don't want their five-year-olds seeing books about children or anthropomorphized animals being raised by parents in homoerotic relationships. Scorn will be heaped on parents who hold the unpopular belief that homoeroticism and cross-dressing—even when presented in whitewashed, water-colored images—don't belong in the picture books section of public libraries ... "The ALA is plunging deep into the "drag" cesspool, pulling children down with them." As usual, those who believe in the freedom to read have their work cut out for them, and the problem is only getting worse in the current conservative climate—so anyone who'd like to bring Drag Queen Story Hour to their town can start the process by clicking here.