The Florida Parent Teachers Association (PTA) hosted a “Learn to Bust Book Bans” webinar to inform parents and educators about recent changes in legislation that allow for media reviews of books that may contain explicit or “sexual content.”
Equality Florida, a statewide civil rights group devoted to equality for the LGBT community, hosted the Dec. 12 webinar. The stated goal was to give parents tools and “talking points” to “fight back” against book removal in the districts where a parent or teacher calls for a specific title to be pulled from shelves and reviewed for its content.
Equality Florida’s Jessica Wright, an educator and parent, stressed this point in her presentation, arguing that any book that gets called for review must have “sexual content” without explicit literary value if it is to be removed or “banned” from the district in question.
Many of the books that get called for review do not meet this standard, she says, suggesting that these efforts are politically motivated.
For Ms. Wright, education used to be nonpartisan, but “now it’s becoming more and more polarized. And with that polarization, it becomes more and more difficult for us to act on behalf of what’s in the best interest of kids.
“It’s almost like our state [is] going backward, not forward,” she said.
Still, some of those calling for the alleged “book bans” are also concerned about politics in their children’s education.
Tim Marden, a Newberry city commissioner, worries about book titles that could slip between the cracks, especially ones that could have literary value while containing “sexual content.”
“Parents can no longer be absent when it comes to their children’s education … they have to be vigilant; you cannot rely on somebody else to do it for you. And parents are compelled to protect their children,” he said.
During the webinar, Mr. Marden asked in the chat about the book “Gender Queer,” calling it “child porn” and expressing dismay that it is accessible in some school libraries.
Claiming that exposure to pornography in schools is a “false narrative,” the moderators removed Mr. Marden from the webinar. They did not mention the book by name nor acknowledge his concerns.
“Gender Queer” is a comic-style graphic novel about a child with gender dysphoria—the feeling of one’s perceived gender not aligning with one’s biological sex—growing up and coming to terms with their identity. The book’s controversy stems from a page where the teenage protagonist wears an adult sex toy while their partner performs a sex act on it.
The encounter is not only described by the book’s protagonist, it is also accompanied by a full-page illustration.
Maia Kobabe, the author of “Gender Queer,” previously told reporters that the book was never intended for children but instead “older teens who were already asking questions about themselves.”
Others have asked if removing the controversial scene does not change the meaning or impact of the book’s intended message, what literary value does it actually contain?
Mr. Marden says the quoted section is “camouflage under some thread of literary value” and worries about what effect it could have on younger children.
The youngest students with access to high school-level libraries are barely out of middle school, with some still going through puberty.
Others also voiced concerns during the webinar.
“It’s great that there are so many books that have broad representation, but what do I do as a parent if I am actually concerned that the sexual content is ’too much' in a middle-school book that my kid brings home?” asked a parent who remained anonymous during the webinar’s Q&A session.
Ms. Wright acknowledged that not all middle school-aged children are “ready” for books that may be intended for older teenagers who are closer to adulthood.
“I would definitely talk with your [child] and see where they’re at and talk with them about choosing books that, you know, are beneficial to them and books that they are comfortable with. I know that those topics are definitely tough as a parent, for sure,” she said, explaining that her two kids are close in age but have wildly different comfort levels with reading materials.
Raegan Miller, Ms. Wright’s co-host for the webinar, explained that parents ultimately have a choice over what their children are exposed to.
“One hundred percent you have parental rights. Use them, you know, like you can restrict any access. And we would never disagree with somebody who exercises their parental rights; you have a right—that’s your student, your child. You have the right to be concerned and ask questions, and make sure that they’re being exposed to content that you’re comfortable with,” she said.
Noelle DeLaCruz, the statewide safe and healthy schools manager for Equality Florida, explained the organization’s distinction on parental rights.
“I think that you’re only a book-banner if you’re trying to restrict it for everyone else’s kid. If it’s only your kid, I don’t think that that title applies,” she said.
The webinar largely focused on the implications of HB 1069, what districts throughout the state have done in response, and the distinction between literary value in books and explicit “sexual content.”
Equality Florida also gave parents a list of organizations to contact if they believe an unjust “book ban” is taking place in their district. They include Pen America, the Florida PTA, and the NAACP.
Ms. Wright also argued that books in school libraries should have more protections than materials on required reading lists because a student has to “self-select” a book in a library. In contrast, a teacher or administrator typically mandates texts on reading lists.
“Library books are not unsolicited—a reader chooses the book and can stop reading at any time. This is parent-approved, voluntary reading and learning beyond the classroom, and school districts should encourage it,” read one of the slides in the webinar.
Advocates for parental rights in education have argued that removing sexually explicit books from school libraries cannot amount to “book bans” if the titles are still readily available in bookstores or public libraries.
Mr. Wright took issue with this distinction.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t have money to buy books. And if I wanted to get to my regular public library, I would have had to cross two highways by myself,” she said.
“And so, you know, when I hear people say, ‘Oh, well, they can get it on Amazon, or they can get it on Barnes and Noble.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, so are we just book-banning for poor kids?’”
Still, Ms. Wright seemed to indicate that certain books could raise issues among concerned parents who want to monitor the materials to which their children are exposed.
“If you have a title that you’re worried about, certainly reach out to your individual school, and make sure that your kids don’t have access to that,” she said.
“Professionals have been deciding what is age- and developmentally appropriate. And that really should continue. And the only time that that should change is if a parent communicates otherwise. And so we want to encourage them to really not necessarily fall into these different headlines that they’re seeing, but fall back into best practices for education.”
Equality Florida did not respond to The Epoch Times’ requests for comment.
