The book includes sexually explicit images; superintendent calls them appropriate in the name of students' "sexual health"
Sometimes there is a debate to be had. This is not one of those times.
WARNING: This post includes sexually explicit images that appear in books accessible to students at school.
As debates about school curriculum explode around the country, sexually explicit content in school libraries has caught the attention of parents from Indiana to Virginia to Rhode Island where I live. In some cases, the content is considered too graphic and offensive to be read aloud at a school board meeting yet, somehow, it sits on book shelves for students to read during the school day or check out of the library.
One book that is causing an uproar is Gender Queer. It is a graphic novel. Below is a short synopsis taken from Good Reads.
Below are the (graphic) screenshots taken directly from the book:
This book is not only on the library shelf at North Kingstown High School in Rhode Island but also displayed prominently in a display case.
(I did hear that the book has been removed from the display but I have not confirmed that.)
Nicole Solas, a mom and outspoken critic of the gender ideology that increasingly permeates K-12 schools, was the first one to expose Gender Queer in North Kingstown High School. Trained as an attorney, she was so convinced that the book qualified as pornography under the law that she submitted a witness statement and evidence to the state police on October 10th.
When a concerned parent reached out to the superintendent via email with the subject line “inappropriate material in high school,” he defended the book on the grounds of students’ “sexual health.”
Here is his email in full—I do not know what the second book is that he is referring to in the first sentence.
I must admit that this response by the superintendent floored me and I suspect that this email exchange will not be the end of the conversation in North Kingstown.
The other cases of parents expressing concern and yes, outrage, over the sexually graphic content in their school libraries have led school boards and superintendents to call for a review and even pull the books in question until that review is complete. In this Rhode Island case, the superintendent doubles down and even compares this graphic novel with The David by Michelangelo.
Is he serious?
I spoke to an experienced high school librarian about this controversy and she offered helpful advice, insight and wisdom:
Censorship can be a slippery slope but just like everything, we treat it as a binary- when we’re talking about kids, we need to treat it with nuance and respect. My advice is:
1. Parents, know your rights. What’s the review process for books and materials? Can parents find out what their kid checks out from the library? How? How do you file a request for a book to be reviewed?
2. Approach in good faith. I don’t have the time to read all 10,000 books.
3. In a pluralistic country, you and I might have a disagreement on what’s appropriate for a 13 year old. I might not mind a book with the F word if it’s used a few times. You might not think that’s appropriate. Some things are very clear (and I think the example you are using here is one)*, but some things are truly a matter of your values. Share those values with your children and tell them why they’re important to you. Tell them why you don’t want them reading books with the F word in them, for example. Even if you don’t agree with a decision about a book, that doesn’t mean that your kid has to check it out at school.
*she is referring to the book Gender Queer here.
I am including links to write-ups/news stories about other books causing consternation and even fury at school board meetings because of their sexually explicit content.
Kansas
To read more about this one, click here.
Fairfax County, VA
To read more about this one, click here.
Indiana
To read more about this one, click here.
I’ll leave you with some very wise words from the very-in-the-news-this-week, Dave Chappelle.
Talk soon,
Erika
It is one thing to depict a nude body and quite another to depict performance of sexual acts. That is where I draw a clear line of distinction between content that promotes instructional or neutral or artistic healthy education of a sexual nature (as in the case of beautiful nude sculptures, paintings, or photographs), as opposed to content intended to sexually stimulate. There is even a difference between sexually explicit and descriptive language, and then coupling it with illustrations. Although I've not read it, the images from this book are enough to indicate it is not appropriate for school libraries. Save it for book stores and maybe community libraries.
How is this not being treated as criminal dissemination of child pornography? RI General Law makes it very clear what is, and is not child pornography (as defined in section (c) below), and this definitely IS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY... This is the applicable law - can anyone read this law and refute the assertion that this is child pornography??
§ 11-9-1.3. Child pornography prohibited.
(a) Violations. It is a violation of this section for any person to:
(1) Knowingly produce any child pornography;
(2) Knowingly mail, transport, deliver or transfer by any means, including by computer, any child pornography;
(3) Knowingly reproduce any child pornography by any means, including the computer; or
(4) Knowingly possess any book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, computer disk, computer file or any other material that contains an image of child pornography.
(b) Penalties.
(1) Whoever violates or attempts or conspires to violate subdivisions (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisoned for not more than fifteen (15) years, or both.
(2) Whoever violates or attempts or conspires to violate subdivision (a)(4) of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisoned not more than five (5) years, or both.
(c) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) "Child pornography" means any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct where:
(i) The production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct;
(ii) Such visual depiction is a digital image, computer image, or computer-generated image of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or
(iii) Such visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to display an identifiable minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
(2) "Computer" has the meaning given to that term in section 11-52-1;
(3) "Minor" means any person not having reached eighteen (18) years of age;
(4) "Identifiable minor."
(i) Means a person:
(A)(I) Who was a minor at the time the visual depiction was created, adapted, or modified; or
(II) Whose image as a minor was used in creating, adapting, or modifying the visual depiction; and
(ii) Who is recognizable as an actual person by the person's face, likeness, or other distinguishing characteristic, such as a unique birthmark or other recognizable feature; and
(B) Shall not be construed to require proof of the actual identity of the identifiable minor.
(5) "Producing" means producing, directing, manufacturing, issuing, publishing or advertising;
(6) "Sexually explicit conduct" means actual:
(i) Graphic sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, or lascivious sexual intercourse where the genitals, or pubic area of any person is exhibited;
(ii) Bestiality;
(iii) Masturbation;
(iv) Sadistic or masochistic abuse; or
(v) Graphic or lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of any person;
(7) "Visual depiction" includes undeveloped film and videotape and data stored on a computer disk or by electronic means, which is capable of conversion into a visual image;
(8) "Graphic," when used with respect to a depiction of sexually explicit conduct, means that a viewer can observe any part of the genitals or pubic area of any depicted person or animal during any part of the time that the sexually explicit conduct is being depicted.
(d) Affirmative defenses.
(1) It shall be an affirmative defense to a charge of violating subdivision (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) of this section that:
(i) The alleged child pornography was produced using an actual person or persons engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and
(ii) Each such person was an adult at the time the material was produced; and
(iii) The defendant did not advertise, promote, present, describe or distribute the material in such a manner as to convey the impression that it is or contains a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
(2) It shall be an affirmative defense to a charge of violating subdivision (a)(4) of this section that the defendant:
(i) Possessed less than three (3) images of child pornography; and
(ii) Promptly and in good faith and without retaining or allowing any person, other than a law enforcement agency, to access any image or copy of it:
(A) Took reasonable steps to destroy each such image; or
(B) Reported the matter to a law enforcement agency and afforded that agency access to each such image.
(e) Severability. If any provision or provisions of this section, or the application of this section to any person or circumstance is held invalid by a court of competent authority, that invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this section which can be given effect without that invalid provision or provisions or application of the provision or provisions, and to this end the provisions of this section are declared to be separable and severable.
History of Section.
(P.L. 2001, ch. 143, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 586, § 2; P.L. 2004, ch. 612, § 2.)