🏳️‍🌈banning books is not about protecting kids

About 273 books have been challenged or banned each year for the last 20 years or so. In 2023, 4,240 books were challenged or banned.
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[@adesso.laurenzo]

About 273 books have been challenged or banned each year for the last 20 years or so. In 2023, 4,240 books were challenged or banned

[@evaburgess184]

😢💔

[@tylerpace6517]

Yeah, parents are waking up and taking out the trash. No porn in schools.

[@themachomanrs]

@@tylerpace6517Wait till you read the Bible

[@Mawpawz]

​@tylerpace6517 take out all the straight books too then. Those include the same exact shit so we should ban em too

[@Masterbenny540]

Yeah these are not books that should be in school especially in elementary schools

[@lillianvanes3914]

"I want to ban this!" "Have you read it?" "No" is so real

[@CaY-kAy-Da-CrEaToR]

I would actually maybe want to read those books

[@clarkbowler157]

​@@Blobby888 What does supporting Palestine mean? In what way can we compare somebody's attempts at denying access to knowledge and somebody's attempts at advocating for somebody's right to exist?

[@Mr.Pro55k]

True tho

[@artabstracted]

@@lillianvanes3914 ok to be fair though some of the LGBTQ books in school library’s are explicit. These ones aren’t though, so they don’t need to be banned

[@chrisbacon1275]

They want to ridicule these books for being inappropriate but won't support queer people make age appropriate books for kids. We all know why they REALLY don't want these books on the shelves

[@clearnotefrostflower]

literally, my middle school’s library had the full twilight series (which does get explicit) but refused to have any age-appropriate queer books (by that i mean non-explicit ones, i hope i don’t sound like i’m saying they’re all “inappropriate for kids” haha)

[@chrisbacon1275]

@clearnotefrostflower Yeah, that was the same case with my school and my baby sister's school. If they really were "protecting the children" and wanted age-appropriate books, then they would support queer authors who ARE making books intended for kids. But it's not about that. It's about controlling how their kids express and identify themselves. It's preventing queer kids from having a space to flourish. I remember wanting a wife at age 10 with NO sexual connotations, so it's not like sexuality is "inherently sexual." I'd call it ignorance, but it's really bigotry

[@msjkramey]

@@clearnotefrostflower Twilight doesn't get explicit? They have this big build up to their wedding night but then there is a cut to the next morning with no description of the actual act. Twilight is also a product of purity culture. That's why they don't "get intimate" until after they're married and why they talk about their immortal souls so often. It was written by a Mormon woman promoting Mormon values

[@clearnotefrostflower]

@@msjkramey ahh, i see, my apologies. i was under the impression that it did because my parents forbid me from reading them when i was still in school because they said they did contain explicit material. so, in the end, i’ve never actually read them. sorry for my confusion!

[@msjkramey]

@@clearnotefrostflower nothing to be sorry for! I think your point still stands. Why can you have supernatural teen romance but not a queer book, ya know?

[@nightjetts]

The crazy thing is that the perks of being a wallpaper isn't even centralized on the queer charactets. From what I remember, Patrick is in like less than 1/3 of the book.

[@Enby_monarch08]

I just read that book and I couldn't agree more :D

[@ToKKy_0]

Yeah! I adored the book, we read it in class and I genuinely actually wished to have more of Patrick in there

[@Leah-up8pm]

So... maybe that wasn't the reason it's banned 😬

[@G.L.a.D.O.S.]

@@nightjetts i love wallpaper

[@priiifrg]

ok but... a WALLPAPER? 😂

[@RikouCam]

Yeah....they tried to ban Gender Queer at my local library. Luckily it didn't go through. But I still will not forget one of their arguements: "What if a 5 year old stumbles upon the book. It wouldn't be appropriate.." It was kept in the adult section which was on a whole other floor from the kid section. She was actually arguing that a 5 year old would be unsupervised in the public library and go to the 2nd floor on their own to find this book. And somehow this would be the library's fault and not the negligent parent's......As a mom of a 6yr old I could not even.... Plus side, it brought the book to my attention and I made sure to check it out. Such a good read and I could defiantly see if being very valuable to any teenager or young adult figuring themselves out.

[@bunnii_]

I swear some of these claims these people make just shows how terrible they are at being parents

[@Will_S0lace_7]

Why do people still think that it is a good idea to ban books which feature queer characters?

[@WayKayNo]

The queer characters are doing super inappropriate things in the books, and some of these books are in middle schools

[@Hello_Kittyzzz]

@@WayKayNo can u tell me at least 5 of those inappropriate things u say about?

[@chrisbacon1275]

@WayKayNo If that's the logic, then we need to start banning A LOT more books. The Hunger Games, The Outsiders, Anne of Green Gables, etc. If The Perks of Being a Wallflower should be banned for just mentioning kissing and making out, then we would be banning a LOT of books. It's not about "protecting kids" it's about hiding and silencing queer stories

[@alejandramunozmusett6093]

@@chrisbacon1275 this!!

[@bel410la]

Because they think allowing kids to read those books will suddenly turn them gay, like it's a choice, if they feel gay they might be, the book just might make them think about who they are more.

[@SincerelyTaylorGrace]

In an elementary or middle school, sure, don't carry a book with any sëxual themes, straight and gay. But queer is not a sexual theme, and should not be treated as one

[@shashi43526]

Middle school might be a bit dependent on how specific the book gets

[@Fan-girl_writer]

@@shashi43526 Even in middle school it’s a bit iffy, cause most books with s*xual scenes (straight or gay) are above the reading level of middle schoolers or are marketed as “young adult” which many parents assume means middle school, but could also mean high school/college ages.

[@TheYarnStop]

@@shashi43526 Yeah, that doesn’t actually really matter, at least in my school. They decided to get rid of almost all the romance section because it was “inappropriate” with kissing scenes that lasted for a page. That’s it. That’s the most inappropriate they got. They also got rid of this one book, not for any reasons you’d think like shootings, discrimination against Jewish people, hate crimes, etc. No. They got rid of it because it said p*rn. Didn’t even mention what it was, just that “Hey, here’s a new phone that our dad doesn’t know about. You can do whatever you want on it. Watch p*rn for all I care.” That’s it.

[@aquariumnite]

I mean. I read Romeo and Juliet in 7th grade for class. That play is chock full of sexual themes and innuendo. But people don't bat an eye for that.

[@waffles3629]

​@@aquariumnite yep. I read a book in middle school for a class assignment in which a child was sold into s*xual slavery, but somehow some people think two girls holding hands is the problem?

[@OMEGAVONDOOM]

The books the Nazis burned were books for and about lgbt

[@TakeAchance365]

It kinda makes me wonder how far we would’ve come if those books hadn’t been Burned

[@bbywrom909]

@@TakeAchance365history wouldn’t be repeating itself if there was no history to begin with (in regards to The Third Reich/Nazi Party book [mainly LGBTQ+ research centered] burnings). If the burnings were to never happen, who knows what progress we could’ve ended up making to date? Maybe, there would be more advanced/accessible trans healthcare. MAYBE, there would be more LGBTQ+ equality, inclusion and acceptance as a whole. There’s always a potential that there could be/have been another form of reset (outside of those particular instances) but it still makes you wonder, how much better off we could’ve been if Hitler’s propaganda (especially, starting at “Mein Kampf”) was just tossed aside as “woo”, per se. We may not be outright burning books (yet?), but extreme censorship might as well be a more tame equivalent to such.

[@XuliPaws]

​@@TakeAchance365 these dumb laws ruining our lives probably wouldn't be here

[@TakeAchance365]

@@XuliPaws as a closeted trans woman this would be the best dream ever for people to live and love, whoever please and be themselves

[@michas1272]

​@@OMEGAVONDOOM there wasnt lgbt movement in 1945 at end of war, so how could nazi burn books that came out in 2000s in USA? 🤔

[@littlenekosparkles181]

next week, karen returned a new person suddenly discovering she was in fact a lesbian, she thanked the librarian and then they kissed. the end.

[@BloemetjeTulp-og6hd]

Plot twisttt

[@reknownx]

Shipppp karen x librarian

[@luckasteuer4393]

Next time they gonna ban books about women not wanting to get married and have kids and instead pursuing their dreams and achieving them

[@XuliPaws]

Oh no, taking away women's rights is horrid

[@Kai_the_chaotic]

Dude, I’m queer and my chosen name is Kai!

[@TakeAchance365]

Kai is such an amazing name and I hope you have an incredible day

[@Kai_the_chaotic]

Thanks!

[@TakeAchance365]

@@Kai_the_chaotic any time I love talking to new people especially when I’ve been questioning my gender also and happy pride month

[@Kai6792-]

I'm transmasc and my chosen name is Kai too! Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[@TakeAchance365]

@@Kai6792- I’m curious how did you come up with your name Kai my first name is Chance and my dad came up with that because there was like a 50% chance that I would make it through the night I was born prematurely

[@itscharliek]

This is so real, I’d say that probably 90% of the books I check out from my school library are about lgbtq people because they make me feel seen and I can live vicariously through them. It hurts to watch them being removed from schools. At my school’s book fair last year, I was thrilled to see the diversity in the books they offered. I was heartbroken when they started to get removed because “parents were complaining they were inappropriate”. I believe if you think something is inappropriate for your child, you should just have your kid not get it rather than take it away from everyone.

[@Char1ieTheChi1dOfApo11o]

The most inaccurate part of this is the homophone actually spelling LGBTQ properly

[@cirkulx]

they always gonna say LBGT or LGBTQAI

[@bunnii_]

​@@cirkulx nah, it'll be more like "LGBTABCDEFGXYZ" or "LGBBQ" because they are sooo funny and original 😐

[@FionaLacey-pn1me]

I prefer QUILTBAG+

[@XuliPaws]

​@@FionaLacey-pn1me prefer lgbtv

[@BabyZinc666]

@@XuliPaws someone said it! That's my favorite brand of TV 📺 😍

[@CheesburgerCheesburger]

If all those books get banned, the bible should get banned too

[@FionaLacey-pn1me]

Yeah, lots of sex, rape, human sacrifice, etc...

[@Listeningperson-bq5bx]

@@CheesburgerCheesburger I fully agree

[@Shibbyyes]

​@Listeningperson-bq5bx, to be clear, are you saying if those books get banned, the Bible should be banned, or you just want the Bible to be banned by itself

[@Listeningperson-bq5bx]

@@Shibbyyes what do you want me to respond to that because knowing you people you're going to talk down at me no matter whatever I say so how the hell do you want me to respond? Do you want me to say "Ohh hii bEstie I waNt the BiBle to be banNed bEcause it's a bad inflUence on chilDren"?

[@Shibbyyes]

@Listeningperson-bq5bx ?! I'm not like that I just wanna know

[@evaburgess184]

I know! This is crazy!!🤯 Like that think just learning what gay means is gonna make them gay😂 We need to fight back against this and we are all standing right behind you!!💪🏳️‍🌈⚧️

[@roxydiangelo3306]

Right? I did watch and read so many straight romance, since a kid with Disney's movies. And that didn't make me straight. It just made me learn about love. And how you love someone by who they are, not how they look. I'm pan. I looked for stories with women as protagonists and it didn't teach me what it was like to be a woman or make me identify as a woman (although I have great admiration and respect for so many precisely because I see so many of their stories). I am agender. Read do not make someone something that they aren't. It changes perspectives and show more about the world that we don't see. Maybe it can change how they show for the outside, but it doesn't change who they are inside. I'm kinda pissed off with books being banned. Again. I learned that even literature about black culture are being banned. I just... Can't accept it. And it is not even in my country. Sorry for the vent.

[@user-wc5zg6uc6r]

I fully think everyone who thinks being queer "isn't natural" needs to read this amazing book called "Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World Of Animal Sexuality" by Eliot Schrefer

[@FionaLacey-pn1me]

and tango makes three

[@An_Athena_Kid]

"Have u read any of the books" "No" "Great, get out"

[@eowynadcox4964]

Having books with LGBT characters is fine. The only problem I have is when they are sexualized way more than they need to be

[@ItzMuffinzz]

That’s fair, but the thing is a lot of books with straight characters also have sex scenes. If you’re gonna ban the gay books with sex scenes you should ban the straight ones too.

[@waffles3629]

So like all the books with straight characters that get far too explicit for age?

[@Aftenark]

The bible and the hunger games are both required reading in most private schools, the bible contains rape, sexual assault and sex, and i was made to read it in grade 6

[@PlushMari]

I just did my final presentation on lack of transgender resources in schools, banned books being one of them. Gender Queer got banned from about 47 different school districts sincr 2022.

[@XuliPaws]

I need trans related books, but there is one! It's about this boy who was gay, his friends found out, and the whole school made run of him, an his father abused him aggressively upon knowing, and the boy killed himself, and the book was about him figuring out why he is trapped in this town where he died (its cause he blamed himself) and didn't know even how he died, all he knew was something horrible happened there, now I won't spoil the whole thing but yeah, in the end he with the help of some stranded living kids (who of witch were one Trans woman, and one gay guy) they and him looked around and found out who he was, then after blah blah blah th end

[@LaylaChicle]

@@XuliPaws could you tell me the name of this book? It sounds really interesting

[@XuliPaws]

@@LaylaChicle the visitors^^

[@LaylaChicle]

@@XuliPaws thank you so much :D

[@cherrys7770]

Dude, just let them be kids, they don't need to know about gender until they're like adults that can make decisions

[@Seami-bz6bt]

Don't people realize being gay isn't a choice and readig books about gay people isn't fonna make anyone gay? If they're gay or bi or trans or anything else, they;re gonna find out sooner or later. A straight person reading books won't make them queer and if a queer person doesn't read them they'll find out anyways, maybe just later. I hopethat makes sense The only difference reading those books makes is that it brings awareness and makes queer people feel less alone

[@pizzacatred-velvet9952]

if anything it may help someone come to the realization that they're queer, but the conservatives just want people to surpress their identity and live miserably

[@Stolasthegaybird]

it’s 2024 and people are still afraid of basic human psychology just because they are different.

[@FionaLacey-pn1me]

I love ur pfp, Helluva Boss is awesome.

[@deliasaldana6850]

​@@FionaLacey-pn1me for real

[@deliasaldana6850]

Nice stolas pfp

[@derealpoints_J]

haha you're lucky) in our country all LGBT books are banned by the government, and if some Karen sees them in the school library, she can simply write a denunciation, and the poor librarian, along with the director, will simply be fired and imposed huge fines (and maybe even will go to jail)

[@No_creative_ideas_today7578]

THATS HORRIBLE!

[@user-te3jt2sz2p]

Not really, people aren't getting harmed by it in my opinion, the laws have to firm and the claim of firing and huge fine is a way to reinforce it, there is nothing wrong with the fact that all countries have different laws, besides, the country OP must be from probably has little to no LGBT people so a book on LGBT probably wouldn't be bought or read by people, sorry if this ounds rude in any way shape or form! I just wanted to state my thoughts.

[@-timestar-]

I found a trans book in my school book fair! And my school is in a state where LGBTQ+ stuff isn't that normal or accepted! I also found a boom that says "trans rights" when it asks stuff that makes people happy, but i'm happy as a closeted non binary friend :)

[@jonathanzaworski1739]

For all of you saying “good let them take out the trash” or something even remotely close to that shut up. These books help us queer kids to feel seen and understood and for allies that are our friends to learn more about the community. Don’t dis the community, you are stuck in your old 1920s way of thinking that they them isn’t a thing well guess what I use she her and they them as my pronouns! I am proud of who I am while I have never read these because they were taken of the shelves of my school library because of these challenges and bannings I’m sure they helped a lot of kids.

[@ThelordHayden34]

Me, a sixteen year old: -_- Do people like this have the internet, if so then they’ve already failed at keeping it from their teens. Plus hearing they have been removed is going to make them more desirable and interesting. Illogical people

[@Catstronomy314]

i just read gender queer, and that is such a good book it definitely should not be banned

[@TheBriar_123]

The parents who want to limit what their kids can read need to assist in the library and be the ones to check out those kids books. If they have a problem they should do community care and address it.

[@ThatPersonNamedJune]

Hear me out. I hope one day, on the day we get a president that bans book bans, for one day only they feel a little silly and ban straight books for that day. They unban them the day after of course, it'd just be for the memes

[@therussiangamer6997]

All Boys Aren't Blue is an awesome book! I read it in my senior English elective, Women Across Time. It's incredibly eye-opening and super insightful. I absolutely recommend it to anyone, LGBTQ or not, and especially men.

[@e.j.justdontcare110]

I was about to be like, "Perks of being a wallflower?? In an elementary?????" But then the 16 card was played 😂😂

[@Fantasy_Nerd]

OK. Here are some queer book recommendations: (My personal fave) The Outrage (tw for this one) Birthday My Brothers Name is Jessica (tw for this one too) Chaos walking (not really queer book but awesome rep) Away with words (again mostly queer rep but amazing) Jamie (I haven't read it yet but heard good things) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (tw for this one too) Can anyone continue this?

[@Lux-Laugh-Love]

I have a lot of queer representation realistic fiction books for you! My library had a display for pride month. (These might be a little more for younger people but they are still fun to read!) (also most of these I still haven’t read myself) ‘Thanks a Lot, Universe’ by Chad Lucas (I think gay representation? Haven’t read it yet but it’s boyxboy) ‘Drum Roll, Please’ by Lisa Jenn Bigelow (possibly bi or pan representation. The book says things that suggest the mc likes girls and boys) ‘Almost Flying’ by Jake Maia Arlow (idk if it’s lesbian or bi or something but there are two wlw representations in this pretty sure) ‘Both Can Be True’ by Jules Machias (genderfluid or enby representation! I’m not really sure which though but one of the mcs ‘cycles between genders’) ‘Just Shy of Ordinary’ by A.J. Sass - He/They (OK FIRST OF ALL A.J. IS A QUEER AUTHOR AND I LOVE THEM HE ALSO WROTE OTHER QUEER BOOKS SO CHECK HIM OUT) (also enby/ genderfluid representation!!!!!) ‘Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World’ by Ashley Herring Blake (I LOVE THIS BOOK WLW REPRESENTATION) ‘A-Okay’ by Jarad Greene’ (I think aroace spec maybe? Not sure) I might edit this because I find more or read the books but for now this is what I’ve got. Edit: I looked through my checkout history for more queer books and here’s what I’ve got to add: ‘A Tale of Magic’ series by Chris Colfer (Xanthous, one of the mcs is ✨🏳️‍🌈GAY🏳️‍🌈✨)(also pretty sure Chris colfer is queer or smthn) ‘The Witchlings’ by Claribel Ortega (one of the mcs is quite gay but I can’t remember who) Obviously ‘Melissa’ and ‘Rick’ by Alex Gino (trans mtf and ace representation) ‘Alice Austen Lived Here’ by Alex Gino (enby and lesbian history rep) ‘The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James’ by Ashley Herring Blake (wlw) ‘The Pants Project’ by Cat Clarke (MY FAV) (trans ftm) ‘The Civil War of Amos Abernathy’ by Michael Leali (✨🏳️‍🌈GAY🏳️‍🌈✨) ‘Ellen Outside the Lines’ by A.J. Sass (queer and enby and autism representation) ‘The Girl from the Sea’ by Molly Ostertag (quite lesbian) ‘The Witch Boy’ series by Molly Ostertag (AHHH I CANT REMEMBER IF ITS QUEER OR NOT BUT GOOD BOOKS) ‘Lily and Dunkin’ by Donna Gephart (trans mtf rep) ‘The Golden Hour’ by Niki Smith (gay) ‘Barely Floating’ by Lilliam Rivera (some lesbian rep in the side characters) Again, I’ll see if I can find more :)

[@FionaLacey-pn1me]

Rick Riordan books, especially Magnus Chase, and Different kinds of fruit.

[@ItzMuffinzz]

Here’s another! It’s a graphic novel called “Snapdragon” and has great lesbian and trans fem rep!

[@ChloeWollstein-cd2qt]

Those books also help prevent bullying and help queer people understand their identity better

[@Mary-w7g]

It’s not about the books being inappropriate, it’s about the influence they have.

[@YourLocalBoofer]

Oh no!! Guys lgbtq books are influencing people to be supportive of others 😨

[@Lazy_Fish_Keeper]

I want to thank Moms for Liberty for bringing some awesome new authors to my attention. Some of the best books I have read, I learned about via the Library's Banned Books Shelf Instead of arguing against the people petitioning for books to be banned, our local librarian fearures the top 10 most challenged books each week. 🎉

[@charliegoodwin1933]

Those are tame compared to what I had. I went to a charter school with donated books. I ended up reading my mad fat diary, Angus, thongs, and perfect snogging, and a book about an Easter bunny kidnapper, all by the age of 12. Fun middle school times.

[@BunnyLovesBluey]

Hello. I'm Kai. And I DO want to read those books 😂

[@taliamattos2811]

I read This Book Is Gay, My Brother’s name is Jessica, Melissa ( previously published as George), and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating at age 11. My school librarian recommended them to me, and they are some of the best books I’ve ever read! They helped me come to terms with my demigirl and bisexual identity. If they’re being banned, then thousands of children may never come to terms with who they are. Keep Fighting!

[@Skylerthebunny]

I am 14 and read some of the books, I fully support, and am a part of lgbtq, but I agree that some of those books need to be taken out of schools for age appropriate reasons, not to be against LGBT, as some of them talk about being sexual with your partner, high school is fine in my personal opinion but not for middle school or elementary school

[@AnimeEmpire2023]

Im all for more lgbt rep in libraries, but books like "This book is gay" really shouldn't be in school libraries, given the pretty mature content in it. But as long as it's in a public library, preferably in the adult section, then i see know reason for it to be banned

[@Lizzi375]

Has anyone else noticed that straight people tend to say LGBTQ rather slow or over exaggerated, but those in the community say it in a normal manner

[@shitlord619]

I immediately knew these were the most banned books I did an essay on this for school (be an active member in society, pick something that’s important to you and write about it)

[@kane3282]

They should be banned. What child needs to be reading about their sexuality and confusing them. They can come up with decision when theor an adult.

[@YourLocalBoofer]

It normally doesn't confuse them, it makes them feel seen and less confused actually. Especially if they're a teenager who knows about the topic already

[@ClaraRosa-41169]

The perks of being a wallflower is my favorite book ever.

[@sydneygorelick7484]

Great message, unrealistic skit: too many of people who are calling for books to be banned aren't even parents of anyone in relevant districts.

[@arthurtowle6057]

As much as I disagree with homophobia and the like. This book is gay is not an appropriate book for children. not because it’s about lgbtq topics but because it talks about some very 18 plus stuff.

[@teatimeplays3048]

All of these books are fine. But personally, books like "Its completely natural" and "this book is gay" probably shouldn't be in schools.

[@JoaniOtey]

I’m a trans masculine named Kai-

[@Second-son-of-Hades]

Good queer book recommendations from me The sunbearer trials Cemetery boys Hell followed with us The spirit bare its teeth

[@wilburlafave7792]

I actually just checked out and read cemetery boys from my school and it was actually so good fr

[@FionaLacey-pn1me]

Different kinds of fruit, The girl from the sea, Magnus chase,

[@MarianneHekkema9116]

I love perks of being a wallflower but was like wait, who is LGBTQ again in that book? Then I remembered Patrick💀

[@hex_shining_lion]

I mean, if the book contains some scenes, which are inapropriate for children and the book is in a children only library, it might be beneficial for it to be removed from the library, LGBT or not. The children can then read the book somewhere else when they grow up enough to understand it. But if there is no age restriction problem or the library is also for adults, then no book should be banned, unless it's harmful extreme.

[@user-ti2fk6wp1g]

Youve got to admit there are plenty that DEFINITELY do not belong in a school

[@Clairethecoolgurl]

Alr so i have one issue. I live in a Christian family who doesn't support LGBTQ but we don't be mean or treat them differently. However, my younger sister checked out a children picture book and its cover and title didn't give any indignation that it was about LGBTQ but the whole thing was about a girl who wanted to be a boy, and went so far to show images of the child on a surgical table about to get alterations to her body. My sister didn't know what LGBTQ even was yet, and she learns from this very discriptive and graphic children's book. Do you think that this is also find or do you also think that the book went too far?

[@JennaGetsCreative]

Off topic but I kinda love it that Kai has become such a universally queer name. My sister's senior year boyfriend was a twin, and his twin's name was Kai. (His name was Speary.) A lesbian couple and a gay couple decided they wanted kids, and these twins came to be.

[@jaq8997]

Book banning seems to be the accepted modern substitution for book burning. Both deprive the public and future generations of such essential knowledge

[@Im_an_old_man]

I’m apart of the lgbtq community and I still believe it is a parents right to choose what’s good for their child.

[@ItzMuffinzz]

They can ban their own kids from reading whatever but banning the books from all libraries isn’t ok

[@Hazel_Levesque_Slays]

They once had queer book at my CATHOLIC school Book Fair. I’m not queer, but I checked it out. Amazing book.

[@-_Star_-]

Love how parents don't want their kids to see people of the same gender liking eachother, But a grown man kissing the dead body of a 14 year old? Perfectly fine! (Snow white if you didn't know)

[@alex2drip4you]

Glad you clarified, I was like WHAT. Also, the parents tend to say things like "it's explicit" but then have their children read the Bible

[@ericaholguin406]

To be honest, Karen, I want to help you so badly RN. 😊

[@CASSIDIE.SINCLAIR]

but some of the ones listed have inappropriate content for ALL children. sometimes it’s just better to teach them at an older age.

[@tshowalter-rw5sn]

No

[@user-qt3vd5cn5t]

The way she says " lGbTq"😂

[@k4111_r4yy]

My name is Kai and this is so fr😭

[@Galaxyfox7677]

SAME

[@changejenn14]

One that floored me was Paul Castle’s book. What do you mean you’re banning a cute children’s book about adoption?

[@SalanaWolfie]

This is the same level of messed up banning a book on learning a specific foreign language because your child's father spoke that language... it's a book.

[@MANTACORE9]

As a 16 yo and a out of the closet queer genderfluid. Queer isn’t gross. It just gives another view. And can explain things to us that most likely we wouldn’t know if our parents had that choice

[@KarolaTea]

Aside from the blatant queerphobia... people need to have a bit more trust in their children. A 16 year old is probably old enough to know what books they want to read and what themes they can deal with. My school library had a bunch of books with heavy/explicit themes, they were in a '16+/adult' section so people wouldn't accidentally pick up a psychological thriller when they were looking for a simple whodunnit. Are there themes that might be a bit too much for some 16 year olds (or people of any age really)? Sure. But the solution isn't to just ban those media. Make the media available, and if people are interested in them provide further information and guidance for context and processing.

[@nxghtfxlljace]

Plot twist: "Ashley" was their deadname and they go by Kai

[@Jelly_Marine]

The minute she said KAREN 💀

[@sharksareinteresting]

And I believe in Texas or Florida, they got rid of most of the books about SEAHORSES! Because the male gets pregnant instead of the female

[@shelaghsalisbury1325]

I have a Library and information technician diploma. In my opinion the most important question on most form requests to remove books is “have you read the book?”

[@KimTriggell-fc7lq]

I an LGBTQ, I am pansexual. It is actually LGBTQIAP+. L=lesbian G=gay B=bisexual T=transgender(you change your gender) Q=queer I=intersex A=ally P=pansexual (ME!)

[@Sara-ge6xd]

OMG THIS REMINDS ME OF MY 8TH GRADE READING TEACHER! As a young lesbian in 8th grade, I loved finding queer books or books with queer characters in them at my school library bc I live in a very conservative state so finding queer things in public has always made me feel amazing. When I first started 8th grade, I was in my honers reading class and I was looking through my teacher's lil classroom library and I saw that she had 4 of the books from the heartstopper series. I was like "OML that's gay! She has gay books!" And then among further investigation, I saw that she had a whole section in her classroom library dedicated to queer books. Gender queer was one of those books. I will forever be grateful to her for supplying all those queer books, it made me feel so cared for. Thanks Ms. O'Brien💜

[@symply_syko_bynx]

I saw This Book is Gay in a bookstore and I want to read it SOOO bad. I have homophobic parents tho

[@Aintnoboby]

We have the "this book is gay" in our middle school library and it became a running joke and our librarian hides it every lunch time. He forgot where he hid it last year and we haven't found it since lol

[@loner844]

Yes! Teach the Karens to read the books they wanna ban!

[@Artemitenx]

it may be a wild concept, but if you're ignorant as a parent, instead of trying to bend the reality to yourself, just forbid your children from reading those books? it's on you. it's the same case as religious people trying to influence the law, if your religion stops you from doing something, then don't do it, don't ban it for everyone else. and thanks for book recommendations 😊

[@michael_stein123]

Actually, the most banned book is 1984. Those books are definitely getting banned but 1984 still number one

[@BrendonHayes-nu1cx]

Him being gay in the perks isn’t even a major part of the plot. It’s about kids struggling in general.

[@Overdoes1]

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER IS AMAZINF HOW DARE.

[@NoNo-dw8ph]

When the book called this book is gay was mentioned. I was like wait I got that one and I just start looking through my collection for it

[@dazzlingdexter5060]

😂 I like how you flipped that. "Would you like to check one out?" A true sales person.

[@Ailoshinta]

LBGTQ+ people deserve better❤

[@thathorsegirl5088]

I’m so glad I’m in college. They don’t have many queer books, but there’s some good ones. I just finished “Living Right” and plain to check out “This Book is Gay” next.

[@kfjellyjaymehopkins4746]

''Id liek to ban these'' to ''can i get all four''

[@left_akey_right9305]

Um, I think one of those books contains porn, is it okay to be in schools?

[@Raelay]

No it shouldn’t be in schools

[@sockYT]

​@@Raelaywhy?

[@user-sn877]

NOT THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER NOOOOOOO! I LOVE THAT BOOK/MOVIE! This is why i hate life. They cant stop me, ill pirate it if i have to

[@leoniekemm16]

My friend has "This book is gay" and I read it. It's so cool :)

[@laughlinmacdonald652]

Gender queer is one of my favorite books ever. It put so many explained and lot of beliefs I was having a hard time articulating. It breaks my heart when it gets banned

[@periwinkles404]

im so tired of books that represent minorities (honestly just anyone who isnt straight and white) being removed because of bigots who think we're some type of disease

[@Swiftie_that_needs_help1324]

Tbh I think as long as kids under 11 aren't exposed to those books idrc if they have those in libraries

[@tshowalter-rw5sn]

No not true Karen

[@Swiftie_that_needs_help1324]

@@tshowalter-rw5sn how am I the Karen when ur the one getting upset 😭

[@tshowalter-rw5sn]

@@Swiftie_that_needs_help1324 because what you're saying is homophobic

[@butterflywason2336]

Children under 11 are queer and trans, too. There’s no magic cut-off where knowledge of queer and trans people becomes age-appropriate. It is always appropriate at any age.

[@Swiftie_that_needs_help1324]

@@butterflywason2336 yeah that's the issue kids aren't supposed to be trans under 11 cuz there probs gonna regret it once they grow up, atleast wait UNTIL there 16.

[@just_a_bipasser]

I live in russia and this year they banned hundreds of books here (after lgbtq has been confirmed as a terrorist organisation here) and it will be getting so much worse. They even had the guts to ban some of Dostoevsky's books in Russia. Like what!? How can you ban russian classics? Being queer in russia is horrible these days

[@I-live-in-a-small-house]

The fact that the karen changed sides at the end is amazing:)

[@Bunnyglitch_90]

After seeing 2 books in my schools library and seeing a pin that one of the stuff gave to one of my friends i feel really safe and seen and my friends are happy that their are these things in schools to make us all feel seen,heard,ect

[@oneinemilian6697]

Ok im bi and gender fluid and let me just say… Thank you! (Ps karen is soooo funny!)

[@dezelias]

I remember reading Gender Queer for the first time and having to take a break within the first 50 pages because it so closely mirrored my experience with puberty and gender exploration. I felt seen and vulnerable - definitely a shock but it also felt so good to be represented. Seeing it be demonized and banned hurts - it feels like a peak into just how much some people in this country would hate me and others like me before even meeting us. Still, I'm so glad that Maia wrote eir story for others to find themselves in ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

[@Dweem-gu3lw]

In my high school we once found a "gay" book and my friends and I spent an hour reading it and we were all dying because of how much we laughed. Like there was so much funny stuff even the teacher was dead 😂

[@TransKai]

Queer kid called Kai- HOLY SH!T IT'S ME-

[@Runaway_Gay]

It prob would've been more accurate if she said "LGBTABCDEFG bla bla bla" cuz that's what they love to do all the time

[@owlore666]

Perks of being a wallflower is elite

[@BOUKEN_DA_BOUKEN101]

Hi , hello im a queer kid named kai and i would happily take those books

[@TheDeadDodo]

I promise you now, your 16 year old has been watching porn hub since they were old enough to wonder about things. Also they maybe gay but they don't want to get kicked out of the house/family for loving who they love