NC school district says it will keep LGBTQ+ books in library despite parent complaints
Orange County high school libraries will continue to have three books that have drawn conservative ire from some parents and politicians for reflecting an LGBTQ+ perspective they say is “obscene.”
The Orange County School Board briefly discussed three book titles — “Lawn Boy,” “Gender Queer: A Memoir” and “Out of Darkness” — and voted unanimously to keep all of them indefinitely in the Cedar Ridge and Orange high school libraries.
All three books are national award-winners but also have sparked a debate about whether the adult language and sexual situations depicted are appropriate for students.
The board is “not talking about putting ‘Gender Queer’ or any of these books in the hands of a 6 year old,” Vice Chair Brenda Stephens said at a specially called board meeting Monday.
“As a librarian, I don’t ban books,” Stephens said. “I try to get books in the hands of as many people as possible, because we need to learn from them, and ... there is so much that can be learned if you read them as a whole, not taking them out of context, highlighting a line or a paragraph here or there.”
District officials said a Cedar Ridge parent, who was not named, filed a formal complaint about the books in an October letter to Principal Carlos Ramirez. District policy allows parents to review and challenge books and other materials used in their child’s classroom and that are accessible to all students in the library.
The School Review Committee — the principal, teachers and a media coordinator — conducts the first review, looking at the book, classroom lesson plans and whether the books have educational value and are age-appropriate.
In this case, the committee decided to keep the books in the school library. The books were not being used in the classroom, district officials said.
The parent appealed that decision to district administrators, who then convened a District Review Committee. That committee backed the school’s decision, prompting an appeal to the school board.
While the policy makes the board’s decision permanent for two years, board members voted Monday to keep the books on the shelves indefinitely. A future board could reverse that decision, district attorney Eva DuBoisson said.
Parents who don’t want their students to read those books can still opt out, board member Jennifer Moore said.
National effort to remove books
The Orange County concerns echoed those raised across the nation in the last year as conservative parents and politicians challenged materials and books that they say do not reflect their values.
In October, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson led parent groups in labeling “Lawn Boy,” “Gender Queer” and other books featuring LGBTQ+ protagonists as “obscene” material that should be removed from the classroom.
The News & Observer analyzed four books at the heart of the controversy in December, finding vulgar language and sexual scenarios. “Gender Queer,” an autobiographical, graphic novel, had the most sexual content, including nude and erotic illustrations.
“Out of Darkness,” an interracial romance novel that wasn’t included in The N&O’s analysis, also has faced opposition for its vulgar language and sexual descriptions.
The books have generated significant controversy in Wake County, with parents unsuccessfully petitioning the board in November to remove them from library shelves. A group of parents also filed criminal complaints with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office accusing the school district of distributing obscene and pornographic material.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said earlier this month she doesn’t think the school district’s decision is “a criminal matter,” but her office will continue to monitor the school district’s review process.
Meanwhile, the Wake County Public Library is updating its policy for reviewing and challenging books after briefly removing “Gender Queer” from library shelves in December. The Wake County commissioners could review the new policy in February.
Supporting LGBTQ, students of color
Orange County board member Sarah Smylie addressed the controversy’s broader context during Monday’s meeting, noting that most of the books in question are either about people who identify as LGBTQ+ or are people of color.
“I do not agree with pandering to these attempts to limit students’ access to voices of people of color and LGBTQ perspectives,” Smylie said.
“The context matters, and our marginalized students need this school board to state clearly and unequivocally that they matter,” she added. “In this district, we are committed to creating learning environments where every single student belongs and is valued and where all students are taught to think critically and use good judgment, and engage with hard history, and engage with a diverse world.”
Students who met recently with board members also were unanimous in wanting to keep them available, board Chair Carrie Doyle noted.
“It was already hard enough being LGBTQ+ in our schools,” Doyle said. “These books were a comfort to them, these books helped develop empathy (and) these books helped them understand their peers.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 9:00 PM with the headline "NC school district says it will keep LGBTQ+ books in library despite parent complaints."
