The book, Genderqueer, includes graphic illustrations of gay sex acts.
A Pennsylvania school board abruptly recessed its meeting this week after a parent presented board members with graphic illustrations of sex from a book on its resources list, and then asked board members to raise their hands if they agreed the images were pornographic.
Christopher Manos, a parent of two children in high school and middle school in the West Chester Area School District, spoke at Monday night’s school board meeting, and presented board members with three illustrations from the book Gender Queer: A Memoir. The illustrations are graphic depictions of people engaging in sex acts, completely nude in two of the cases.
“I would like by a show of hands, each school board member, to indicate whether, by raising your hand yes, this looks like it’s pornographic,” Manos told the board, according to a recording of the meeting posted on YouTube (Manos addresses the board at about 1:09:30)
Before any of the board members could respond, a legal advisor jumped in to advise the board not to answer or respond to Manos.
Manos responded that as a taxpayer, he has a “natural right” to ask questions of the board. He argued that it would be illegal if he didn’t report the book, which he compared to child pornography. Promoting child pornography is child abuse, he argued.
“This is a period for public comment. This is not a question-and-answer session,” the legal advisor said. People in the crowd then questioned when the board members would answer questions. “Questions are asked here all the time and not one person on this board ever answers,” a person in the crowd can be heard saying.
The board then abruptly recessed for about 15 minutes. When the board members returned, board president Chris McCune told the crowd: “That book is not in our district. That book is not in a district in our county. That book is not in a district in our state. So, therefore, it’s not really material to our board meetings.”
In a letter to parents obtained by National Review, West Chester superintendent Robert Sokolowski acknowledged Gender Queer was in circulation in the school libraries at Rustin and West Chester East high schools. He said he “immediately pulled both copies to place the book through our administrative review process.” He said the school board is not involved with selecting library books or developing reading lists.
“The process of how books are selected for placement in our libraries is one that we haven’t examined in many years,” he wrote. “We are always looking for opportunities to grow, and we will be evaluating this process with the support of our school librarians. Again, our goal is to provide reading material that is engaging, relevant, and also appropriate.”
The book was included on the 2020 Rainbow Book List – a list of recommended books that address LGBTQ issues – that was posted on the resources page of the district’s website. The link to the Rainbow Reading List is no longer on the district’s website, which now has the message: “We are currently reviewing and updating our resource page.”
In an interview with National Review, Manos said the West Chester school district is a great school system. But exposing children to sexually explicit content at a young age can cause psychological harm. The fact that the book in question deals with LGBTQ issues is “totally irrelevant,” he said.
“My concern is that children are being potentially exposed to sexually-explicit material of any kind,” he said. “What type it is is irrelevant.”
Gender Queer is an illustrated memoir Maia Kobabe that addresses the author’s experience growing up and coming out as nonbinary and asexual. The book was recently honored by the American Library Association for having special appeal to young adults 12 to 18, according to the Washington Post. In an op-ed in the Post, Kobabe wrote that the book is appropriate for high school-aged students and above.
The Fairfax County School District in Virginia removed the book from its libraries in September after parents complained about sexually explicit language and scenes. The book caused a stir this week when Virginia TV stations refused to air an ad depicting sexually explicit scenes from the book. The book has been challenged at school districts around the country.
On Tuesday, the Orange County School Board removed a speaker for using vulgar language as he read a sexually explicit passage from the book.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a comment provided by the West Chester Area School District.