Access to LGBTQ-Themed Children’s Materials: Should They Be in the Library?
Abstract
Whether in school or public libraries, children and young adults are often denied access to materials that contain gay or transgender themes. However, it is the librarian and information professional’s job to make sure that the public has equal access to information for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) community. With the current rise in censorship attempts targeting the community, librarians and information professionals can learn from how prior censorship attempts were handled. The following essay contains a recent history and discussion of the censorship of LGBTQ books and materials for children.
References
American Library Association. 2021. Intellectual Freedom Manual (10th Ed.). Edited by Martin Garnar and Trina Magi. Chicago: American Library Association.
American Library Association. 2023a. “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990-1999.” http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade1999.
American Library Association. 2023b. “Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009.” http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2009.
American Library Association. 2023c. “Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019.” http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2019.
American Library Association. 2023d. “Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists.” http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10.
Associated Press. 2022. “Mississippi Library Will Get Funding After Debate Over LGBTQ Books.” Local Memphis, April 14. https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/politics/mississippi-library-funding-debate-over-lgbtq-books-ridgeland/522-f360ef22-b09b-42e0-b124-2492c199aae9.
Barack, Lauren. 2005. “AL Lawmaker to Ban Pro-Gay Books.” School Library Journal 51 (1): 24.
Beemyn, Genny, and Susan Rankin. 2011. The Lives of Transgender People. New York: Columbia University Press.
Chandler, Michael Alison. 2008. “2 Guys and a Chick Set Off Loudoun Library Dispute.” Washington Post, February 17. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/16/AR2008021600749.html.
DePalma, Renée, and Elizabeth Atkinson. 2006. “The Sound of Silence: Talking About Sexual Orientation and Schooling.” Sex Education 6 (4): 333–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681810600981848.
dePaola, Tomie. 2002. What a Year! New York: Putnam.
Downey, Jennifer. 2013. “Self-Censorship in Selection of LGBT-Themed Materials.” Reference & User Services Quarterly 53 (2): 104–7.
Doyle, Robert P. 2000. Banned Books: 2000 Resource Book. Chicago: American Library Association.
Flanagan, Victoria. 2007. Into the Closet: Cross-Dressing and the Gendered Body in Children’s Literature and Film. New York: Routledge.
Foerstel, Herbert N. 2002. Banned in the U.S.A.: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Foucault, Michel. 1978. The History of Sexuality. Volume 1: An Introduction. New York: Random House.
Gino, Alex. 2015. George. New York: Scholastic.
Gomez, Betsy. 2015. “WI School District Cancels Book Reading After Lawsuit Threat.” Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, November 25. http://cbldf.org/2015/11/wi-school-district-cancels-book-reading-after-lawsuit-threat/.
Gomez, Betsy. 2017. “Author Donates Copies of Book After Wichita District Declines to Shelve It.” Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, October 6. http://cbldf.org/2017/10/author-donates-copies-of-book-after-wichita-district-declines-to-shelve-it/.
Green, Jesse. 2019. “The Gay History of America’s Classic Children’s Books.” New York Times, February 7. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/t-magazine/gay-children-book-authors.html.
Haack, Daniel. Illus. By Stevie Lewis. 2018. Prince & Knight. New York: Little Bee Books.
Harer, John B., and Steven Robert Harris. 1994. Censorship of Expression in the 1980s: A Statistical Survey. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Herthel, Jessica, and Jazz Jennings. Illus. by Shelagh McNicholas. 2014. I Am Jazz. New York: Dial.
Hoffman, Mary. Illus. by Caroline Binch. 1991. Amazing Grace. New York: Dial.
Hoffman, Sarah, and Ian Hoffman. Illus. by Chris Case. 2014. Jacob’s New Dress. Park Ridge, IL: Albert Whitman.
Jennings, Jazz. Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen. 2016. New York: Random House.
Judin, Nick. 2022. “City of Ridgeland Signs Library Contract, Averting Library Shutdown.” Mississippi Free Press, August 23. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/26612/city-of-ridgeland-signs-library-contract-averting-ridgeland-library-shutdown.
Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova. 2005. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark.
Kay, Verla. Illus. by Adam Gustavson. 2007. Rough Tough Charley. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle.
Kidd, Kenneth. 2009. “Not Censorship but Selection: Censorship and/as Prizing.” Children’s Literature in Education 40 (3): 197–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-008-9078-4.
Kilodavis, Cheryl. Illus. by Suzanne DeSimone. 2009. My Princess Boy. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Liberty Counsel. 2015. “Parent Successfully Fights Transgender Education in Public School.” November 28. https://www.lc.org/newsroom/details/parent-successfully-fights-transgender-education-in-public-school.
Mack, Bruce. Illus. by Marian Buchanan. 1979. Jesse’s Dream Skirt. Chapel Hill, NC: Lollipop Power.
Marshall Libraries. 2021. “Banned Books 2021—George.” https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/george/.
McKerrow, Raymie E. 1989. “Critical Rhetoric: Theory and Praxis.” Communication Monographs 56 (2): 91–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637758909390253.
Miller, Jonathan. 2005. “New Love Breaks Up a 6-Year Relationship at the Zoo.” New York Times, September 24. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/24/nyregion/new-love-breaks-up-a-6year-relationship-at-the-zoo.html.
Moody, Kim. 2005. “Covert Censorship in Libraries: A Discussion Paper.” Australian Library Journal 54 (2): 138-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2005.10721741.
Naidoo, Jamie Campbell. 2012. Rainbow Family Collections: Selecting and Using Children’s Books with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Content. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Newman, Leslea. Illus. by Diana Souza. 1989. Heather Has Two Mommies. Northhampton, MA: In Other Words.
Oder, Norman. 2006. “Oklahoma Targets Gay Books.” Library Journal 131 (7): 20.
Pendharkar, Eesha. 2022. “As Book Bans Escalate, Here’s What You Need to Know.” Education Week, September 30. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/as-book-bans-escalate-heres-what-you-need-to-know/2022/09.
Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell. Illus. by Henry Cole. 2005. And Tango Makes Three. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Schmidt, Samantha. 2019. “Angry Parents Protest LGBTQ Books in Virginia Classrooms.” Washington Post, November 10. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/perversity-angry-parents-protest-lgbtq-books-in-loudoun-classrooms/2019/11/10/6dbe0024-01b3-11ea-9518-1e76abc088b6_story.html.
Schrader, Alvin M. 2009. “Challenging Silence, Challenging Censorship, Building Resilience: LGBTQ Services and Collections in Public, School and Post-Secondary Libraries.” Feliciter 55 (3): 107–9.
Sova, Dawn B. 1998. Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds. New York: Facts On File.
Steele, Jennifer Elaine. 2017. “Censorship in Public Libraries: An Analysis Using Gatekeeping Theory.” (PhD Diss., The University of Alabama).
Steele, Jennifer Elaine. 2018. “Censorship of Library Collections: An Analysis Using Gatekeeping Theory.” Collection Management 43 (4): 229–48. http://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2018.1512917.
Steele, Jennifer Elaine. 2019. “Cases of Censorship in Public Libraries: Wichita Falls, TX.” Public Library Quarterly 40 (2): 108–24. http://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2019.1692324.
Steele, Jennifer Elaine. 2020a. “A History of Censorship in the United States.” Journal of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy 5 (1): 6–19. https://doi.org/10.5860/jifp.v5i1.7208.
Steele, Jennifer Elaine. 2020b. “Cases of Censorship in Public Libraries: Loudoun County, VA.” Public Library Quarterly 39 (5): 434–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2019.1660755.
Steele, Jennifer Elaine. 2022. “Challenges to Children’s Picture Books with LGBTQ Themes: A 30-Year Review.” Children and Libraries 20 (2): 3–9. https://doi.org/10.5860/cal.20.2.3.
Stiller, Laurie. Illus. by Gregory Rogers. 2001. Princess Max. Milsons Point, NSW: Random House Australia. Sund v. City of Wichita Falls, Texas, 121 F. Supp. 2d 530 (N.D. Texas 2000). https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5196691822154706461&q=sund+v+city+of+wichita+falls+tex&hl=en&as_sdt=206.
Tunks, Karyn Wellhousen, and Jessica McGee. 2006. “Embracing William, Oliver Button, and Tough Boris: Learning Acceptance from Characters in Children’s Literature.” Childhood Education 82 (4): 213–18. http://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2006.10522825.
Van Slooten, Philip. 2019. “Loudoun County Schools Debate LGBTQ Books in Classroom Libraries.” Washington Blade, November 16. https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/11/16/loudoun-county-schools-debate-lgbtq-books-in-classroom-libraries/.
Whelan, Debra Lau. 2009. “Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship is Rampant and Lethal.” School Library Journal 55 (2): 26–31.
Willhoite, Michael. 1990. Daddy’s Roommate. Boston: Alyson Wonderland.
Wolf, Virginia L. 1989. “The Gay Family in Literature for Young People.” Children’s Literature in Education 20 (1): 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01128040.
Woods, Lemuel Byrd. 1979. A Decade of Censorship in America: The Threat to Classrooms and Libraries, 1966–1975. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/jifp.v8i4.7858
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
© 2024 OIF