2 LGBTQ+ Books Ordered Removed From Central Bucks Libraries: Report

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Following an internal review, two books with an LGTBQ+ theme have been ordered removed from school libraries in the Central Bucks School District, according to a report by the Bucks County Courier Times.

The paper cites an internal memo sent by the district's Library Media Specialist Melissa Burger, which orders the removal of the books, "Gender Queer" written by Maia Kobabe from one high school library and "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson from one middle school library, within 24 hours under the district's new library materials policy.

Policy 109.2, adopted by the school board last year, restricts books containing explicit and inexplicit sexual content and nudity. It also establishes an internal review process for any book that is challenged by the public.

According to the report, the books are among five the administration flagged for an internal challenge under the policy. The other titles include “Lawn Boy,” “Beyond Magenta” and “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl,” which remain on the shelves while they are under review.

Patch reached out to the district's administration for comment. It has not yet heard back from the district seeking confirmation on the removal of the books.

Under the policy, if a parent challenges a book, it goes through a review process stewarded by district educators, librarians and administrators. If the educator-led review process finds that the
challenged book should not remain in the library, the policy guidelines stipulate that another book on the same subject matter must replace it.

According to the policy, books should be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, intellectual development and ability level of the students for whom the material is selected. The policy also states that non-fiction resources should incorporate accurate and authentic factual content.

Since its adoption, the policy has been a lightning rod at school board meeting with a vocal group of students, parents and community members blasting it as a "book ban" and saying it is designed to "exclude materials that that might well meet the information needs of students" and "restrict books based on a very vague description of sexual content."

Supporters of the policy said the new policy wasn't crafted to remove books from libraries, but to create an avenue for parents to "challenge" any book they would prefer their child/children not read.

“One of the policy’s misinterpretations is that the proposed language means that books with
sexual content of any kind would be at risk of removal from library shelves. That is not the case,” policy supporters said.

Books like “The Bluest Eye” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, which chronicles the real-life horror of racism and sexual abuse, belong in the district’s school libraries at an age-appropriate level, said supporters. So do the classics like “The Scarlet Letter” or an illustrated reference book about anatomy.

With that said, policy supporters said there are books that contain salacious, gratuitous, graphic, explicit sexual content with no literary or educational applications. “Those do not belong in school libraries,” they say.