A police officer was called to a middle school in Massachusetts after an anonymous parent complained that a frequently-banned book on gender ideology was being read.
The book, “Gender Queer,” features sexually explicit material, was banned for two years across the United States.
Police Chief Paul Storti told Boston.com that because the “complaint was made directly to the police department, we are obligated and have a duty to examine the complaint further.”
District Superintendent Peter Dillion said in a statement that he would have “preferred that the complaint came to the school or district and not the police. We have systems to respond to concerns about curriculum.”
The controversial book was “not a class text but a supplemental material that students can request to sign out,” Dillion noted, according to The Berkshire Edge.
He explained that “Gender Queer” is a “graphic novel and a memoir of a nonbinary person. It has won several awards and is the topic of some controversy. It depicts some images that some find offensive. At the same time, many see it as an important story helping build empathy and support for a marginalized group and helping trans or queer students make meaning.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) responded to the situation in a statement, declaring that “book banning has no place in Massachusetts.”
“Our administration stands with educators who are committed to ensuring that their students have inclusive, comprehensive resources,” she said. “I’m proud to see these students stepping up to support their teacher, their peers and an inclusive learning environment.”
While Massachusetts seemingly honors explicit material in books available to children, other U.S. states have banned books with sexually explicit content.
The North Dakota House of Representatives passed legislation in April to remove sexually explicit books from children’s sections in libraries.
The legislation describes “explicit sexual material” as “any material which, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in North Dakota as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors; and taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”
Employees of school districts, state agencies, or public libraries may also be charged with a misdemeanor if they are found to be exposing “explicit sexual material” to a minor.
The Texas Board of Education also prohibited sexually explicit books from school libraries.
New guidelines passed by the Texas Board of Education recognize that “parents are the primary decision makers regarding their student’s access to library material;” prohibit the “possession, acquisition, and purchase of harmful material” such as “sexually explicit material;” and understand that “obscene content is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
