Axios: Books most targeted for censorship in California all included LGBTQ themes

Brett T. | 5:06 PM on April 29, 2023

Here’s the thing: If you’re an LGBTQ activist, it is you who is centering your identity around your sexual preferences. You can fly a rainbow flag on your house to let people driving by know that you’re sexually attracted to people of the sex, or you’re an ally of people who are attracted to people of the same sex. However you look at it, it’s about sexuality. So where’s the surprise that LGBTQ-themed books are most likely to be targeted for removal from school libraries? Books with explicit depictions of straight sex would also be targeted by those prudes who don’t think middle school kids need sexually explicit materials in their school libraries.

It’s not surprising that the usual suspects are among the top 10 books targeted for “censorship” in California schools. There’s “Gender Queer,” the graphic novel with explicit illustrations of oral sex. And there’s “This Book Is Gay,” which includes not only graphic illustrations but also instructions for how middle schoolers — its intended demographic — can use apps like Grindr to find nearby hookups with adults. The mainstream media talks about these books all the time but won’t even broadcast the images in question.

Almost all of the top 10 books targeted for censorship last year in California schools and libraries included LGBTQ themes, according to the American Library Association. https://t.co/OsvfT83Fcn

— Axios (@axios) April 29, 2023

“A lot of the rhetoric about books like ‘Gender Queer’ also revolves around the idea that ‘these ideas are somehow going to dictate’ how kids live their lives, said Jennifer Valles, director of programs at SF LGBT Center,” Axios reports.

Liar. All of the rhetoric about “Gender Queer” revolves around explicit illustrations.