  |
|
|
|
Most Challenged LGBT-Themed Books of 2007-08American Library Association Lists Titles Banned for Gay Subjects© Kat Long 
Three out of the top ten banned books of 2007-08 have LGBT content. The ALA is fighting to keep books with LGBT themes accessible to the public in libraries and schools.
Three books featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender subject matter were among the top ten most challenged books of 2007-08, according to the American Library Association's annual list. Individuals and organizations, from concerned parents to school boards to religious groups, may file complaints with libraries and “challenge” a book on a variety of grounds, including sexual explicitness, offensive language, and homosexuality. Often, books are specifically deemed sexually inappropriate for school-age children. The local court decides if the challenge has legal merit. If so, the book may be banned and removed from libraries and schools where the court has jurisdiction. Titles of all literary categories and eras have been challenged, from religious texts (the Bible, the Qu’ran) to American classics (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee) to worldwide bestsellers (the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling). Banned Books WeekThe ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom raises awareness about censorship and the right of individuals to freely choose and read whatever materials they wish. The Office sponsors the annual Banned Books Week, which has taken place during the last week of September since 1982. Banned Books Week features a read-out of challenged or banned texts in addition to publicizing the most challenged books of the previous year. In 2007, the three most challenged books containing LGBT content were: (#1) And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (Simon & Schuster), a children's book based on the true story of two male penguins that raise a chick together in New York's Central Park Zoo, was cited for reasons such as “Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group.” A resident in Lodi, California challenged the book’s “homosexual story line that has been sugarcoated with cute penguins,” but in Loudoun County, Virginia, the book was returned to sixteen elementary school libraries despite a challenge there. And Tango Makes Three was the most challenged book of any subject matter for 2006 and 2007. (#6) The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Pocket Books), cited for Homosexuality, Sexual Explicitness, and Offensive Language. One of the most frequently challenged books in any year, Walker’s bestselling 1982 novel about a Southern black woman’s struggle for empowerment during the Great Depression was recently challenged in Fairfax County, Virginia by a group called Parents Against Bad Books in Schools. The group requested its removal from elementary and secondary school libraries because of “profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct and torture.” (#10) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Pocket Books), cited for “Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group.” A coming-of-age story set in 1991, this novel is written in the form of letters to anonymous pal by Charlie, a high-school student and the wallflower of the title. The book was included on the summer reading list for high school students in Commack, New York; residents objected to a rape scene and Charlie’s exploration of his sexuality. The complete list of Most Challenged Books of 2007-08
The copyright of the article Most Challenged LGBT-Themed Books of 2007-08 in Homophobia is owned by Kat Long. Permission to republish Most Challenged LGBT-Themed Books of 2007-08 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
