While everybody, rationally, sits around trying not to panic about the next Trump presidency, and the possibility of a MAGA trifecta, something else is getting lost in the headlines–the issue of banned books. However bad the next four years are going to be, the next Trump presidency will pass. Four years from now we will have a chance to make a new start, hopefully having learned a few lessons from what we did wrong.
The biggest problem with the new Trump presidency may well be the way it will galvanize grassroots efforts, which ultimately have more impact on our everyday lives than legislation passed in Washington. And when it comes to banned books we are dealing with the most important thing we have–our future, our kids. Laws can be rewritten. Regulations can be overturned in court. The things that happen at a national level we can protest. But when it comes to books the harm is irreparable. It cannot be undone, and it will last far, far into the future. The most important thing, for any movement, is its future, its ability to teach its children.
It is not an accident that 7 of the 10 most banned books contain content pertaining to sexual minorities. We risk losing a generation of youth to ignorance and shame because our young people are being denied access to what they need to better understand their sexuality, whatever their orientation or identity. It is just as important for hetrosexual cis gender young people to be exposed to literature that can help them understand the experiences of sexual minority youth. And it is most important for parents to have a guide to understand their LGBTQ children. It is the only way to break the cycle and change the culture in ways that will end transphobia. And the people calling for book bans know this.
Underneath all the ranting and raving about parental control is a desire to roll back the clock on changes encouraging inclusion and allowing issues such as gender identity to become normalized within society. It is no longer strange for a child to have two parents of the same sex. There is now open conversation about the concept of being non-binary. Well known journalists are not only out as gay but married and talking about it openly on the evening news. More than anything, more and more young people have become comfortable with the idea that they personally might be LGBTQ.
The book Gender Queer by Maia Kobe is a perfect example of why not to ban a book. It is a moving personal story with great literary value. If my emotionally mature older teenager was questioning their sexual identity or orientation and wanted to read this book I would certainly support their decision. However, there is a space for real objections to this book. It deals with sexual themes in ways that logically may be considered overly explicit. I, personally, might not read it simply because I disagree with that content. But that’s the point–if I feel offended, I don’t have to read it. I don’t have the right to restrict other people’s right to read it because I object. I am not a parent, but if I had a kid it would be hard for me to know when my child was mature enough to handle the content. The argument that this book is not for children is entirely valid. The author never intended it as a book for young teenagers. It is quite admittedly a book for older teens and adults. If my teenager came home with the book I might have a long conversation about how old and how emotionally mature my kid was. But it is not my local librarian’s job to parent my teenager. Parents should have the primary role in what their kids read. It’s the job of parents, not the job of the state, to instill values about sexuality in young people. If someone really thinks it’s pornographic, teach your kid that the sexual content violates your values. If your teenager doesn’t listen and reads the book anyways, that means you have work to do as a parent, not that your local librarian is a criminal.
The world has changed. The attitudes of young people have changed with it. One thing I found interesting looking at the plot lines of several of these books is that even though they contain content about sexual minorities, they don’t necessarily focus on it. For the modern young adult reader, issues of sexual orientation and gender identity are just another part of the plot line–just as issues of sexual orientation and gender identity are an accepted part of their everyday lives. That is what the book banners cannot stand. And that is what is worth fighting for.
Progressive Without Apology 