School board upholds ban on 'Flamer' graphic novel over sexual imagery, LGBTQ activists are outraged



A school district in Georgia voted to uphold a ban on a graphic novel with sexual imagery from school libraries, and LGBTQ activists are outraged.

The Marietta School District had issued guidelines for school library books in September, but any decision could be challenged by parents of students in the district. Kayla Sargent appealed the decision over the 370-page graphic novel "Flamer" and forced a special meeting to decide the issue on Thursday.

"If you actually read the book, you see right away that it’s not sexually explicit," Sargent told WAGA-TV. "It’s certainly not pornographic."

However, a review of the book found numerous questionable images involving a 14-year-old character engaging in masturbation and being attracted to naked, underage males.

"This is extremely inappropriate. It goes beyond what is normal kids are saying," said Becky Simmons, a parent who supported the restrictions on the book. "Our tax dollars should not be paying for pornographic material."

The school board agreed with Simmons and voted 6 to 1 to continue the restriction.

School board member Jason Waters also objected to the book's depiction of suicidal thoughts. He went on to say that there will likely be other books banned from public schools.

"Might there be more? Sure. Is it going to be a massive amount? I really don’t think so," Waters said. "That was never the intent of this."

Sargent implied that the book might have helped queer and minority children to avoid mental illness.

"If you look at the statistics on adolescent mental health right now, the suicide rate are increasing. Not decreasing," she continued. "Particularly among queer and children of color."

She claimed that her 10-year-old, a 5th grader, read the graphic novel comfortably with a few minor conversations about the controversial issues depicted.

A poll in October found that 85% of Americans oppose controversial books with sexually explicit content in elementary schools. 79% said they were opposed to explicit books in middle schools while 69% said they were opposed to explicit content in high schools.

Democrats have decidedly chosen to defend sexual content in books at public schools.

"All books should be in the library. All books. This is America. We don't ban books," said first lady Jill Biden in 2022.

Here's a local news report about the book restriction:

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GOP senator masterfully proves why sexually explicit books don't belong in schools, forcing Dem to make key admission



Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) went viral on Tuesday for reading R-rated excerpts from sexually graphic books.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on so-called "book bans" and censorship, Kennedy masterfully proved why some books just don't belong on school library shelves. Kennedy showed that if the books are too obscene for the Senate, then they're too obscene for school.

(Warning: Sexually graphic content below)

Kennedy read from "All Boys Aren't Blue" and "Gender Queer," two books that have become key flash points in the debate about "book bans." He recited:

  • All Boys Aren't Blue: "I put some lube on and got him on his knees, and I began to slide into him from behind. I pulled out of him and kissed him while he masturbated. He asked me to turn over while he slipped a condom on himself. This was my a** and I was struggling to imagine someone inside me. He got on top and slowly inserted himself into me. It was the worst pain I think I have ever felt in my life. Eventually, I felt a mix of pleasure with the pain."
  • Gender Queer: "I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you. It will fit my favorite dildo perfectly. You will look so hot. I can’t wait to have your c**k in my mouth. I’m going to give you the b***job of your life, then I want you inside of me."

After reading the excerpts, Kennedy turned his attention to Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias (D).

Earlier this year, Illinois enacted a law to punish schools that do not adhere to the American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights." Under those guidelines, books cannot be removed "because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval." The guidelines make no mention of inappropriate or sexual materials, nor does the law.

Giannoulias told Kennedy he opposes parents having the "ability, under the guise of keeping kids safe, to try and challenge the worldview of every single manner on these issues." In other words, he opposes so-called "book bans" and wants librarians empowered more than parents to make decisions about library materials.

Still, Giannoulias made a significant admission about the nature of the books that Kennedy read, which parents' rights advocates do not want in schools.

"With all due respect, Senator, the words you spoke are disturbing. Especially coming out of your mouth, it's very disturbing," Giannoulias told Kennedy.

The question then becomes: If something is "very disturbing" in a setting of adults, how much more disturbing is that material in a school where children can access it?

Kennedy questions Giannoulias, Samuels in Judiciary www.youtube.com

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Dad confronts school over DISGUSTING library book — superintendent has STUNNING response



Warning: Graphic content.

An Oklahoma dad was banned from school grounds after issuing a complaint about a shockingly explicit graphic novel his 14-year-old daughter brought home from the school library.

The book, "Blankets," includes graphic images of masturbation, sexual encounters, and "a child being raped," according to Tim Reiland, the father of two children who attend Owasso Public Schools.

The Twitter account Libs of TikTok tweeted some of the graphic contents of the book.

"There was children with their penises showing that were urinating in each others' faces. There was scenes, and this is graphic, images of ejaculation. There are scenes of teen sex. There are also scenes of a child, a child being raped in the book, and all in graphic depiction," Reiland told NewsChannel 8.

Reiland said the school initially responded by pulling the book for review.

"I was very happy with that. I thanked them. I sent emails thanking them," he said.

But when Owasso school board members voted against a new policy to restrict “pornographic content” from the district's libraries, Reiland confronted a board member in the school parking lot. According to witnesses, the exchange was not violent but did include a few choice words.

A few days later, Reiland received a letter from Owasso Superintendent Margaret Coates effectively banning him from school property for six months.

"You are hereby directed to leave the Owasso Public Schools and all of its grounds (including sports venues) and not return," the letter said.

Reiland said he can't even pick his children up from school "without written permission from Margaret Coates."

PJ Media's Megan Fox dug into the details of the shocking story to get to the bottom of what really happened.


Fairfax County Public Schools returns sexually explicit books to high school libraries



A northern Virginia school system said it is placing two books that contain sexually explicit material back into school libraries after a review determined the books were appropriate for high school readers.

Fairfax County Public Schools said Tuesday that committees of school administrators formed to respond to parent complaints about two books — "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe and "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison — had completed a two-month review of the reading materials and found the books were suitable as optional independent reading material for high school students.

"The decision reaffirms FCPS' ongoing commitment to provide diverse reading materials that reflect our student population, allowing every child an opportunity to see themselves reflected in literary characters," the school district said. "Both reviews concluded that the books were valuable in their potential to reach marginalized youth who may struggle to find relatable literary characters that reflect their personal journeys."

The books were removed from school library shelves in September after a mother complained that the books contained "pedophilia" and read aloud explicit passages to the school board. Parents in school districts in Texas and Florida as well had complained about graphic depictions of sexual acts in "Gender Queer," including one involving a strap-on device and another involving a teen youth's sexual fantasy about an older, bearded man.

The explicit content in "Gender Queer" became the subject of a 30-second TV ad released by Independent Women's voice that showed adult voters what content was available to students in Virginia school districts. Local TV stations in Virginia refused to air the ad because of the sexually explicit content, citing federal law that prohibits pornography on air.

Each of the authors of the controversial books contested the claim that their work contained pedophilia.

In accordance with district policy, after receiving the formal complaint, two committees were established consisting of school administrators, librarians, parents, and students above the age of 18 to consider whether the books were appropriate for high-school age readers. After reading and reviewing the books, both committees unanimously recommended that they should remain available to students.

The committee that reviewed "Lawn Boy," which contains passages in which a young adult character reflects on sexual encounters he had with another boy when they were both in fourth grade, determined that the book is "an accessible examination of race, class, socio-economic struggle, and sexual identity." The reviewers said the novel could be affirming for many students and "has literary value as a narrative representing the perspective of a significant portion of students in Fairfax County Public Schools with a variety of backgrounds."

The committee review of "Gender Queer" declared the book "a well-written, scientifically based narrative of one person's journey with gender identity that contains information and perspective that is not widely represented."

Neither committee found depictions of pedophilia in either book.

Noel Klimenko, assistant superintendent of instructional services, accepted the committees' recommendations and FCPS announced the books will return to library shelves.

"I am satisfied that the books were selected according to FCPS regulations and are appropriate to include in libraries that serve high school students. Both books have value beyond their pages for students who may struggle to find relatable stories," Klimenko said.

Virginia school board orders libraries to remove 'sexually explicit' books



A local school board in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has ordered school libraries in the district to begin removing books containing "sexually explicit" material from the shelves and to report the number of books that are removed at a special meeting next week.

The Spotsylvania County School Board issued the directive after a parent raised concerns at a board meeting on Monday about certain books available through a digital app for Riverbend High School's library, the Free Lance-Star reports.

During public comments at the meeting, a mother of a Riverbend student said she was alarmed by "LGBTQIA" fiction she said was immediately available through accessing the library app. After researching the selection, she came across a book she believed contained objectionable content.

The book, "33 Snowfish," by Adam Rapp, has mature themes involving sexual abuse, drug addiction, and child prostitution and features strong language.

A review for Publisher's Weekly described it as a "dark tale about three runaways who understand hatred and violence better than love." The reviewer warned that "Readers may have trouble stomaching the language ... as well as the horrors so flatly depicted and, in the end, so handily overcome."

The reviewer recommends the book for readers ages 15 and up.

After the parent raised her concerns, the school board voted 6-0 to pull "sexually explicit" books from the libraries and asked for a report on the process by which books are selected for inclusion in digital and hard copy collections at different school levels. The board also opened the door to a division-wide library audit.

Two school board members, Courtland representative Rabih Abuismail and Livingston representative Kirk Twigg, said they would like to see the sexually explicit books burned.

"I think we should throw those books in a fire," Abuismail said.

Twigg added he wants to "see the books before we burn them so we can identify within our community that we are eradicating this bad stuff."

Abuismail was adamant that there be an immediate audit of school libraries. He told the Free Lance-Star the inclusion of sexually explicit reading materials in school libraries shows how public schools "would rather have our kids reading gay pornography than about Christ."

School division Superintendent Scott Baker said he would take responsibility for any failures in the process for selecting library books.

"I would not have thought to do an audit because I have great faith and trust in our librarians," he said. "If we find something being missed in a process, then we do refine the process. There was no ill intent here. We don't have all the information."

Another school board member, Baron Braswell, observed that what some people find offensive others may not and said division staff should have time to examine their policies and procedures.

"We have to be clear on what is offensive and should not be in our schools and what should be," he said. "You can't do an audit of books without developing screening criteria and you have to have facts in order to do that."