The graphic novel “Gender Queer” is an illustrated memoir of teen life Maia Kobabe, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns e/em/eir.
The memoir features explicit sexual images and highly detailed descriptions and drawings of graphic sexual situations in Kobabe’s youth including the use of sex toys, masturbation, sex acts, pedophilia, and detailed internal dialogues about sexual sensations and desires.
For this reason, many have been horrified to learn that it is featured in school libraries and touted as a helpful tool for students who identify as trans or non-binary in a time when highly graphic, X-rated content in sexual education materials and school libraries has become commonplace.
As parents have begun to object more vocally to the increasingly pornographic “educational” material in public schools, the issue has taken center stage in Virginia’s gubernatorial race and “Gender Queer” has received the attention of Republican Glenn Youngkin before being subsequently removed from schools in Fairfax County.
Younkin has taken a strong stance against controversial curriculum like graphic sexual education material and critical race theory ideology, playing on one of the state’s most heated issues as Loudoun County, Virginia continues to be embroiled in controversy surrounding policies on transgenderism and sexual assault on campus.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe, meanwhile, has explicitly criticized Younkin for targeting “award-winning books” such as “Gender Queer,” which he slammed as one of his opponents “Trumpian dog whistles.”
Folks, let's take a step back.
Glenn is spending his final days of the campaign focused on banning award-winning books from our schools & silencing the voices of Black authors.
I know we can read between the lines and see these Trumpian dog whistles for what they truly are.
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) October 25, 2021
Now, images from the book “Gender Queer” are so graphic, that some social media users have been banned just for sharing them, yet many believe it is important to keep the book in public school libraries as it is purportedly beneficial for the mental health of LGBT students.
Warning: images in tweets below are highly explicit
The Superintendent of North Kingstown High School argues that the child pornography in the book, Gender Queer, supports "sexual health."
Public school gives your kids porn because it's good for them. pic.twitter.com/7PC9XYaVEF
— Nicole Solas Domest Terrorist MILFederally Charge (@Nicoletta0602) October 17, 2021
Yes Facebook jail I got. It’s good for grammar school libraries but not Facebook pic.twitter.com/YNbGFTVYyw
— rocco (@rcnchicago) October 30, 2021
Pages from the graphic memoir "Gender Queer," which is controversially on the shelves of many US school libraries. 1/ pic.twitter.com/zpWcXzilzv
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) October 29, 2021
The Post Millennial found several examples of others who are rushing to the defense of the highly controversial book:
"There are queer teens, I promise, in every single high school where this book is being challenged."
Maia Kobabe, author of "Gender Queer," joined @jameshohmann on #PleaseGoOn (and also published a remarkable illustrated op-ed for @PostOpinions).https://t.co/37UMapD42L pic.twitter.com/0XMbdm9EP9
— Julie Depenbrock (@JulieDepenbrock) October 29, 2021
So today I found out that @fcpsnews has banned Maia Kobabe's wonderful graphic novel memoir, Gender Queer. This is nonsensical. The book is absolutely appropriate for teens and a really valuable, meaningful book. As someone who just moved to Fairfax County, I'm appalled
— Louisa 🌈👭 (@LouisatheLast) October 29, 2021
I see a bunch of folks are clutching pearls & screaming for Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir be removed from libraries because they claim it's "pornographic," citing a reference to Plato's Symposium & a fairly accurate depiction of a 6th century BCE Greek vase painting. Cool. pic.twitter.com/JXzG00L3LM
— Tofte | Christopher Polt 🏳️🌈 (@CBPolt) October 19, 2021
As the outlet noted, other Twitter users, meanwhile, lauded the book yet conceded that it was probably better suited for adult audiences.
It does seem reasonable enough to expect that if images from a book are enough to get users censored on social media, it does not seem like it would be controversial to remove them from public school libraries, don’t you think?
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