The effort to ban (and/or burn) books is bad enough when we see elected officials sowing hysteria over it, but it’s really frustrating when actual parents are calling for valuable books to be removed from school libraries and classrooms. What’s the difference? Parents have children at home, and if they feel empowered to have such control over what their children or teens access at school, it’s deeply concerning that they might have such strict—or even stricter—measures at home. This could be legitimately dangerous for LGBTQ+ youth, for example, who may face abuse or homelessness should they be “outed.”

Even with this in mind, parents are crying out for books—and especially books by and about marginalized people—to be pulled from schools. For example, parents in the Salina school district in Kansas have recently gone on the attack to get manifesto-memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson pulled from high school libraries, as reported by local outlet KMUW. 

Johnson, a queer Black writer who uses they/them pronouns, wrote an excellent, widely celebrated book that explores childhood, friendship, sexuality, toxic masculinity, and race. Basically, the sort of stuff one expects to find in a book written for adolescents and young adult readers. The big deal? The writer is a Black queer person. And that’s apparently all it takes for conservatives to go on a nationwide rampage to have the book pulled from shelves. It’s been removed from classrooms and public school libraries in a few states already.

In late January, pastor and parent Chad Farber submitted one of the requests to have the book removed. Farber describes the book as containing “pornographic” and “obscene content,” and suggested that the book could be used to “experiment w/anal sex on other students” and “groom” some to be “molested by predators.” The idea that readers can hypothetically “groom” themselves reeks of victim-blaming, for one thing.

In addition, plenty of books for young adult readers include descriptions of sex and sexuality—this is a way many young people find themselves represented on the page, or find an opening to give labels or clarity to experiences they’ve had or have thought about. When it comes to childhood sexual abuse, it can be especially important for young readers to gain awareness and autonomy through education, as they may already be survivors of such violence and not have the words or resources to seek support and safety. 

The framing of queer sex as inherently predatory relies on outdated ideas from decades ago that continue today; queerness is no more explicit or inappropriate than heterosexuality, but conservatives love to frame it that way.

The other parent who filed a request, Jessica Henton, similarly protested the sex in the book, calling it “obscene” and “descriptive.” Neither person has read the book, according to the outlet, though they both read select passages online. 

Sadly, this efforts to get rid of Johnson’s book is not an isolated incident. In fact, it’s not just Johnson’s book: Hundreds of titles have been challenged by conservatives in the past year, and many, many of these titles are by or about LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Books are a lifeline for people of all ages, and especially for marginalized youth who may face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and even violence at school or at home.

Burning and banning books is absolutely chilling at any time, but in the short-term, it’s also deeply harmful to young people who desperately want to feel seen or understood by the very texts adults in their lives are trying to (sometimes literally) burn to ashes. Most adults have long left the classroom, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore the injustices happening there. 

Are you interested in participating in a Banned Book Club here at Daily Kos? Check out what we have in the works and please jump into the comments and let us know your thoughts!