‘Gender Queer’ tops group’s challenged list
NEW YORK — With Florida legislators barring even the mention of being gay in classrooms and similar restrictions under consideration in other states, a report released Monday says books with LGBTQ+ themes remain the most likely targets of bans or attempted bans at public schools and libraries around the country.
The American Library Association announced that Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir “Gender Queer” was the most “challenged” book of 2022, the second consecutive year it has topped the list.
The ALA defines a challenge as a “formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.”
Other books facing similar trials include George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t
Blue,” Mike Curato’s “Flamer,” Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” John Green’s “Looking for Alaska,” Jonathan Evison’s “Lawn Boy” and Juno Dawson’s “This Book Is Gay.”
“All the challenges are openly saying that young
people should not be exposed to LGBTQ materials,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, who directs the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
The list also includes Toni Morrison’s first novel, the 1970 release “The Bluest Eye,” which has been criticized for its references to rape and incest; Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” (sexual content, profanity) and Sarah J. Maas’ “A Court of Mist and Fury” (sexual content).
The ALA usually compiles a Top 10 list, but this year expanded it to 13 because the books ranked 10 to 13 were in a virtual tie.
“In the past, when it was that close, we would flip a coin to see who got in the list. This year, we got rid of the coin,” Caldwell-Stone said.
The ALA last month reported there were more than 1,200 complaints in 2022 involving more than 2,500 different books, the highest totals since the association began compiling complaints 20 years ago. The number is likely much higher because the ALA relies on media reports and accounts from libraries.