TAMPA, FLORIDA — The Hillsborough County School Board voted to remove a book in a middle school library that teaches students how to use adult hookup apps and techniques for different kinds of sex. The board voted 4–3 in favor of prohibiting the book at all middle schools in the district.
The decision comes after months of dispute concerning This Book is Gay, which parents found in Tampa’s Pierce Middle School and first brought to the attention of the board in August.
TWO COMMITTEES VOTE TO KEEP THE BOOK
During the fall semester, the book went through a weeks-long challenge process that resulted in a unanimous vote from a special committee that included Pierce Principal Pablo Gallego. In November, the committee voted unanimously in favor of keeping the book in the library. Following an appeal, a district-wide committee also voted in favor of keeping the book at Pierce. A final appeal put the decision before the school board on Tuesday.
The Florida Standard reported in January that House Speaker Paul Renner opened an investigation into the committee’s closed-door meetings.
“While the vast majority of reading and educational materials in our school libraries are age-appropriate, some books are so clearly obscene and directed to children that they would be rejected by adult bookstores,” Renner told The Florida Standard. “Any fair-minded person reviewing these books would agree, and we will not tolerate continued efforts to bypass Florida law.”
READ MORE: Another Pornographic Book Found in Tampa Area Middle Schools
Tuesday’s vote will not only remove the book from the library at Pierce, but also prevent other middle schools in the district from adding it to their libraries in the future.
FROM THE PAGES OF THIS BOOK IS GAY
This Book is Gay was written by James Dawson, a man who now goes by Juno and uses female pronouns. In the chapter “Ins and Outs of Gay Sex,” This Book is Gay features cartoon sketches of a naked man with facial and pubic hair to help provide young readers with guidance on best practices for sexual encounters. The diagram includes directional arrows pointing to the man’s penis, testicles, “bum” and nipples with instructions on good “blowies” and “handies.”
In the section that details how sex apps like Grindr work, Dawson writes: “It is a fact that although grown-up adult types are sometimes looking for a serious relationship, sometimes they are just looking for a spot of sexyfuntime.” He goes on to say, “Remember, this is fine as long as you’re honest and always use a condom.”
CHALLENGING LIBRARY BOOKS
Pierce’s copy of This Book is Gay served as a test case for the district’s cumbersome challenge process, which lasted nearly seven months from start to finish.
Parents are told they must go through the challenge process to remove any objectionable books. The process has to be carried out for the same book at every individual school library housing it, unless the challenge makes its way to the school board. Even then, the board could choose to restrict the vote to the individual school, rather than blocking it district-wide as they did on Tuesday.
