Heartstopper author Alice Oseman slams US book ban: ‘Homophobia is thriving’
Heartstopper author Alice Oseman has warned that racist and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric are “thriving” after her graphic novel was banned in part of Florida.
It was one of more than 50 books to be banned in the Clay County school district in Florida, according to the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
Many of the restricted books were written by LGBTQ+ authors and/or discuss sexuality and gender identity. The first three books in Oseman’s Heartstopper series are among those that were banned, as well as her 2016 novel Radio Silence which also features an array of LGBTQ+ characters.
In a statement posted on Instagram Stories, Oseman noted that the banned books are usually “inclusive of LGBTQ+ people and people of colour”. READ MORE: “Close to sinful”: Joe Biden condemns Florida’s “cruel” anti-LGBTQ+ laws “Racism, homophobia and transphobia are thriving under the guise of ‘concern for children’,” she continued. “This is not just a US issue either.
