LGBTQ+ authors hit back as US school book bans pick up
When Maia Kobabe proudly put the finishing touches to the graphic novel “Gender Queer” in 2019, the American author had no idea of the storm that lay ahead.
Three years later, Kobabe’s work became the most banned book in the United States, censored by 138 school districts across 32 states over what were deemed to be sexually explicit images – reflecting a wider conservative pushback against LGBTQ+ rights.
Kobabe, who identifies as an asexual gender queer person or someone whose identity does not conform to either male or female, said an initial feeling of sadness over the bans had since given way to anger. “When a book is removed from a library, or a library is defunded, it impoverishes the whole community,” Kobabe told Openly by email. “Books can provide us with reflections of ourselves and windows into other’s experiences,” Kobabe added. “I know ‘Gender Queer’ has been both of these for different readers.” In March, the American Library Association (ALA) said there were 1,269 requests to censor library books last year – a record since the ALA started recording complaints more than 20 year ago and double the number registered in 2021.
Even President Joe Biden has weighed into the debate. “I never thought I’d be a president who is fighting against elected officials trying to ban and banning books,” he said in April when addressing an annual awards event for teachers. “Empty shelves don’t help kids learn very much.
