When Schuyler Bailar was a child, he didn’t see many books that reflected his identity. Not her mixed race identity, and especially not her developing gender identity. It’s one of the reasons the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer decided to write “Obie is man enough” a 2021 novel about a transgender middle school swimmer.
“I wanted to write about kids like me because kids like me exist,” said Bailar, who graduated from the College in 2019. “Writing this story would be a way to remind other kids like me that they are not alone.”
But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get books about LGBTQ issues into the hands of young readers with the recent rise in book bans across the country. PEN America recorded more school bans in the fall 2022 semester than in the previous two. The American Library Association has documented 1,269 attempts to ban or restrict books in libraries Last year. This is the highest number since the group began tracking the issue two decades ago and nearly doubles the previous record set in 2021. Nearly half – 45.5% – of the 2,571 unique titles contested were written by or about LGBTQ people.
“My book is currently not allowed in many states that prohibit talking about gender identity,” Bailar said. A Charles City, Iowa, teacher resigned after being placed on administrative leave for teaching Bailar a short story about his first swim for Harvard on the men’s team.
“These book bans absolutely affect authors, but I think they affect children more,” he said. “Our stories are not reaching the children who need to read them.”
Michael Bronski, professor of media practice and activism in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, said the challenges reflect political and social tensions due to rapidly changing acceptance of LGBTQ people.
“We’ve made tremendous progress (for LGBTQ rights),” Bronski said. “These book bans – and the bans on drag shows, and the attacks on abortion, and the attacks on trans youth – are really a last-ditch effort, almost magical thinking (on the part of conservatives) , to stop this push. »
The number of targeted titles may be increasing, but it appears to be less about growing disapproval from parents and others than a change in tactics on the part of the groups. Historically, calls for censorship or restriction have focused on single books. In 2022, the majority involved multiple titles, with 40 percent of cases call for bans of 100 pounds or more.
Lesliediana Jones, associate director of public services at the Harvard Law School Library, calls this new practice a “copy challenge,” in which a group compiles a list of books and then shares that list — sometimes via social media — with others to challenge themselves at their level. local schools and libraries. This is one of the main causes of the rapid increase in calls for censorship.
“You didn’t have the media mechanisms and methods that you have today,” Jones said. “(The book protest) has intensified because these groups have become much more well-funded and much more organized.”
The main reason cited for many challenges with LGBTQ books is sexual content; however, many are also explicit in their intention to prevent children from reading about LGBTQ people and their lives, according to a Washington Post investigation. The Post also found that while book challenges have become numerous, the challengers themselves are few in number, with just 11 people responsible for 60 percent of filings nationwide.
“I think it’s a small, very vocal minority that uses militarism — I kind of hate the word militarization — but they’re advocating and passing these laws” on restrictions on books, Bronski said, referring to legislation in states like Florida, Utah and Missouri. He doubts any of the laws will stand up to court scrutiny, but that doesn’t mean “serious damage” isn’t being done.
“The primary intent of all of these laws is actually – an impossible task – to eradicate the visible presence of queer people,” Bronski said. “If we look at the world as a legal sphere and a social sphere, the social sphere has actually evolved quite rapidly, and some people…are not comfortable with that and are using legal tactics to stop it. »
But Bronski said these efforts can foster uncertainty and doubt in society and affect how the LGBTQ community is perceived. In a recent Gallup pollAcceptance of LGBTQ people fell 7 percent among both Democrats and Republicans, with just 41 percent of Republicans supporting LGBTQ people, down from 56 percent a year ago.
Jones, who is also chair of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, said that as a librarian, their job is to provide content that can reflect the entire community. Parents have the right to decide what their child can and cannot read, but removing a book from a library is up to all patrons. In recent years, librarians who have refused to remove certain books from their shelves have been attacked by parents who say they do not want their children exposed to content they consider sexually inappropriate. Jones said that’s just not reality.
“You don’t put ‘Gender Queer’ next to ‘Pat the Bunny,'” Jones said, referring to the best banned book in 2022. “I hope the librarians at any library have reviewed the books and placed them in the appropriate section.”
Alex Hodges, director of the Gutman Library at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said it’s important for parents who are concerned about what their children are reading to communicate with their librarians, but that it should be respectful and appropriate. Professional librarians use criteria to check books, and parents are free to challenge the process. However, this should be part of a dialogue allowing both parties to express specific and concrete concerns.
Illinois recently became the first state to ban the books; Bronski and Jones agree it’s a step in the right direction, but not enough.
“I think banning book bans is great. I’m all for it, but it doesn’t solve the real problem,” Bronski said. “You have to change the hearts and minds of Americans. »
For Bailar, whose latest book “He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters” will be available this fall, with the hope that society will move toward greater acceptance of LGBTQ experiences. He says that when he visits educational institutions, some people he meets are “stunned” to discover that they can connect with him, that he is a real person who deserves “universal human empathy.” He wants this same acceptance to be extended to young trans people.
“We know that when children are not allowed to be who they are until they are adults – or if they have to hide their identity – it is harmful to them,” he said. “When we affirm children’s identities, we can actually save their lives.”
