The Reading List Is Eliminated Because, Well, Lesbians

Earlier this week, I gleefully posted that homophobic Tennessee legislator, Stacey Campfield, best-known for his Don’t Say Gay bill, lots his primary bid at reelection. Now, though, there’s another threat of the same kinds, only it’s up there round Delaware way, and it’s more of a Don’t Read Gay thing.

The Cape Henlopen School Board in Delaware has eliminated a summer reading list for the incoming class of high school freshman over a challenge to the list’s inclusion of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, a book whose main character is gay.

The board initially voted to remove the novel — by emily m. danforth … she uses all lower case letters to identify herself — after several complaints from parents earlier this summer. At first, the board said it was removing the book because of the author’s use of profanity, but some parents, and emily danforth, think the decision was based solely on the book’s gay theme; the coming-of-age tale of a young girl discovering she is a lesbian.

Andy Lewis, board president, claims the book was removed from the list because there was no process to evaluate it after someone complained. Now, does that sound a bit fishy to anyone else? No process to evaluate the book? Howsabout, oh, I dunno, getting a copy of the book, sitting in a comfy chair, and, maybe, reading it?

Of course, it has been revealed that other books on the reading list were laden with profanity too, but only one … any guesses … featured a gay character. And after that revelation, rather than put the book on the list for students, the entire program, the entire reading list, was eliminated.

Don’t Read Gay, y’all.

The funniest thing of all is that the students themselves would probably have no problem reading The Miseducation of Cameron Post, but it’s their parents with the issues. Parents who don’t realize that gay folks, gay teenagers, exist, in real life and on the pages of a book.

via LGBTQ Nation