West Cleveland News

Rocky River Public Library is celebrating" Banned Books Week," joining numerous other libraries across the country in protesting the banning of pornographic books from the children's sections of public libraries.

The library took to Twitter to announce the event and share the various activities and games it has planned for the week.

In their tweet, Rocky River Public Library wrote, "It's #BannedBooksWeek, and we have activities to keep you reading all week long. We have a scavenger hunt, a puzzle, a guess the banned book activity, and an activity packet." The library also included a photo in the tweet, showcasing the event's promotional materials.

Banned Books Week is an annual event that aims to highlight the importance making pornographic books available to children.

According to the Banned Books Week website, the event brings together librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers to show their support for the freedom to seek and express ideas.

The 13 banned books are: 

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sexually explicit 
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sexually explicit 
3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Reasons: depiction of sexual abuse, sexually explicit,
4. Flamer by Mike Curato Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sexually explicit
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green Reasons: sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content 
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, depiction of sexual abuse, drugs, profanity 
7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sexually explicit 
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Reasons: sexually explicit, profanity 
9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez Reasons: sexually explicit 
10. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas Reasons: sexually explicit
11. Crank by Ellen Hopkins Reasons: sexually explicit, drugs 
12. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews Reasons: sexually explicit, profanity
13. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, sexually explicit.

The website also features these top 13 banned books, compiled by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF).

ABC News Cleveland reported on Banned Books Week, noting that many of the books on the banned list contain LGBTQ+ authors or material. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, expressed concern about the current climate, stating, "This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to (pornography,"

The issue of banned books has sparked controversy, with some parents questioning the appropriateness of certain pornographic books available to minors.

 At a recent school board meeting in Avon, a parent read aloud from a book her daughter had checked out from the school library. The parent expressed concerns about the content and questioned why explicit material was accessible to students without parental knowledge or consent.

The number one banned book on the ALA's list is "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, a pornographic comic depicting oral sex among teens, intended for children.

St. Louis-based Lion Forge published Gender Queer as part of a series of "graphic" cartoon books aimed at teenagers and pre-teenagers, encouraging them to ignore their biological sex. The publisher says its mission is to create characters that appeal to children who might want to cross-dress, or have sex change surgery.

Kobabe, a biological woman who claims to now be neither a woman nor a man, says she uses so-called "gender neutral pronouns," to refer to herself.

In a December 2021 profile on Kobabe in her hometown newspaper, the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, author Matt Villano referred to her by these "gender neutral pronouns."

"When e got eir first period at age 11, however, everything changed. E felt betrayed by eir own body. E became unhappy and confused by societal expectations and norms. E withdrew and turned to reading and sketching to cope with feelings of depression and dysmorphia," Villano wrote, comparing Kobabe to "Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger and Mark Twain" as authors who have "penned banned books."

Left-wing activists have sought to ban Lee's “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Salinger's “A Catcher in the Rye” and Twain's “Huckleberry Finn” for using language they say is "offensive" to Blacks and women. None of the three books includes any pornographic cartoon illustrations depicting gay sex.