Banned Books: GLBTQ issues and Censorship Paper

Culture Wars regarding GLBTQ issues: Another Reason to Ban Books in America

I chose to explore a topic which has been and will continue to be an issue in our school and public libraries. Books are censored from school and public libraries for many different reasons and the ALA has a website which breaks down the instances of these challenges and the reasons given for them.[1]  The issue that I chose to focus on for this presentation and paper is homosexuality, particularly in children’s and YA literature. Those who oppose representations of homosexuality in children’s books are trying to guard their children against what they see as harmful influences. If we, as librarians allow those citizens to affect the materials that we select and choose to house in our libraries, we are censoring material that some patrons might find helpful.  As librarians, we have a responsibility to serve every member of our community, keeping in mind those communities who have been traditionally underserved.[2]

The Avoidance of controversy is the cause of most instances of censorship in libraries, often done by librarians themselves. As one of my group members, Karl, covered in his portion of the presentation, most books are censored in the collection development stage in libraries; that is, they never have a chance to be acquired for the library. It is understandable, for library professionals to be afraid of controversy, as it must be a scary situation to find yourself in.[3] Many library professionals assume that they do not have any GLBTQ citizens coming into their libraries because these citizens remain silent and do not ask for information. This is a mistake; libraries must provide ideas and information across the spectrum of social and political views.[4] Libraries also have an obligation under the Library Bill of Rights to disseminate information representing all points of view on the topic of gay rights.[5]

My group member, Alison, covered in our presentation, some of the main reasons why books are banned or challenged and what the differences between these two terms are.[6] Although book challenges happen and they are scary for professionals, making children’s and young adult books inclusive for all children is also important to their development. [7] Many teenagers, whether they are GLBTQ themselves or have family members who are, seek out “positive and realistic portrayals of GLBTQ characters in fiction” and these resources in libraries, openly available to these teens, helps to “reduce feelings of isolation and despair.”[8] The American Library Association (ALA), Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) and American Association for School Libraries (AASL) are all places where library professionals, facing challenges to materials in their libraries can turn to.

There are a few organizations which actively attempt to censor and help others censor materials in libraries; the FFL is just one of them. The FFL (Family Friendly Libraries) is a national organization which started in Virginia and really began to take off in 1996.[9] This organization was established to fight internet pornography and age-inappropriate materials in local school and public libraries. The FFL now helps to rally people in all 50 states.[10] They call for parental access to children’s borrowing records (which would be a violation of ALA policy on confidentiality), restricting children’s access to what they call “anti-family” books while increasing the holdings of what they deem to be “pro-family” works. The FFL represents people with concerns who try to get librarians to either remove titles or accept restrictive acquisition-and-access guidelines.[11] For example, with books like Daddy’s Roommate (1990) and Heather Has Two Mommies (1989), the FFL would expect that if a library did collect these books, those dealing with children from GLBT households, that it could acquire them, but it could not allow children to read them and this library would be asked by the FFL to “balance” these new acquisitions with titles such as “you don’t have to be gay,” or books like it that treat homosexuality as a curable psychological disorder.[12]

The result of these complaints by the FFL and others like them who try to censor materials in public and school libraries is that, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the American Library Association (ALA) began drafting documents like the one that the class was asked to review before the presentation, from which this paper was born. Although documents like the Library Bill of Rights have been drafted and updated to protect libraries since the 1930’s, school and public librarians felt the need to draft more documents which cover specifics, like library acquisition policies.[13]

Another book, for younger children is a delightful one called, And Tango makes Three. Published in 2005, it is a young children’s book based on a true story of two male chinstrap penguins that adopt a baby penguin and raise it together as a family. It has been one of the most challenged books in libraries since 2006.[14] Because so many of these books, which are available, are not acquired by libraries for one reason or another, or are being constantly censored and therefore may be hard to find in some communities, websites are a wonderful alternative for families seeking information and entertainment with is truly “family-friendly.”

Unfortunately many of the issues with censorship that we face now are not only in the paper books that we read but also on the internet.[15] Publisher, Laura Matanah, started rainbow Rumpus, the world’s first online magazine for LGBT families.  This is the world’s only online magazine for children and youth with LGBT families. The website gives all families access to positive materials, such as free printable books, blogs book reviews and comics. Started by Ms. Matanah after she realized that families like hers were not being represented often in books or online.[16] Ms. Matanah’s daughter saw a photo in the Human Rights Campaign magazine Equality and said “Look mommy! Two moms and twins just like us!”[17] This online resource gives information to GLBTQ families all over the world. Unfortunately, internet filtering can block access to informational websites like Rainbow Rumpus in some school and public libraries. Often the filtering software looks for keywords like, “gay, lesbian and homosexual,” and blocks access to any websites containing these words, equating them with pornographic or shameful sites, which also serves as a negative example for children.[18]

In book selection, it is important not to assume that there are only heterosexual parented families in your community or even that those families would not value books with diverse stories and characters. It is also important not to avoid choosing certain titles because you want to avoid controversy. There is really no way to avoid controversy and by trying, you are actively taking part in another type of censorship, self-censorship. Both the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) here in Madison and the ALA’s website provides useful information for librarians in what to do if a book in challenged.[19] It is important for librarians to know their rights and responsibilities and to have places to turn to if they are facing a challenge.

Works Cited:

ALA.” Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.”http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips/index.cfm (accessed on December 12, 2010).

ALA.” Resolution on Threats to Library Materials Related to Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation.” http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/threats.cfm (accessed December 12, 2010)

ALA. “Challenges by Reason.” http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengesbytype/index.cfm (accessed December 13, 2010)

ALA. “ About Banned and Challenged Books.” http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/aboutbannedbooks/index.cfm (accessed December 18, 2010)

Alexander, Linda B. and Miselis, Sarah D. “Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them.” Young Adult Library Services vol. 5 no. 3 (Spring 2007): 43-49.

Boyer, P.S. (2002). Purity in print: book censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age. Print culture history in modern America. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

Chamberlain, Katherine. September 30, 2010, “Spotlight on Censorship—And Tango Makes Three,” The Office for Intellectual Freedom Blog, http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=1541 (accessed December 12, 2010).

FFL. “Guidelines for Working With Local Public Library Boards.” http://www.fflibraries.org/recommendations_public_library.html (accessed on December 12, 2010).

Rainbow Rumpus. “Our History and Mission.” http://www.rainbowrumpus.org/about/history (accessed December 12, 2010).

Rowell, Elizabeth H. Missing: Picture Books Reflecting Gay and Lesbian Families. Young Children vol. 62, issue. 3, May 2007: 24-30

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[1] ALA, http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengesbytype/index.cfm (accessed December 13, 2010)

[2] Linda B. Alexander and Sarah D. Miselis, “Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them.” Young Adult Library Services vol. 5 no. 3 (Spring 2007): 43. The authors refer here to GLBTQ teens as an underserved library community. I dare to extend this “underserved” label to GLBTQ families, which is the community I have focused on for this paper.

[3] Ibid.: 43.

[4]ALA,http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips/index.cfm (accessed on December 12, 2010).

[5]ALA http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/threats.cfm (accessed December 12, 2010).

[6] ALA, http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/aboutbannedbooks/index.cfm (accessed December 18, 2010). According to the ALA’s web page, “About Banned and Challenged Books,” often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content or “offensive” language. The following were the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom: 1.) the material was considered to be “sexually explicit”; 2.) the material contained “offensive language”; 3.) the material was “unsuited to any age group.”

[7] Elizabeth H. Rowell, “Missing: Picture Books Reflecting Gay and Lesbian Families.” Young Children vol. 62, issue. 3 (May 2007): 24

[8] Linda B. Alexander and Sarah D. Miselis, “Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them.” Young Adult Library Services, Spring 2007: 45.

[9] P.S. Boyer, Purity in Print: Book Censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age. Print Culture History in Modern America. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press (2002): 326. The FFL was established by a woman named Karen Jo Gounaud in 1992 in Fairfax County, Virginia, the organization  really began to take off in 1996.

[10] FFL, http://www.fflibraries.org/recommendations_public_library.html (accessed December 12, 2010). This website provides those who wish to censor library materials with guidelines and suggestions for affecting library policy.

[11] P.S. Boyer, Purity in Print: Book Censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age. Print Culture History in Modern America. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press (2002): 326.

[12] Ibid.: 326.

[13] There are several other groups such as PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books in Schools), also based in Virginia which have similar goals in providing resources for citizens who wish to see a book or other material removed from a school library. Here in Wisconsin, just outside of Milwaukee, the West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries has been attempting to ban public library materials and fight the ALA and their Bill of Rights. These organizations are active online.

[14] Katherine Chamberlain, September 30, 2010, “Spotlight on Censorship—And Tango Makes Three,” The Office for Intellectual Freedom Blog, http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=1541 (accessed December 12, 2010).

[15] Since our group project was based around school libraries and the banning on books, in particular, I wanted to mostly stay away from the subject of internet filtering because I didn’t want to throw off my group member’s presentations or make it seem like we had missed something, when in actuality, I think we covered our bases rather well considering we were taking on such a huge subject.

[16] Taken from a personal telephone interview with Laura Matanah by the author, Jessica Miesner, on December 2, 2010.

[17] http://www.rainbowrumpus.org/about/history (accessed December 12, 2010).

[18] Linda B. Alexander and Sarah D. Miselis, “Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them.” Young Adult Library Services, Spring 2007: 45. This article provides many useful resources and examples of instances of discrimination and how it might adversely effect children.

[19]http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips/index.cfm (accessed on December 12, 2010). The website states that in the event that a material is challenged in a library, a response for a librarian is “The library has a responsibility to serve all taxpayers, including those you may not agree with—or who may not agree with you. We believe parents know what’s best for their children, and each parent is responsible for supervising his or her child. You can control what your children are exposed to simply by going with them to visit the library or supervising what they bring home.  Maegan covered many of these resources in her portion of the presentation.