Banned book of the day is "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.
With its true story of 2 male penguins raising a baby, it's been targeted for years. But we @PENamerica are seeing an uptick in efforts to ban it across FL... #FreeTheBooks
In Lake County. the district banned the book specifically b/c of the "Don't Say Gay" law. Note: the law bans "classroom instruction" on gender and sexuality, not library books. No matter. 🤷♂️ h/t @FLFreedomRead
In Escambia, FL, Tango was one of 100+ books challenged by a teacher, which resulted in it going on backroom shelves for a time and requiring a parental permission slip. The objection? "LGBTQ agenda using penguins", and some key excerpts:
🐧🏳️🌈🐧 pnj.com/story/news/loc…
Schools in Escambia reviewed the book, and here's some of what they said -- aiming to influence the district's review. One referenced a specific prohibition in Escambia on reading any LGBTQ books aloud. !
Turns out Tango was *also* on a list of 58 titles called "pornographic" and circulated to districts across FL this year by the 'FL Citizens Alliance'. Some put it under review, pulled, or banned outright. Here's Lee County:
[Should go without saying, these penguins are not porn]
In Collier, Tango was slapped with a warning label - an "advisory notice to parents" that says "some" find it "unsuitable". Why? Simply b/c it was on this list of 58 books from FLCA. See the pattern? pen.org/press-release/…
In Walton, superintendent got the FLCA list & ordered all 58 books removed "for review". That was in April. But seems the review hasn't started. Also turns out Tango and many books weren't *on* their library shelves. They were ordered removed anyways. pen.org/book-banning-i…
FLCA is just one of many groups that have driven the movement to ban books for the last year, profiled in @nytimes this week. What's happening with Tango is a good illustration of how a small group is having outsized impact on what all students can read 📚nytimes.com/2022/12/12/boo…
One more for good measure? The Highlands school board *also* removed Tango "for review" this summer, and it doesn't appear yet back on shelves. It was one of a bunch that were pulled (grayed, below). The list... looks like the one from FLCA... again.
credit: @FLFreedomRead
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