New RFK Jr.-inspired book challenge in DSD this week: SPEAK UP! by Rebecca Burgess. It's a middle grade graphic novel about an autistic girl that finds her voice with the help of her nonbinary friend. 1/
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This book is so unobjectionable that it doesn't even have a "review" posted to BookLooks or Rated Books. But a parent still challenged it because they believe that a nonbinary character isn't age-appropriate for elementary school children. Here's the text of their complaint: 2/
As supporting evidence, they point to Trump's EO on "ending radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling." This EO, of course, does not provide any grounds for removing this book from DSD schools. Books may only be removed if they contain "sensitive materials" as defined by Utah law. 3/
Book banners know this. But they are still trying to ban this book anyway. As many others have previously pointed out, book banners are trying to equate queerness with "porn" so they can ban books that include those characters, too. 4/
I don't expect this challenge to go far. Because this book doesn't contain any sensitive material whatsoever, this book will ultimately be retained after a months-long review process. But I think we can expect more challenges that try to push the line of what constitutes "sensitive materials." 5/
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