The ACLU of Texas is calling on Granbury ISD to apologize for the removal of more than 100 books from its library shelves. A majority of the books removed center on LGBTQ+ or race-related topics.
Kate Huddleston, an attorney for the ACLU, said the school district should apologize for the removals and release a statement explicitly affirming its commitment to LGBTQ and racial inclusivity as well as to teaching the history of racism and racial injustice. She said removing the books in the first place will have a chilling effect and could discourage children of color and LGBTQ youth in the district from seeking out those titles even when they’re available again.
“Granbury ISD’s mass book removals have already harmed students in the district, both by directly suppressing speech and access to ideas and by sending the message to Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ students that Granbury ISD rejects their history and belonging in the community,” the ACLU said in a letter sent on Monday to the school district that was also signed by other civil rights organizations in the state.
Huddleston stopped short of saying the organization would file a lawsuit against Granbury ISD if the removed books weren’t returned to the district’s libraries.Granbury ISD officials did not respond Monday to a request for comment on the ACLU’s letter. Though they’ve returned most books to the district’s libraries, Granbury ISD leaders said in the press release that they decided to remove one book permanently “because of sexually explicit content” but did not specify what the title was. Two others were either lost or never in the district’s book catalog, they said. A committee will complete its review of the 25 books remaining next month, the district said.
About 94 of the books initially removed, or 73% of them, feature LGBTQ characters or themes, according to aIn 2013, the ACLU was successful in getting a book title back onto shelves in a Utah school library. The organization settled a lawsuit with the district, which agreed to restock a book about two mothers and their adopted children. The title had been taken off shelves because some parents complained it"normalized a lifestyle we don’t agree with.
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