ELK GROVE, Calif. — Parents and students spoke their minds about what they consider to be controversial books and reading materials at Elk Grove Unified School District libraries Tuesday night.
People packed the district's Board of Education meeting to denounce books they say contain explicit material, calling for them to be banned from the libraries.
“Stop trying to usurp our responsibility to teach our kids about sex and our right to teach them in a way that conforms to our beliefs especially because we love our children better and more than any professional educator could,” said one public speaker.
Students spoke at the meeting as well, advocating against banning books because the topics “will come up sooner or later in everybody’s lives,” said Elk Grove High School student Josh Rosal.
“I really think that everybody has the right to be themselves, and be open, and that should not be taken away by anybody,” he said.
Rosal’s classmates agree, adding that they think the concerns from parents and other activists are overblown.
“It has to do with parental figures afraid of LGBTQ+ and people of color narratives being exposed to their children,” said Franklin High School student Celine Quin. “To us, it genuinely feels like there are adults who are more focused on ideological debates, who are more focused on masquerading under whatever creed or whatever notion of ‘family values’ that they have.”
This debate is not only happening in California, but across the country.
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy read aloud some of the passages in Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe during a Senate Committee meeting to support the idea of banning certain books from libraries across the country.
“Quote: I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you,” he read then.
In a report on parents rights, the district said students have first amendment rights and the state constitution does not permit the official suppression of ideas.
