Virginia Parent Demands Removal of "Two Boys Kissing" From School Library

While the urban areas of Virginia continue to move forward and embrace the 21st century, rural areas within the state  - and not just Southwest Virginia, although it is by far the most backward  region - race to embrace backwardness and knuckle dragging religious based bigotry.  A case in point?  A parent of a student in the Fauquier County Public Schools wants the school system to remove the book “Two Boys Kissing” from the school libraries.  God forbid her little darling be exposed to the horror that gays exist.  For non-Virginians, Fauquier County is southwest of Washington, D.C., and northwest of Fredericksburg, Virginia.  While parts of the county includes horse farms of the wealthy, other areas are not exactly what one would considered educated or open minded.  The Farquier Times looks at this effort to censor library content for all students.  Here are excerpts:

A parent's request to pull from high school libraries a book about the struggle of gay and transgender teens has triggered a public hearing on whether or not the book should remain available to Fauquier public high school students.

Fauquier County Public Schools has received a request from a parent to withdraw from student use the book “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan which is a part of the high schools’ library collections. A school committee at Fauquier High School decided to retain the book in its library collection, and the parent is appealing the decision to the superintendent.

The book's Amazon synopsis describes the story of "Two Boys Kissing," in which ". . .Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing (former) couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other."

In accordance with Policy 6-5.7, the associate superintendent is forming a review committee. On Wednesday, April 23 in the conference room of the school board office, the committee will consider the complainant’s request. From 1:30-3 p.m. the committee will interview the complainant and possibly others related to the decision to withdraw or retain the book. From 3-4 p.m. the committee will hold a public hearing during which time interested citizens may speak to the review committee concerning the subject. The committee will discuss its findings and render a decision on the same date. All proceedings on April 23 are open to the public.

A copy of the “Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources” may be obtained from the office of the associate superintendent, phone (540) 422-7006.

For those who would like to share their thoughts with the Superintendent, David C. Jeck, his email address is djeck@fcps1.org , and his phone number is (540) 422-7020.  Meanwhile, whoever this parent is, I hope their knuckles do not get too bloody from dragging along the ground while they have their head up their ass.  If they find the book offensive, all the need do is for bid little Johnny or Suzie from reading it.  But for the "godly folk" that is never enough.