Loudoun County Public School’s (LCPS) Superintendent and a school board committee voted Jan. 13 to remove a book from the district’s high school library due to its “sexual content.”
An LCPS school board committee voted 3-0 to uphold Superintendent Scott Ziegler’s order to remove “Gender Queer: A Memoir” from high school libraries, according to a statement from LCPS Spokesperson Wayde Byard. Byard told the Washington Post that a school board committee initially recommended “on a split vote” to keep “Gender Queer” in the high school library collection, but “the superintendent decided to remove the book from circulation.”
Ziegler told the Washington Post that the “pictorial depictions” in the book “ran counter to what is appropriate in school.”
“I read every book that is submitted for my review in its entirety,” Ziegler said. “I am not generally in favor of removing books from the library.”
Breaking news from @Tyler2ONeil @FoxNews. As Gov. Glenn Youngkin takes office, @LCPSOfficial Supt removes from shelves “Gender Queer,” with the image of a naked man fondling a boy’s penis. @fcpsnews + other school districts need to follow suit. #FairfaXXXhttps://t.co/7aBvbWSq43
— Asra Q. Nomani 🐻 (@AsraNomani) January 17, 2022
One of the school board members took to Facebook to explain why he voted to remove “Gender Queer” and uphold Ziegler’s decision. Board member Ian Serotkin argued that the book’s visual depiction of “sexual content” made it different than other books that describe in writing a sexual encounter.
“Sexual content is a large part of this book. It is not fleeting or brief. The sexually explicit illustrations which have gotten significant media and public attention may only appear on a handful of pages, but sexual themes are pervasive throughout the book,” Serotkin said. “And, the sexually explicit illustrations themselves cannot be ignored. I think I can draw a line between something being described in writing and it being depicted in living color.”
Two months ago, in nearby Fairfax County Public Schools, the district voted to retain “Gender Queer” in libraries in an effort to “provide diverse reading materials that reflect [the] student population.” The district claims that there is “no pedophilia” in the book.
The district also claimed that the themes of the book are “affirming for students who will recognize that they are not alone as they experience similar systemic challenges and societal prejudices.” (RELATED: Fairfax Public Schools Reinstates Pornographic Books As A Commitment To ‘Diverse Reading Materials’)
Asra Nomani, a parent in the Fairfax school district, told Fox News that she believes Loudoun County made the right decision by removing “Gender Queer” from its public school libraries.
“Loudoun County Public Schools has finally made a wise decision, listening to parents about the dangerous phenomenon of woke porn landing in the hands of children,” Nomani said. “Other school systems, including Fairfax County, Virginia, should pay heed, instead of insisting on virtue signaling.”
The fight against alleged pornographic materials is not exclusive to the northern Virginia area. Parents across the country, including Texas, are calling on their local school districts to remove “Gender Queer” from distribution.