KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Thursday, two LGBTQ+ titles available in some Knox County Schools libraries attracted an uproar from some parents — Gender Queer: A Memoir and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.
In response, KCS leaders said they plan to establish new councils and committees to review the materials available in school libraries. In spring, they said they plan to establish School Library Councils and Sensitive Title Review Committees.
The councils are meant to give input about book decisions, while the committee would be tasked with evaluating books on sensitive topics like drugs, sex and violence. The School Library Councils would be made up of some stakeholders from grades 5-7, such as librarians, principals, classroom teachers, counselors and parents. The councils would also be responsible for identifying materials that libraries need, and ultimately deciding on recommendations from the committees.
There would be three committees across the school district — one for elementary schools, one for middle schools and one for high schools. The committees would be tasked with reading and evaluating "sensitive titles" following a schedule made by KCS Library Media Services.
"To ban a book is to destroy a library," said Johnathan Knight, a junior at West High School student who spoke against additional restrictions on books. "Students are the ones that are going to live this experience."
Knight also argued that teens already have access to explicit information through the internet, and restricting books could further marginalize students and communities.
"Teens should be aware of, pretty much, every explicit information out there. And if they aren't already, they will be through the internet," Knight said.
Gender Queer, one of the books targeted by restriction efforts, is a 2019 memoir written by Maia Kobabe, recounting their explorations of gender identity and sexuality from adolescence to adulthood. It shows how they came to identify outside of the gender binary — a gender-queer person whose journey of self-discovery included experiences with sex.
Fun Home, the other targeted LBGTQ+ book, was adapted into a musical and explores a young woman's relationship with her father and family after they isolate themselves from art. Soon after coming out as lesbian, the character's father killed himself, complicating her relationship with the rest of her family and with her own identity.
It was removed from a Pennsylvania school district last year after its review committee recommended keeping it.
The American Library Association tracked more than 1,200 demands to ban books in libraries across the U.S. in 2022.
"Among the reasons cited in the challenges are LGBTQ+ subject matter, sexually explicit content or content that depicts equality, diversity and inclusion," the Southern Poverty Law Center said.
Currently, KCS has a process to evaluate books — the Collection Development Process. It includes four stages: a needs assessment, selection and acquisition, access and then evaluation. KCS also said books can already be challenged for a variety of reasons, such as if they're too frightening or explicit.
"These books shouldn't have to go through a review process, the principals should be able to make decisions based on what is obscene and what is not," said Sheri Supr, the chapter chair for Moms for Liberty in Knox County. "We just want to make sure that they're education, and they are appropriate for the age."
The Southern Poverty Law Center recognizes Moms for Liberty as a far-right, antigovernment organization "that engages in anti-student inclusion activities and self-identifies as part of the modern parental rights movement." It is specifically opposed to LGBTQ+ and racially-inclusive curricula.
KCS said once the councils and committees are established, they will start by reviewing three books. Those books are A Tale Dark and Grimm for elementary schools, Hey Kiddo for middle schools and Gender Queer for high schools.