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On Tuesday, the Rancocas Valley High School in Mt. Holly, New Jersey (motto: “Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, Excellence”), allowed parents to vote the board voted to ban from its library Revolutionary Voices, a book released in 2000 and described as a “groundbreaking” collection of short stories that “speaks to the isolation and fear of being queer and young.” Oh, and it’s all about queer youth! (Updated.)
Apparently there are photographic depictions of gay men having sex? (No, says author Amy Sonnie. The photo of “one man bent at the waist with another man standing close behind him” is actually “a stock photo of one man hiking a football to the other.”)
Continue teaching children that there’s a reason to be scared of gay people, and children will continue growing up to be gay bashing adults.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Update: Turns out the 9.12 Project, which Glenn Beck started, is behind the campaign to ban the book. The 18 residents who lobbied the school board acknowledged they were working on behalf of 9.12.
Devon
“Continue teaching children that there’s a reason to be scared of gay people, and children will continue growing up to be gay bashing adults.”
That’s exactly what these bigoted pieces of shit are banking on.
ossurworld
Learn about life in school? When did that ever happen?
AlwaysGay
The haterosexual dictatorship is on the march. This is how the Larry Craigs, Jim McGreeveys, Donnie McClurkins, and Eric Massas are produced. Haterosexuals want all education (in school and out) haterosexual-only and if homosexuality is taught at all they want it to be negative. Haterosexuals don’t want gay people to have autonomy, they want us to be subservient, docile and pertually disadvantaged. People like Larry Craig internalize the anti-gay bigotry/ haterosexual-only rhetoric and actions and in turn pretend to be haterosexual and hide their homosexuality. Gay people when they accept their sexuality need to acknowledge the hatred heterosexuals taught them and metaphorically cleanse themselves of it. Hopefully the gay kids living their are brave enough to accept their sexuality and look for resources to help themselves.
Wy
First, the story states that the board voted, not the parents – but based on a complaint from a woman who looks a tad um elderly to be a biological parent of anybody at that high school. Maybe it is the only lending library within walking distance of her home?
It speaks volumes that the only student to speak at the meeting was more concerned about the budget and the fate of art/music programs than her/his morality being corrupted by a book.
Why didn’t the board persevere by respectfully offering those offended on both sides a means to retain their integrity and compromise with an opt-out/in controlling access to borrowing or viewing said book on diversity after placing it in the no-doubt excellent reserved/reference stacks behind the library counter?
Instead it seems most craven of the administrators, rude of the ‘offended’ parties and plain underhanded in general to show such disdain towards and exclusionary of what appears to be the minority opinion on the sole basis of majority (or at least loudest) voice.
They should rethink their motto.
Lamar
It’s ironic that breeders say that gays have an agenda when they seek to ban books that feature homosexuality.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Who wants to lay odds that miserable old crunt has a Gay son????
Jean
Oh sweet shock! The students don’t give a crap about the book! The parents are making lots of annoying noise! They don’t have enough funding! NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE BOOK. Surprise!
Way too many exclamation points, I know, but… Yeah..
Mike L.
You can tell that freaken female dog with the blond hair and glasses had nothing else to do with her life than to make other’s more miserable.
I agree w the other lady who spoke, who is this other lawn maitenance tool (and those who voted w her) to tell her and other parents what can and what can’t their and children read.
Again that female dog has too much time in her hands, her hubby is prolly out having intimate you know whats with some young guy so she’s got lots of time on her hands, idle hands.
ewe
I guess the NJ governor slashing the budget has an effect indeed. Apparently these people have too much time on their hands.
jeffree
No teen would probably have ever KNOWN about the book if such a royal stink wasn’t made about it !
Now it’s “forbidden fruit” & more interesting.
School needs to drop the word DIVERSITY from the motto. Replace it with HOMOGENEITY….ooh that sounds kinda naughty !
Scott in NYC
Good…now they can move on to the depictions of heterosexual sex in sex ed class and they can remove that movie where I watched a baby come out of a spread eagle vagina. Censorship is bad enough. Selective censorship is bigotry.
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
NAZIs ban books!
Bob
My partner and his siblings went to that school and lived in Mt. Holly for many years. It was always a nice tolerant community. It looks like the hateful trailer trash has moved in now! These people need to get a life if all they can worry about is that their little darlings might see a graphic picture of men having sex. Do these ignorant slobs know about the internet? Kids are searching sex sites as much or more than we older generation so nothing shocks them.
a
did anyone notice how that one kid almost said “teenagers today watch PORN!” but then said more graphic stuff instead
haha
AlwaysGay
@a: A study released last year found the average age heterosexuals have their first sexual encounter is 13 years old which means more than half of heterosexuals are having sex before they are teenagers. For gay people it’s 15.6 years old. (Don’t ask me for a link because I don’t have it) Don’t be fooled by the facade heterosexuals put up, you should know better because you’ve been around them since day one.
A Revolutionary Voice
I’m one of the contributors to this book, and the “graphic” art of “gay men having sex while boyscouts look on” is actually just a collage of images from boyscout manuals remixed with an image of wrestlers. Yes, it’s supposed to make you think that the wrestlers are two men having sex, but these images are an exploration of masculinity, scouting, and growing up queer. His name is Daryl Vocat, and he’s still producing great work.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
RE: Glen Becks involvment……..Talk about a ticking time bomb. I lay odds that he is the next major rightwing lunatic to self implode. He was a washed up shock jock who suddenly developed the angry conserative shtick which has been sickeningly successful. There have been rumors of him being involved in a murder of a woman back in the early 90’s among other accusations including heavy drug use and illegal activities……..Can’t wait till all the skeletons come tumbling out of his vile hatefilled closet……………….
Andy
These bigots should move to Saudi Arabia to be with their head-constricted brethren.
PopSnap
If I went to school there, I’d take the book before they removed it, refused to give it back, and pay all the fees associated with keeping it.
No way would I let the american taliban win.
maddie
The kids are teaching adults how to do their jobs and what’s relevant for a schoolboard to talk about.
maddie
The positive point is, that it’s going to genreate a little bit of promotion for the book.
Medic
Thank God for someone’s willingness to take a moral stand where kids are concerned.