‘A book in the middle of a big controversy in Florida is a common title available at public libraries across Iowa. It is also available at Waukee Northwest High School, Carlisle High School and Iowa City City High. Readers are encouraged to check their local school libraries to see if it is on the shelf.
The book is called âThis Book Is Gay.â
In Florida, the book was discovered in a middle school library. We reviewed a copy of it at an Iowa library. We will be sharing excerpts from it over the next few days or so.
The book is shelved as a âyoung adultâ book. The shelf is labeled as âteen.â
The book has been âupdatedâ from its 2014 version. The author, a person now called âJunoâ who used to be called James. The author said the book has âtaken the world by storm.â
âItâs been translated into a dozen languages; itâs been banned in Alaska; itâs hit the headlines in the U.K.â
The book tells kids the point of âcoming outâ is to âhave the FREEDOM to be who we are.â
âWhen did that stop being FUN?â it asks.
The LGBTQ+ club is the âhippest members club in town.â
Kids are told that just because LGBTQâers are in the minority, it doesnât mean they arenât normal.
âPeople with blue eyes are in the minority too, but we donât think of them as abnormal, do we?â it asks.
Kids are told there are three options for people with same-sex âsexthoughts.â And basically ignoring those thoughts is option one.
âBut I think these people are probably very sad and angry. I also think a lot of crazy homophobes are lingering perilously close to option one, and this is what makes them so hateful.â
Option two exists, which more people choose.
âYou can totally have sex with people who are the same gender as you and not be âgayâ or âlesbianâ or âbi.â
Option three allows people to be âout and proud and open about their relationships or gender.â
âYou have very little choice about your sexual preferences or gender, but only you get to define yourself. Living with stress and secrets is stressful.â
Kids are told âwe all CONSIDER sex with both men and women.â
âWhy wouldnât we? Weâre surrounded by sexy images in magazines and on TV. People who say they havenât thought about it are probably liars. Therefore, itâs all about what we prefer sexually. We need to be open-minded at all times,â the book tells kids.
Sexual preference and gender are also fluid, kids are told â meaning they can feel one way now and another way later.
âIn fact, when this book was first published, I was a gay man,â the author wrote. âNow Iâm a trans woman! Thatâs just the way it goes, ainât it.â
Kids are told the following about being âcuriousâ or âquestioning:â
âAll young people should spend time thinking about desire. I think everyone would be a lot happier if they took a few weeks to dwell on what does it for them. Itâd resolve a lot of tension and grief.â
Just like when it compared LGBTQ identities to people who have blue eyes, it compares things you might not think youâd like to food you might not think youâd like.
âI wouldnât eat prawns until I was 18 â the mere idea of them freaked me out. But then I tried them and it turns out theyâre DELISH.â
Transgender is defined as an umbrella term for all people who experiment with or move between genders.
Transsexual is a person who feels they were born into the wrong gender.
Transvestite is a cross-dresser who enjoys wearing clothes traditionally assigned to the opposite sex, mostly for fun.
And a drag queen/king is a âperformance cross-dresser.â
âAdvertisers would like us to believe that being female somehow feels different to being male, but we will never really know,â the book says.
âIt sometimes seems bonkers to me to think that a dude would have to be âtransâ to put on a skirt or some heels,â the book continues. âSadly, as most of the world is blind to how small-minded this is, thatâs the way the cookie crumbles. For now.â
Mental gymnastics is required to follow the next part â that people choose separate identities for both gender and sexuality.
The author used to identify as a gay man, but is now a straight trans woman.
Kids are told LGBTQ+ people do not choose to be LGBTQ+, but âhomophobes and transphobesâ who are bigoted choose to hate.
The author writes that they hope they have âsoldâ the LGBTQ+ thing pretty well.
âI mean, it does sound brilliant, doesnât it? You get to dress how you like and make out with whomever you want. Itâs hip and trendy.â
Weâll release the next story tomorrow further showing portions of this book, which again, is shelved in a section for teens and housed at at least a few public high school libraries across Iowa.
The most obscene parts are yet to come.’https://theiowastandard.com/waukee-high-school-public-libraries-across-iowa-stock-book-causing-major-controversy-in-florida/