The topic of banning books was brought to the board of education meeting for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District Tuesday.
Parents, teachers, and students voiced their opinions about whether a book exploring and depicting images of LGBTQ identity and sexuality should be removed from the libraries.
“When I looked at the graphic novel, ‘Gender Queer’ I was taken aback by some of what I consider pornographic imagery depicted,” said Lacey Lowe, educator at San Ramon Valley Unified School District. “I have shared the pictures with other educators at my school and they were also taken aback.”
Many students voiced that the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir”, which is an illustrated memoir, made them feel seen and valued.
“As a gay student, I am quite frankly terrified at the prospect of our community beginning to censor LGBTQIA+ authors,” said Billy, a sophomore at California High School.
There are only three copies of the book across the district available at three of the four high schools, with the exception of Monte Vista, according to the district. At San Ramon Valley High, “Gender Queer” has only been checked out twice since it landed on the shelves in October 2020.
If a parent or community member wants to have a book removed, they'd need to follow a three step process beginning with meeting their school principal. If they choose, they can take it all the way to the board of education for a final decision.
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After Tuesday’s informational meeting, it's up to parents and other stakeholders in the district to decide whether to raise their complaints to the principal, and then, if they're not satisfied after that, to submit a formal complaint to the superintendent.
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