Juno Dawson (2014) Hot Key Books, London

Number of challenges: 48

Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claimed to be sexually explicit

Dawson has created a non-fiction resource as a guide, resource and “instruction manual” (Dawson, 2014, pg.7) offered to any individual questioning their gender and/or sexual orientation. At the time of writing secondary school sex education was lacking inclusivity for students not fitting the cisgender mould (thankfully this situation has improved in Australian schools at least) and Dawson, as a Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship educator within a UK high school, a gay man, and eventual transgender woman wanted to support teenagers facing questions on these themes.

Dawson documents biological research and traditional viewpoints juxtaposed with personal experience and LGBTQIA narratives in a text that is warm, funny and inclusive in promotion of freedom of choice and life-style affirmation for adolescents of all ages. Unfortunately, many USA readers who would benefit from this open-minded resource are denied its advocacy as MFL pursue their quest with documented ‘guidance’ regarding material on “LGBTQ and “people of colour”  (GLAAD, 2023, para 4), and conservative political representatives increase oppressive legislation on homosexuality and transgender individuals (American Civil Liberties Union, 2023),