The issue of book banning and censorship in American school libraries has accelerated over the past four years. Novels containing LGBTQ+ issues are specifically being targeted and banned within high school classrooms (Glass, 2024).

Ensuring that this practice does not extend to Australia, and guaranteeing a child’s freedom to read is vital to both my professional and personal development – as both a librarian and queer community member.

I started by reading and reviewing the children’s novel Too Bright to See  by Kyle Lukoff (see Appendix A). Lukoff’s debut novel is at heart a ghost story, in which the main character just happens to start identifying as a transgender boy. It is this simple and secondary detail that has the novel under threat of restriction from school libraries. It is also important to note that while Too Bright to See  has not yet been banned outright, a picture book by the same author was banned by a Texas school district because of its transgender main character (Makhijani, 2023).

What did I learn?

After reading and completing my review of Too Bright to See, I wanted to know exactly how and why books get challenged or banned from inclusion in schools and public libraries. I found that most book challenges are unsuccessful, but were also challenged with the ‘best intentions’ – to ‘protect’ others, frequently children, from difficult, inappropriate or offensive themes (American Library Association, 2019). However, it appears that what is deemed inappropriate or offensive is purely subjective and rarely holds any socially or scientifically verifiable clout. In fact, free speech experts have argued that vague language within book-banning policies only disguises the bigotry and victimisation of the historically marginalised LGBTQIA+ community.

Relevance to Professional Practice

I had two reasons for wanting to read and review a challenged novel. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I think it is paramount that this kind of literature is made available to youth and young adults, especially those who may be questioning their gender identity and/or sexuality. Children are becoming aware of feeling same-sex attractions at an average age of ten years (D’Augelli et. al., 2005) and those who are exposed to queer characters in their reading material at this age are less likely to feel alienated or confused by these feelings. As a librarian, I believe that all information – fiction and non-fiction – should be freely available and easily accessible to those who seek it, regardless of age. I feel I would be a better librarian and a credit to the profession by allowing this freedom of information and rebutting any arguments that may restrict certain titles and themes from a collection.

Knowledge Gaps

I identified and acknowledged gaps in my knowledge about book banning, and recognise that my personal experiences have given me an unconscious bias in fighting against these challenges and bans. I struggle to maintain composure when discussing this lived experience and I must remain professional if  I ever have to deal with protests or arguments. Engaging in this professional activity has solidified the importance of queer representation for children, but also shown me how to respectfully engage troubled patrons and discuss their concerns.

Appendix A

American Library Association. (2019, July 30). Banned book FAQ. Banned and challenged books. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned-books-qa

D’Augelli, A. R., Grossman, A. H., Salter, N. P., Vasey, J. J., Starks, M. T., & Sinclair, K. O. (2005). Predicting the suicide attempts of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 35(6), 646–660. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2005.35.6.646

Glass, M. (2024, April 22). Censorship of LGBTQ+ Books: Causes and Consequences. ScholarWorks@BGSU. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/947/

Lukoff, K. (2022). Too bright to see. Penguin Putnam Inc.

Makhijani, P. (2023, November 22). Here’s why book bans are so bad for our kids – and 11 banned books to read right now. Parents. https://tinyurl.com/yvbhpupf