A middle school teacher in Illinois says she faced some serious backlash from angered parents for offering a broad literary experience by issuing students with an LGBTQ+ book.
According to NBC Washington, a police report was filed against Sarah Bonner for child endangerment after a parent objected to a book she offered in a “book tasting” event in her class. The book in question was Juno Dawson’s “This Book is Gay,” a non-fiction work described by the publisher as a guide for individuals coming out as LGBTQ.
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Bonner had developed a curriculum that emphasized a diverse range of texts featuring Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ characters and themes, but despite this, she’s faced immense scrutiny from some parents.
The book that was given to students included an informative “instruction manual” for anyone that may be struggling to tell others about their sexuality, which many people considered highly inappropriate. In an interview with TODAY, Bonner says the backlash over the incident, which took place in March, left her so startled that she no longer felt it was safe for her to return to work.
“By Friday, I was told that parents had filed a police report against me for child endangerment,” she said. The notion that I was putting children in danger because of books — I didn’t feel safe. I knew I couldn’t go back.”
Bonner had been teaching for 20 years and says that her only intent was to do something to support her students. Over 1,500 books were reportedly banned from middle schools between 2021-2022, with half of those featuring LGBTQ+ topics, which begs the question of whether content pertaining to subjects about people’s sexuality should be off-limits.
Bonner’s case has raised questions with people on social media, with some questioning the role of teachers in shaping their students’ reading habits. Should educators be allowed to introduce books about sensitive issues like sexuality and gender identity to students? Or should parents have the final say over what their children read?
These are complicated questions with no easy answers, but some say that it is clear that teachers like Bonner play an important role in exposing students to diverse perspectives and encouraging them to think critically about the world around them.
On one hand, some educators argue that introducing queer literature and history in the classroom is crucial to providing students with a comprehensive education that encompasses diverse perspectives and experiences.
On the other hand, some parents have expressed outrage over what they perceive as inappropriate and sexually explicit material being presented to their children. One example of this was a California high school teacher who faced criticism for having a “queer library” in their classroom with over 200 books specific to the LGBT community.
Parents have accused the teacher of giving sexually explicit content to teens, including books on BDSM, Grindr, anal sex, and more. Despite pushback from parents, the teacher has defended the importance of providing students with access to queer literature, arguing that it can help students who are figuring out their identities.