Books such as Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are all masterpieces of children’s literature. In America, regardless of which library one visited as a child or adolescent, one would find books such as these stocked and in high demand. For years they presented children with the opportunity to escape and enter a magical world, often involving traditional myths and magical creatures. Furthermore, they also created an outlet for the creative part of the brain and increased language, emotional, and cognitive skills. However, if one went to the local public library today, the odds have increased that one would come across a new genre, children/teen graphic novels, a.k.a. pornographic grooming propaganda.
So one may ask, how have books such as Cheer Up: Love and Pompons, Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure and Gender Queer increased tenfold, become extremely explicit, and readily accessible to our youth within such a short period? Mainly under the hardcover Trojan horse of support and learning. Authors like Maia Kobabe, who published Gender Queer: A Memoir, claim books such as this “help others who struggle with gender identity to feel less alone.” Advocates additionally say this type of genre are heartfelt stories, empowering, examples of acceptance, important for young people who are discovering their identity, a guide for parents who have a child whose gender identity they wish to better understand, and for everyday people who want to learn more. More? More of what? The previous description of these books should be the most alarming. They claim to be teaching, and this most certainly cannot be denied. It just so happens to be programming through sexually explicit words, pornographic images, and under the guise of helping children. This may seem like a far cry from reality, but as they say, “the proof is in the pudding.” It just so happens that the truth about these books is right in front of our faces and worse for the youth of America.
Collage of illustrations from Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer”
Yes, it’s true; viewing the proof is beyond SHOCKING! The late news reporter George Putnam said it perfectly about this type of literature, “A floodtide of filth is engulfing our country in the form of obscenity and is threatening to pervert an entire generation of our American children!” However, some within Michigan’s legislature have called the books for what they really are and seek to shut down public libraries for showing pornographic books to kids. Michigan Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) has drawn up legislation to destroy the groomer-industrial complex that is fixated on corrupting the souls of America’s youth. House Bill 4136 (HB4136) will shut down public libraries by “force” if they allow grooming materials such as Gender Queer accessible to children. Additionally, the house bill requires obscene materials to be kept “in a restricted area of the library accessible only to individuals 18 years of age and older.” Consequently, if a public library does not adhere to these restrictions, a “court shall order the library to be closed to the public until the governing body of the library demonstrates to the court that it has complied.” So now, with the passing of this bill, maybe Michigan’s youth may retain their innocence and return to the fantastical journey J.R.R. Tolkien intended and offered in libraries throughout America.
“I have received countless calls from constituents demanding action against this inappropriate exposure that is happening to their children. The rightful outrage has been heard, and I am fighting for you!”
-Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) in response to the rise in pornographic novels in libraries
Below are a list and descriptions of the graphic books pushed by LGBT groomers to children and teens in public libraries:
Children and Young Adults
My Princess Boy
By Cheryl Kilodavis
Grade Level Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1
From Amazon: Dyson loves pink, sparkly things. Sometimes he wears dresses. Sometimes he wears jeans. He likes to wear his princess tiara, even when climbing trees. He’s a Princess Boy.
Jacob’s New Dress
By Sarah and Ian Hoffman
Grade Level Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 2
From Amazon: Jacob loves playing dress-up when he can be anything he wants to be. Some kids at school say he can’t wear “girl” clothes, but Jacob wants to wear a dress to school. Can he convince his parents to let him wear what he wants? This heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by children who don’t identify with traditional gender roles.
Intermediate Readers (Grade 3 through Grade 6)
Gracefully Grayson
By Ami Polonsky
Grade Level 5 – 7
From Amazon: Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: “he” is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender’s body. The weight of this secret is crushing, but sharing it would mean facing ridicule, scorn, rejection, or worse. Despite the risks, Grayson’s true self itches to break free. Will new strength from an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher’s wisdom be enough to help Grayson step into the spotlight she was born to inhabit?
The Boy in the Dress
By David Williams and illustrated by Quentin Blake
Grade Level 5 – 7
Dennis’s dad is depressed since his mom left, and his brother is a bully. But at least he has soccer. Then, he discovers he enjoys wearing a dress. Told with humor and respect.
Queer Comics Database
The Queer Comics Database (http://queercomicsdatabase.com/series/) was created in 2018 by Aydin Kwan and Le Button as a final project for the University of Washington’s Information School program, with support from Geeks OUT. You can browse the database for comics by series or creator. It includes a glossary of terms and several guides, such as “Search Tips,” “Introduction to Comics,” “How to Buy Comics from a Comic Shop,” and “For Retailers: How to Carry Queer Comics.”
Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier
By Crystal Frasier
A sweet, queer teen romance!
Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped-up social pressures (not to mention microaggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.
Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure
By Lewis Hancox
A groundbreaking memoir about being a trans teen, in the vein of FUN HOME and FLAMER… and at the same time entirely its own. In WELCOME TO ST. HELL, author-illustrator Lewis Hancox takes readers on the hilarious, heartbreaking, and healing path he took to make it past trauma, confusion, hurt, and dubious fashion choices in order to become the man he was meant to be. It’s a remarkable, groundbreaking graphic memoir from an unmistakably bold new voice in comics.
