Obscene Books Intended for Elementary Students Flagged for Review
August 2, 2023 | Iowa
An Iowa school district has flagged 374 books to review because they may violate a new state law that prohibits the teaching of gender identity to certain grades and prohibits material that depicts sex acts, according to the Des Moines Register.
In June, Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed SF 496 into law which prohibits lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation from K-6 school classrooms and requires educators to review all books and materials that may depict sex acts. Urbandale Community School District advised its teachers to remove the books it flagged from classrooms and libraries, including “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” a memoir about the experience of a black queer boy growing up that displays graphic sexual encounters, and “Gender Queer,” a book depicting masturbation and oral sex, according to the Des Moines Register.
A district spokesperson told the outlet that all 374 books flagged are not present in the school’s libraries and that the list is guidance to teachers on what should be removed from the district’s system. If a book on the list is within a school district classroom, it should be removed, the district spokesperson told the Des Moines register. (Excerpt from DC Enquirer.)
