Iowa Parents Want Gay Books Banned
Pink Press - 26 October 2004
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 Parents want middle school teacher Sue Protheroe to stop using stories about gay, lesbian or transgender characters in her class on fairy tales. "Am I Blue?" features a gay fairy godfather, who helps a boy overcome homophobia at school. Another short story, "In the Time I Get," is about a man who befriends a young man dying of AIDS. Seven parents -- one with a child in Protheroe's eighth-grade language arts class -- have filed formal complaints challenging the material. Criticisms for "Am I Blue?" are that the book has no instructional value, is about controversial areas that should be discussed within families, and is not appropriate for middle school-aged students. Parents also argue the story promotes intolerance by using racist terms, perpetuates gay stereotypes and promotes homosexuality. Protheroe said the material is graded for those 12 and older and is age appropriate. "I'm trying to teach tolerance and respect for all people," she said of the roughly 95 students taking her class. "And I can't do that and ignore a whole group of people ... I wouldn't present a curriculum that ignored women or African-Americans or Hispanics. "How can I possibly teach my students to embrace diversity if I systematically exclude an entire group from my literature?'" Other parents have said while they have little control over what their children are exposed to in the media, they should have a say in the classroom. "My most significant concern is why, for material that is controversial, was there no notification sent out to the parents," said Doug Singkofer, a Solon parent who learned about the material at a flag football game where he overheard his daughter discussing it with a friend. "The material directly contradicts and undermines the beliefs and teachings of our faith," Singkofer and his wife, Lynne, wrote in a reconsideration form. "It introduces a very adult and mature subject to an inappropriately young audience. It is likely to introduce sexual confusion to a group of children who are just becoming sexually aware." Superintendent Brad Manard said in his 17 years as a superintendent of schools, he has never before seen material formally challenged. "We have a policy to review challenged materials, so we're allowing that policy to work itself through," he said. Protheroe and opponents will speak before a nine-member material reconsideration committee at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Solon High School. Manard said the committee will have three options to later be decided by the school board: to remove the challenged material from the curriculum, to limit its use or to take no action. He said he believes the committee "will represent the community well and make the appropriate decision."
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