The latest challenge to Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer involves the police, the Boston Globe reports.
A law enforcement officer in the Massachusetts town of Great Barrington paid a visit to a middle school after the police department received a complaint that the book was available to students.
The police didn’t say who complained about Kobabe’s book, a graphic memoir about the author and artist’s exploration of sexuality and gender identity. Gender Queer, published in 2019 by Oni Press, has been the target of frequent bans; for two years it has topped the American Library Association’s list of the most challenged books in the nation.
The police department said they were obliged to investigate because of the report that it had received. Peter Dillon, the superintendent of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District, told the Globe, “This instance was unusual because the complaint was shared with the police and not the school. We have a process in place when parents raise concerns.”
In a statement, the police said, “Once the necessary information was gathered, it was determined that it is a matter to be managed within the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. The Great Barrington Police Department is dedicated to the safety of all people, especially children, and we take all complaints seriously.”
The Berkshire Eagle reports that the ACLU of Massachusetts has raised concern about the incident.
“Police going into schools and searching for books is the sort of thing you hear about in communist China and Russia,” said Ruth A. Bourquin, an ACLU attorney. “What are we doing?”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
