LGBTQ-Content

INTRODUCTION

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer content, whether in fiction, theater, film, or art, is frequently subject to censorship efforts. This trend is highly visible in schools and libraries, where books that feature LGBTQ characters or discussion of sexual issues relevant to the LGBTQ community are attacked on the grounds that they promote, endorse and encourage the "gay lifestyle." The NCAC, and its Kids Right to Read project, is committed to supporting librarians, schools and English teachers in their literature choices, and most importantly, the right for all youth to read books about their lives.

Censorship of LGBTQ information in schools takes another form in public school health classes. Such material has been intentionally omitted from federally funded abstinence education courses, because heterosexuality is the mandated premise of the curriculum. While President Obama has replaced two multimillion dollar abstinence-only programs from previous administrations with a teenage-pregnancy prevention agenda, it remains to be seen how inclusive these government-sponsored health classes will be to the LGBTQ community.

Censorship of LGBTQ material is not limited to public schools and libraries either. The book-selling giant Amazon.com recently drew criticism over its use of a list that ranked certain books as "adult material." Many classified items were books aimed at youth dealing with their own sexual identities. While Amazon chalked up the incident to a computer glitch and de-ranked many items, their use of such labels in general instigated debate.