A Washington Post op-ed last month slammed parents for objecting to a novel depicting oral sex between two 10-year-old boys, even though the book’s author has placed her work in school libraries. admitted that he never intended to deploy.
An educational article published online on December 22 discussed the controversy surrounding Jonathan Evison’s novel Lawn Boy. Several excerpts from the book, illustrated by Post reporter Hannah Nathanson, describe ten-year-old boys “meeting in the bushes after a church youth group meeting, touching each other’s penises and engaging in oral sex.”
In an interview with the Post, Evison said her book would not be included in school libraries and was surprised to hear that the American Library Association had given her a 2019 Prodigal Child Award for books written for adults. young people.”
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The front cover of Jonathan Evison’s novel The Fat Boy.
(Jonathan Evison/Algonquin Books)
The author adds that his book has been included in school libraries because of the award, and if recommended to middle school students or below, it might be confused with Gary Paulsen’s children’s book The Prodigal Boy.
In a Post Education article, “One Mother Falsely Claims Book Shows Pedophilia. School Libraries Ban It,” Nathanson said parents’ “misinformation” about the book made him He said it made it the second most controversial book of 2022.
Nathanson points to two parents, Brandi Burkman and Stacey Langton, who spoke out against the book at their local school board meetings, claiming the book falsely depicts sex between an older man and a young boy. turned The Post credits the two parents for bringing the novel into the national spotlight, attracting the attention of politicians and mainstream media outlets.
In an interview with Langton, he admitted that he was wrong about his claim of pedophilia and said that the parts of “Lawn Boy” that depict sex are confusing because the tense of the chapters is constantly shifting between the current adult man and his sexual experience. ‘changes. child
But, he added, his comments about pedophilia were not only directed at the novel “Masakhon Bola” but also at the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” written by Maya Kobabe.
In fact, a viral video of Langton at a school board meeting in Fairfax, Virginia shows him holding both books while addressing the board. “Gender Queer” actually shows images of sex between a man and a young boy, and has been removed from many school bookshelves.
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Maya Kobabe’s memoir Gender Queer has been criticized for its portrayal of an older man and a young child.
(Maia Kobabe/Oni Press)
The Post article, which defended Lawn Boy and labeled Langton a purveyor of “misinformation,” made no mention of the “Gender Queer” memoir.
Langston also took issue with a Post article that characterized parental objections to sexual behavior in books like “Lawn Boy” as unwarranted “panic” and called parental outcry “misinformation” about child protection. said it does a disservice to those struggling to do so. from sex in school libraries.
“That day, I took two books to the podium: one about sex between two little boys, and one about sex between a man and a child, that is, pedophilia,” he said. added Langton. “To talk about what kind of sex we’re talking about in order to minimize the horror of pedophilia shows the Post to be left-leaning, just as the corporate media calls pedophiles ‘minor attracted individuals.'”
The Washington Post and the article’s author did not respond to requests for comment on Langton’s criticism of the piece and why the book, Gender Queer, was not mentioned.
Nathanson previously wrote about the sexual imagery found in Gender Queer in September 2021.
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Citizen activist Stacey Langton speaks at the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) school board meeting on September 23, 2021.
(Fairfax County Public Schools)
In the article, “Fairfax School System Pulls Two Books From Libraries After Complaints About Sexual Content,” the writer describes a page from the graphic novel that “shows the author’s sexual fantasy — in which a teen apparently wants to engage in sex with an older, bearded man.” – the book is said to be based on Plato’s work “Symposium”.
The author also notes that the philosophical text Symposium details discourses on love, including the argument that “heavenly love” can only exist between a man and a boy.
Kobabe, author of Gender Queer, says the painting in her book is based on an ancient Greek pottery bowl of a “conversation scene” exhibited in England.
Concerned parents protested at Fairfax County school board meetings that “Problem Boy” and “Gender Queer” were in school libraries, but the school district reinstated them after two committees ruled the books did not contain pedophilia or obscene material.
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Fairfax County Public Schools reinstated the books from the library after a review by a committee that concluded it also did not contain pedophilia.
In January 2022, nearby Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) removed “Gender Queer” after then-Superintendent Scott Zielger said the “official images” found in the book were “contrary” to what the school believed was appropriate.
“I’ve read every book submitted for review in its entirety. I’m not in favor of removing books from the library at all,” Zielger told the Post.
The Post has previously been criticized for publishing a glowing review of a “play about pedophiles” that critics say undermines attempts to normalize sexual abuse and pedophilia.
“Downstate is a play about pedophiles. And it’s great,” by Washington Post chief drama critic Peter Marks, first published on Nov. 23.
The Post’s drama critic noted that “exploited predators are portrayed not as monsters but as complex, troubled souls” and wrote that viewers will learn what each pedophile has been up to. He also wrote that “the most unpleasant character” is one of the victims of pedophilia.