The School District will return 36 books that were removed from the library under anti-LGBTQ+ Book Ban Law
Pride at the King County Library System. Photo: Shutterstock
The lawsuit was filed by Peter Parnell, Justin Richardson, and other families who wanted their children to read the LGBTQ+ book And Tango Makes Three. The suit was filed to restore the 36 books removed. Tango received a lot of attention. The suit also sought monetary compensation for damages from the censorious state law.
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The lawsuit against the district was filed several months after November 2023 when Nassau County School District officials removed the books from library shelves due to pressure from the right-wing advocacy group Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF). CDF pressed the district to evaluate any books deemed “obscene”. These books included content on LGBTQ+ topics, racial issues and mental health.
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Pressure for the books’ removal occurred amid the passage of HB 1069. The bill was backed by Governor. Ron DeSantis, severely restricts LGBTQ+ books from K-12 public schools by deeming them as “obscene.”
And Tango Makes Three is a book based on the true story of two male penguins who raised a chick together at the Central Park Zoo. The book is not sexually explicit and aimed at all age groups. The other books include Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kukli, and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
Additionally, the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is mandated to go back into circulation on the same date for students in grade 9 and above. Students who are 18 years old or older, and have parental consent will be able to read the remaining 12 books. The books are A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas and Very Loud and Incredibly close by Jonathan Safran Foer. No attorney’s fees or damages will be awarded to either side. Separate lawsuits against the law have been filed by several major publishers to overturn it. “Students will once again have access to books from well-known and highly-lauded authors representing a broad range of viewpoints and ideas,” said Lauren Zimmerman, of Selendy Gay. The law firm that represents the plaintiffs. “Students will once again have access to books from well-known and highly-lauded authors representing a broad range of viewpoints and ideas.”
Jack Knocke, the executive director of the Nassau County chapter of Citizens Defending Freedom, said to the Tallahassee Democrat that a good portion of the books “clearly violate Florida Laws that protect children in schools.”
LGBTQ Nation reached out to Nassau County School District for comment but did not receive a response before publication. This article will be updated accordingly if the district responds.
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