Banned books: Church holds giveaway after school board member's objection to LGBTQ novels

Nov. 14—ENFIELD — Books deemed inappropriate by a Board of Education member were flying off the shelf — or an offering table, to be precise — at Enfield Congregational, United Church of Christ Sunday night.

In less than an hour, residents had taken dozens of copies of seven different books that the Rev. Greg Gray bought and offered to anyone who wanted them. He organized the event, "Read Banned Books: Free Book Giveaway," in reaction to a list Board of Education member Janet Cushman has asked the curriculum committee to consider rating as obscene.

"Seven books have been proposed to be banned by a member of the Enfield Board of Education," Gray wrote on his invitation to the event held on the front steps of the church Sunday. "All seven of the books target the queer community. We cannot let this happen."

The books in question are: "This Book is Gay," by Juno Dawson; "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Being Trans," by Brynn Tannehill; "Sex Plus: Learning, Loving and Enjoying Your Body," by Laci Green; "Gender Queer," by Maia Kababe; "Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison; "The V-Word," by Amber Keyser; and "All Boys Aren't Blue," by George Johnson.

Cushman said last week that she felt grieved to hear about the event.

"I began talking about this in the district after seeing education boards across the nation with people in an uproar about books kids are reading," she said.

Her question as to whether the board should establish guidelines on what constitutes obscenity in books came from a sincere desire to protect students, but has been twisted into a campaign, Cushman said.

She said she's not sure rating a book obscene would result in it being banned from public school libraries, but at the very least, she said, she wants parents to know what their children may be reading.

Danielle Girard attended the event at the church on Sunday and said she believes books for youth dealing with sensitive topics such as sexuality and identity should be read, ideally at a parent's discretion. Girard, the mother of two young children, was picking up copies of the books for herself, which she said she would read before offering them to family members in high school who might be interested in the topics.

"Kids need adults to talk to," she said. "Parents should definitely know what their children are reading and, perhaps read such books together."

Christina Tetreault, the mother of two boys, said her 16-year-old is curious about one of the books on offer so she came to the event to look at a copy.

"I'm not prepared to let my 12-year-old read the book, but my high school son is old enough to be knowledgeable about the world," she said.

Tetreault said she was grateful Gray held the event.

"A lot of people might not be able to afford these books," she said. "If they might not be allowed in public libraries, this is a good opportunity for people to have a copy to read."

Gray also bought and delivered copies of the seven books to Enfield High School library. He said the librarian took them and is now waiting to hear from the school administration to see if they can be put on the shelves and made available to students.

For more coverage of Somers and Enfield, follow Susan Danseyar on Twitter: @susandanseyar, Facebook: Susan Danseyar, reporter.