This Book Is Gay, a book with sections teaching and counseling children about anal sex, oral sex, and hookup apps, is available for reading by students at Pierce Middle School in Tampa, Florida.
On September 1, 2022, readers asked us if a book about gay sex was available on the shelves of a middle school public library in Tampa, Florida. For example, The Florida Standard reported, “The book at the Tampa Middle School Library includes instructions on anal sex and hookup apps.”
At the time of writing this story, we can report that author Juno Dawson’s book This Book Is Gay was available on the library shelves at Pierce Middle School in Tampa. The school is part of Hillsborough County Public Schools, which has been described as “the seventh largest county in the United States”. It was also true that the book has a chapter of information and instructions teaching kids about anal sex, oral sex, and hookup apps.
In this article, we have gathered all the facts to educate our readers about this topic. We’ve included a link to a video of a school board meeting, text from a guide in the book, images of pages discussed, additional context, and responses from our correspondence with the school district.
Board Meeting Speech
On August 31, Just The News reported that Will Witt, the editor-in-chief of The Florida Standard, spoke “against the book’s availability in children’s libraries” at a school board meeting. The speech was tweeted on Witt’s Twitter account on Aug. 30, the same day as the meeting. Since then it has been retweeted and liked thousands of times:
A new book, available at a Tampa middle school, encouraged children to use adult sex apps and featured graphic sexual content. I spoke at the Hillsborough School Board meeting tonight to tell you that we will not condone this. pic.twitter.com/DUnFd4TSNt
Chapter Introduction
One of the chapters that seemed to get the most attention from The Florida Standard’s coverage and from social media users was titled “Chapter 9: The Pros and Cons of Gay Sex.”
The chapter begins with the following recommendation:
This chapter is about sex. That’s why it has sex in it. DO, DUH. If you’re a younger reader and feel like you’re not ready for the finer details of same-sex pairings, then just skip this entire chapter.
Before you do that, however, I want to remind you that we taught you all about straight sex when you were ELEVEN in sixth grade. The fact that they didn’t also teach you what same-sex couples do is nothing short of institutionalized homophobia. Heterosexual sex was presented as the norm to make five percent of the population feel abnormal. Is gay sex gross? Is there something wrong with that? I urge every politician to discuss this with me. I WILL DESTROY THEM.
This chapter is just about everything teachers SHOULD say if they want to include people with same-sex feelings.
We contacted the school district with several questions about our story. As part of a question, we mentioned the two sentences in bold above. In response, a district spokesman told us that the quote was “from a book that is not representative of our curriculum.” (See the bottom of this article for more answers to our other questions.)
‘The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex’
Social media users shared pages from the book, which taught how to have anal sex and oral sex. The book also mentioned Grindr, a mobile app that provides sexual encounter opportunities (connections) for men. We have verified that all of these pages are from Dawson’s book, This Book Is Gay.
Sex Diagram Pages
The Florida Standard and social media user also described a page in the book with a chart of a naked boy. The chart was titled “Part One: Boy-On-Boy Sex.” We continued reading the chapter and found the next part called Part Two: Sex Between Girls. It showed a diagram of a naked girl. However, none of the articles or social media posts we reviewed contained any information expressing outrage at the second chart, nor did they mention the part about girls having sex with each other. They just referred to the page about boys.
Available in Three Schools
Using online library data for the Florida School District, we were able to confirm that two copies of This Book Is Gay were indeed part of Pierce Middle School’s library selection. The book was also performed at Middleton High School and Tampa Bay Technical High School, which were in the same district.
Book Hasn’t Been Officially Challenged
A spokesman for Hillsborough County Public Schools emailed us that as of September 1, “no one has officially challenged this book at any of the three schools where it is available.”
We also inquired about the general guidelines the district follows when it comes to disputing a book in a school library. In response, they provided the following information:
We have a process that allows anyone to challenge a book they feel is inappropriate at the school level. Parents are encouraged to speak to their librarian first, who can then discuss the concerns, and the school’s Educational Media Materials Committee can then meet to review the disputed material. Committee members then read or view the material in its entirety and consult professional reviews and academic resources to weigh the merits versus alleged errors in light of the material as a whole. The commission then determines to what extent the material meets the selection criteria. They make a final decision about whether to keep the book on the shelf at that school.
The school district’s website contained additional documentation on its policies. (To read through the pages, hover over the center image until an arrow appears, then click to view the next page.)
This story will be updated as further developments occur or as we receive new details.
Blood count, Adam. “Grindr: A Beginner’s Guide to Using the App Well.” PinkNews | Latest Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Trans News | LGBTQ+ News, 30 April 2018, https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/04/30/what-is-grindr-gay-dating-apps/.
Dawson, Juno. This book is gay. Sourcebooks, Inc., 2021.
google books https://books.google.com/.
Howard, Zak. “The book in the Tampa Middle School library has instructions on anal sex and hookup apps.” The Florida Standard, August 31, 2022, https://www.theflstandard.com/book-in-tampa-middle-school-library -has-instructions-on-anal-sex-and-hookup-apps/.
“Library Media Services/Library Media Materials.” Hillsborough County Public Schools, https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/.
Madeleine Hubbard. “Book through hookup apps, gay sex available in Tampa Middle School library.” Just The News, August 31, 2022, https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/education/book-hookup-apps-and-gay-sex-available-tampa-middle-school-library.
@thewillwitt. Twitter, 08/30/2022, https://twitter.com/thewillwitt/.
Volunteer as a counselor, contribute to LGBTQ-aligned club meetings or the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) or simply attend. If your school doesn’t have an LGBTQ+ organization, you can offer to organize one. You can include LGBTQ inclusive books in your classes.
Who was the first gay character in a movie?
The Best Man (1964), in which a character played by Shelley Berman is accused of being gay, was the first American film to use the word “gay”. Brock Peters played one of the first explicitly gay characters in an American film in 1964’s The Pawnbroker.
Who played the first openly gay character? beal Shakuntala Devi published the first study on homosexuality in India. The TV show Soap is the first US sitcom to feature an openly gay character, Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal.
Who was Disney’s first gay character?
Cyrus Goodman is the first gay main character and the first character to utter the phrase “I’m gay” on Disney Channel.
Who was the first gay animated character?
On July 27, 1940, Bugs Bunny premiered in the Warner Brothers animated film A Wild Hare. Bugs Bunny was later dubbed the “first animated drag queen” due to the character’s tendency to dress in women’s clothing in at least 40 cartoons.
How many first gay characters does Disney have?
There were actually eight characters heralded to varying degrees as the “first openly gay character,” and each drew a lot of press attention. These “first gay characters” reflect something contradictory about Disney’s LGBTQ legacy.
Who was the first gay character in a movie?
The Best Man (1964), in which a character played by Shelley Berman is accused of being gay, was the first American film to use the word “gay”. Brock Peters played one of the first explicitly gay characters in an American film in 1964’s The Pawnbroker.
Who is the first gay couple?
2400 BC – Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum are believed to be the first same-sex couple in history.
Who is the first married gay couple?
On this day in 2004, Marcia Kadish, 56, and Tanya McCloskey, 52, of Malden, Massachusetts, were married at Cambridge City Hall – becoming the first legally married same-sex partners in the United States.
Who has the first gay kiss on TV?
The first lesbian kiss on television occurred; it was L.A. Law between the fictional characters of C.J. Lamb (played by Amanda Donohoe) and Abby (Michele Greene). The first Southern Comfort Conference was held.
Who is the first gay Disney character?
First “Gay Exclusive Moment”: LeFou in Beauty and the Beast (2017) When this live-action remake came out, Disney touted LeFou (played by Josh Gad) as their first gay character, even saying that he was a â “exclusively gay moment” in the film.
What is the oldest gay couple?
Minnesota couple Michael and Jack McConnell are now considered the longest-married same-sex couple in the United States.
Who has the first gay kiss on TV?
Men kissed in prime time long before the day finally got on board, but soap operas caught up in 2007 when As the World Turns recorded the first-ever gay kiss between two male characters, Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann). showed. .
When was the first gay kiss on British TV?
In 1974 the BBC aired a two-part drama entitled “Girl” about lesbian love in the army. In this drama, actresses Alison Steadman and Myra Frances exchange the first lesbian kiss to be aired on British television.
Who is Disney’s first gay character?
First “Gay Exclusive Moment”: LeFou in Beauty and the Beast (2017) When this live-action remake came out, Disney touted LeFou (played by Josh Gad) as their first gay character, even saying that he was a â “exclusively gay moment” in the film.
Which soap had the first gay kiss?
Brookside’s Lesbian Kiss (1994) Audiences spanned 76 countries where homosexuality is illegal and hence the scene became the first gay kiss to be broadcast in those countries.
When was the first gay kiss in a movie?
The first erotic kiss between two members of the same sex in a film was in Cecil B. DeMille’s Manslaughter (1922).
What is a non-binary child?
Children who continue to feel that they are a different gender than the gender assigned at birth may turn out differently. Some may feel that they do not belong to any gender and may identify as Agender. Others will feel that their gender falls outside of male and female and may identify as non-binary.
What 4 genders are there? In English, the four genders of nouns are masculine, feminine, common and neuter.
How do you know if your child is Nonbinary?
Your child may: Feel strongly that their gender identity is different from the gender they were given at birth, or tell you they are unsure of their gender. ask them to address them by a different name and use a different pronoun, such as “he,” “she,” or “they.”
At what age can Gender Dysphoria be diagnosed?
The study results showed that the median ages of earliest general memory and first experience of gender dysphoria in transgender women were 4.5 and 6.7 years, respectively. For transgender men, it was 4.7 and 6.2 years, respectively.
At what age do kids know they are non-binary?
All children, regardless of their gender identity, typically begin to understand their own gender around the age of 18-24 months – that’s their awareness that I’m a boy, I’m a girl, I’m something completely alien, this binary gender distribution that I see in the world around me.
What age does gender identity develop?
A child begins to have an innate sense of their gender identity between the ages of 3 and 5. Around this time, they also begin to notice the subtle and not-so-subtle gender expectations in their family, daycare, church, and community.
How do I know if Im Nonbinary?
What does it mean when a person is non-binary? Being non-binary means identifying gender as not 100% male or 100% female. Someone who is non-binary gender might describe themselves as genderless, multiple genders, male or female, or another gender that is not fully male or fully female.
How do I know if Im Nonbinary?
What does it mean when a person is non-binary? Being non-binary means identifying gender as not 100% male or 100% female. Someone who is non-binary gender might describe themselves as genderless, multiple genders, male or female, or another gender that is not fully male or fully female.
Who was the first non-binary person?
| Elisa Rae Shupe | |
|---|---|
| children | 1 |
What is the Nonbinary symbol?
The X represents the non-binary gender, pronoun, and title. There is another symbol that is commonly used by non-binary people on social media. It is an astronomical symbol for comets. The symbol was suggested because the masculine and feminine signs both represent planets.
Can you be non-binary with long hair?
Since there are so many different ways non-binary people understand their gender, there is no right or wrong way to be non-binary. Non-binary people can have short or long hair. You can wear makeup or not. You can love all kinds of clothes and activities.
What is a Girlflux?
For example, a person who identifies as Girlflux experiences a range of intensities of female identity, while an Agenderflux person may experience varying degrees of feeling each gender at all. Genderflux: a gender experience that changes gradually over time (sometimes /very/ this gender and sometimes less of this gender)
What does it mean if my child is Nonbinary?
For some, being non-binary means not identifying as exclusively male or female. Other non-binary people may have fluctuating gender identities or identify as gender non-uniform. “To gain a better understanding, ask your child how they personally define non-binary,” says Dr.
Who was the first gay author?
In 2014, The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide magazine conducted a reader poll to identify the first gay novel. E. M. Forster’s Maurice (written 1913) received a majority of 29% of the vote.
What is considered the first gay novel? Although Bayard Taylor’s Joseph and His Friend (1870) was the first American gay novel, Edward Prime-Stevenson’s Imre: A Memorandum (1906) was the first in which the homosexual couple ended up happy and united.
Who was the first gay writer?
In 1870, Bayard Taylor published Joseph and His Friend: A Story in Pennsylvania, which is widely considered the first gay novel in the United States.
Who was the first openly gay artist?
By the early 1970s, many rock stars had flirted with androgyny and sexual fluidity. But in 1973, a singer and actor named Bruce Wayne Campbell became perhaps the first openly gay rock musician to sign to a major label when he debuted as the outrageously flashy Jobriath.
What famous authors were gay?
20 Queer Authors From History You Need To Know
- Walt Whitman (1819-1892) image via NPR…
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) pictured by Telegraph…
- Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) Image via QZ.com…
- Alain Locke (1885-1954) …
- Frederico García Lorca (1898-1936) …
- Langston Hughes (1902-1967) …
- Earl Cullen (1903-1946) …
- Michael Dillon (1915-1962)
Who was the famous gay writer?
| Surname | lifespan | genre |
|---|---|---|
| James Robert Baker | 1946 – 1997 | novelist |
| John Roman Baker | b. 1944 | Poet, playwright, novelist |
| James Baldwin | 1924-1987 | Poet, playwright, novelist |
| Honore de Balzac | 1799-1850 | novelist |
How can we create a safe classroom environment for both genders?
7 tips for creating a more gender-inclusive classroom
- Start the conversation. …
- Don’t just correct stereotypical beliefs—challenge them. …
- Watch your language. …
- Avoid labels. …
- Read good books. …
- Let kids play with trying different identities. …
- Make sure toys and activities are accessible to everyone.
How can you support gender identity in the classroom? What can teachers do? Do: Model gender-sensitive language and behavior. Do not categorize students by binary gender (e.g. lined up by boys/girls). Do: Implement non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies for gender biased students.
