SKIRTING THE LAW: Bookmobile offers 7-year-olds book on transitioning, discrimination, privilege and more
A source told us over the summer that they believe the Iowa City School District and Iowa City Public Library are attempting to get around Iowa law by using the public library’s “Bookmobile” to make books available at elementary schools that are prohibited by law from being offered in the school library itself.
After a search of the Bookmobile’s catalog, we found a number of books that certainly would be prohibited from being in Iowa elementary schools due to Senate File 496 — which required books in Iowa schools to be age-appropriate and prohibited instruction on sexuality and gender identity in grades K-6.
Last Monday, we highlighted the book “Grandad’s Pride.” Read about that here.
On Tuesday, we highlighted the book “If You’re A Drag Queen and You Know It.” Read about that here.
On Wednesday, we highlighted the book “Hooray for she, he, ze, and they! What are your pronouns today?” Read about that here.
On Thursday, we highlighted the book “Pink, blue and you! Questions for Kids About Gender Stereotypes.” Read about that here.
On Friday, we highlighted the book “The Rainbow Parade.” Read about that here.
On Sept. 3, we highlighted the book “Miss Rita, Mystery Reader.” Read about that here.
We also told you about the Bookmobile being part of a “Drag Family Story Time” event hosted by the University of Iowa at the Stanley Museum of Art in Gibson Square Park. Read about that here.
Today we are telling you about a book called “You be You! Kid’s Guide to Gender, Sexuality and Family.” This book is aimed at children 7-11 years old. Its intended grade level is 4-6, however, it would be illegal for schools with students in sixth-grade and younger to have it according to Iowa law.
This book starts confusing kids right away.
“People have lots of funny ideas about boys, girls and love! Like maybe you’ve heard the idea that everyone has to be a boy or a girl.”
That’s the first page.
It says other funny ideas are that every boy will grow up to be a man, and fall in love with a woman. And that every girl will grow up to be a woman, and fall in love with a man. And that everyone who falls in love has to get married. And everyone who gets married has to have children.
“Well, surprise! These ideas aren’t true. And that’s great news. Every person is different, and that’s what we call diversity. This diversity is a beautiful thing!”
Chapter one — it’s quite a doozy.
Chapter four focuses on “gender identity,” which is defined as how someone sees themself as a boy, a girl or “any other gender.”
“Maybe you’ve heard that every male person must see himself as a boy or a man, and that every female person must see herself as a girl or a woman. But guess what? That’s not so. A person’s sex (what kind of body they have) doesn’t decide their gender identity (how they see themselves).
“So whether you have a male body, a female body, or an intersex body, you might see yourself as a boy, a girl or a different gender, like genderqueer or gender non-binary. And that’s fine!”
Kids are told being “cisgender, transgender, genderqueer and gender nonconforming are all great!”
The book aimed at children as young as 7 years old then discusses sex changes — but refers to it as “transitioning.”
“Some transgender and genderqueer people want to change their bodies, to look more like the gender they identify with. This change is called transitioning. People transition by going to the doctor for special medicine called hormone treatment, and sometimes also for surgery. But some transgender or genderqueer people don’t want to transition, or just want to transition by changing their clothes or hair, and that’s fine too! And some people would like to transition, but don’t have money to pay for it.”
The seven-year-old audience is then told about “love and attraction” in chapter five.
“Many people start to feel romantic attractions around age 11 or 12, but some start feeling attraction at younger or older ages.”
Young readers are then told about asexual or aromantic people. Then they’re told about “homosexuals” who are attracted to their own gender. But that word — “homosexual” is outdated.
Heterosexuality is next, followed by bisexual or pansexual.
Then there’s a page similar to one of those complicated word problems in math — but it lacks any math…
“An intersex person who identifies as a woman could be attracted to men, women, genderqueer people, all or none. Same for a cisgender man, a transgender woman, or anyone else.”
Hopefully, that clears it up for the curious 7-year-old.
Marriage and having kids is totally great, but so not being married and not having kids.
Seven-year-olds are then told…
“Unmarried couples, and single people of any gender or orientation, can be great parents who raise happy and healthy children.”
Seven-year-old kids are then taught about “transphobia,” which is defined as discrimination based on gender identity. And discrimination is always wrong.
“Sometimes transphobic bullying even comes from the police and the government,” seven-year-old kids are told.
States who have laws “blocking genderqueer, transgender and intersex” people from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity are examples of the government bullying based on gender identity.
Homophobia is defined for seven-year-old readers on the next page. And it includes some schools where teachers can be fired for saying it’s OK to be gay, or OK to be transgender.
The final phobia is “biphobia.”
“All these forms of discrimination are always wrong. Facing discrimination can make you feel very sad or angry or both. And those feelings are totally OK.”
Seven-year-olds are then taught about the opposite of discrimination — privilege. Privilege is getting advantages or nice treatment or an easier life because of who you are — like being male or cisgender or heterosexual.
“For example, is you’re cisgender, think about the last time you had to pee,” seven-year-olds are told. “You probably never worried about whether other people would let you enter the bathroom, or if the police would come to stop you from peeing. But transgender people have to worry about this problem all the time!”
That, seven-year-old boys and girls, is an example of “privilege,” the book states.
Who else has privilege? Men.
And while the seven-year-old may be doing better than other people, it might be because life is putting less trouble in their path. And other people might be doing worse because they face discrimination.
To top it off, here is some of the “art” from the book, which is aimed at seven-year-old children:
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Here is what reviewers have said…
“I saw this book on the shelf in the kids’ section at my local library. I read it while my daughter was looking for books. As a 38-year-old woman, I was confused by much of the book. I can’t imagine how confusing it would be for kids. Our society should not be pushing this on our kids, it is so sad. It’s also a slippery slope. In five years, can kids decide they want to be a cat? Gender is not assigned at birth by a doctor, it is designed by your creator who knit you together in your mother’s womb.”
“It’s a (shame) when our society has gone so far down the toilet that people are writing books about kids questioning whether they are boys or girls or if they are homosexuals or not!!!! Try reading the ONE true book that will straighten all those things out for you…The King James BIBLE. Every answer to any question you’ve ever had about anything in this life or in the life to come will be found in that book. Go read it and find your way out of all the lies the devil is trying to tell you.”
“This book was at our local library unfortunately. It is basically the world as extreme progressives would like it to be. Complete with pictures of a boy with ovaries, a girl with testes, pictures of gay and trans couples, a polyamorous trio and more. And of course the people who disagree with any of this is depicted as evil dark figures in the background, making scary faces.”
Here is the schedule for the Iowa City Library Bookmobile. All stops are open to the public:
ACTION: If you feel compelled, contact the Iowa City Public Library and let them know there’s a reason books like this are prohibited from Iowa schools.
