SPRING LAKE, Mich. — Spring Lake school board members voted Monday evening to remove a graphic novel from their high school's media center, after receiving complaints from two parents regarding some sexual imagery it contains.
The board voted 4-3 in favor of removing Gender Queer, a graphic novel memoir written by Maia Kobabe about their journey to discover their nonbinary and asexual identity.
The district has a material review committee, with members chosen by Superintendent Dennis Furton and the high school principal. When the district receives a parent complaint about a piece of media within the district, the committee reviews the content and makes a determination about whether or not it will remain available to students.
They initially received a complaint back in May about Gender Queer. The committee denied the complaint at the time, keeping it on high school library shelves.
While that parent had the ability to appeal that decision, they did not. When they received a second complaint last Friday, they decided to convene the board to vote on the matter.
"I think as adults, we're always underestimating what students are capable of reading and understanding," Superintendent Furton told FOX 17 Tuesday. "So, that's one of the battles we face."
While he says they will certainly comply with the board's decision to pull the book from library shelves, he does not want this situation to create a precedent where parents immediately want a book pulled whenever a concern is brought forward.
"I think we have to be very conscious moving forward, that we don't continually create barriers for students to access literature that they have an interest or a need in finding, and that's going to be the balance moving forward,” Furton said. "The erosion of rights and the erosion of these choices, we have to be very cognizant of that."
With the decision made Monday night, students will still have access to Gender Queer through school counselors, psychologists, and social workers, if they have their parent's consent.
A small handful of Spring Lake students spoke during the public comment portion of Monday's board meeting, urging members to keep the book available.
Superintendent Furton praised those students while speaking with FOX 17 Tuesday, saying "they were two of the more really articulate speakers that we had, speaking from the heart, but also really covering a very good rationale for why we should keep it."
Furton also said Tuesday that he plans to meet with the school's LGBTQ+ club as soon as possible, following the board vote.
"They are a priority for us to meet... We are not going to have these students be further marginalized by a decision, such as the one that was made last night. We're going to fight against that," he explained.
You can view all of the materials currently available in the district's media centers on their website HERE.
"We know that any parent at any time can restrict their own child from accessing particular titles," Furton said. "But, for any parent to tell other parents that their children can't, that's not a choice that we're giving to parents."
Jennifer Nicles, school board president, shared the following statement with FOX 17 Tuesday afternoon:
"Last night I made one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make as a school board member. An appeal was made on the Material Review Committee's decision to keep Gender Queer, a graphic novel memoir, in our high school library.
"A Spring Lake parent followed procedure and made the appeal to the superintendent. At last night's board meeting, this parent shared his reasoning with the board for wanting this book removed from our library. The parent questioned the appropriateness of a few sexually explicit pictures in the book; however, he also recognized the importance of the author's message and shared his support of the LGBTQ+ community.
"I voted to remove the book from the library because of these sexually explicit pictures. I knew my decision would have consequences and I voted my conscience.
"Our board was divided and I respect each one of my fellow board members' positions. I know this decision was not easy for anyone. Allowing our counselors, social workers and school psychologists to have access to this book if a student requests it seemed like a compromise. However, I also know this decision can be seen as simply another hurdle for a student in need.
"Those of you that truly know me, know what kind of person I am. I preach inclusivity, respect and kindness to my children and I try to be the best role model I can be for them.
"I will follow up with our media specialist to make sure that there are other resources for our LGBTQ+ students in place to help fill the void left from removing this book from the library shelf."
