LGBTQ+ Poultry Keepers

[Kusanar]

Hello friends! It's the last day of Banned Book Week today. A lot of folks read things like Fahrenheit 451, Huck Finn, To kill a Mockingbird etc. are on banned book lists. They're not. They're not even in the top 100 banned books.
Here's the ACTUAL list of the top 10 banned books and the reasons people list for them being banned, especially in the USA.
https://bannedbooksweek.org/about/

1. George by Alex Gino
   Reasons: challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”
2. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
   Reasons: challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased
3. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
   Reasons: Challenged and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning
4. Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth
   Reasons: Challenged, banned, and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content; for discussing gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate”
5. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
   Reasons: Challenged and restricted for featuring a gay marriage and LGBTQIA+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint
6. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
   Reasons: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content, for a transgender character, and for confronting a topic that is “sensitive, controversial, and politically charged”
7. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
8. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
   Reasons: Challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and for concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”
9. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
   Reasons: Banned and forbidden from discussion for referring to magic and witchcraft, for containing actual curses and spells, and for characters that use “nefarious means” to attain goals
10. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson illustrated by Henry Cole
    Reason: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content

Notice a theme? I see a lot of people complain about how since we can get married LGBTQ+ have equal rights and opportunity, but like for many others that's not REALLY the case. Just a reminder that we have some work to do before there's real equality in the world.

So lets go out and think about reading some banned books, and getting both teens and adults who normally wouldn't reading banned books!
(Well, except for maybe HP. That's got plenty of problems for different reasons.)

I've read Handmaids Tale (and may re-read again soon since it's becoming kinda important soon probably, PM if you don't understand that), and Harry Potter. I have "the color purple" on my kindle, just need to get around to reading it (pretty sure it was a banned book)

 

[aart]

A lot of folks read things like Fahrenheit 451, Huck Finn, To kill a Mockingbird etc. are on banned book lists. They're not.

I believe they may have been were at one time tho.
'To kill a mocking bird' was highly edited version of 'go set a watchman' which the publisher wouldn't publish when it was first written.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yes, they were - in the 60's. That was an awfully long time ago. A lot of people still think these books are the ones banned, but they're actually required reading in a lot of schools.

The point is, banned book week is about books that are banned and censored and that changes as culture changes. There was a time when women wanting any job was subversive for example. Or having a black person on TV. Unless you're in certain specific communities, it's not any more and featuring once-subversive ideas as currently subversive is dangerous. It sets the idea that "the classics" are being banned in schools (they're not) and does nothing to address what's actually being banned. It's kind of a red herring.

Banned book week loses its powerful social commentary if it's only allowed to be "books banned before 1980s" week. The books banned by a society speak volumes about what that society doesn't want people to hear about - in the 60's it was politics and racism. Today, it's LGBTQ+ and sex. If it's stuck a literal lifetime in the past, it's not serving its purpose any more, and it's important that we remember to reframe it to a modern age.

 

[Teneniel]

Speaking of subversive in every way, is anyone watching Lovecraft Country?

 

[Kusanar]

Speaking of subversive in every way, is anyone watching Lovecraft Country?

I think my husband is. I'm not into Lovecraft (never really read any of it, may love it if I did) so I'm not really interested. I'm really more into fantasy with dark elements and dystopian stuff than I am more horror stuff. I absolutely HATE Poe and I'm not even that much of a fan of Anne Rice, with Anne Rice it's more that she's a good author but I can't stand 90% of the characters in her books so I want to strangle something or someone the entire time I'm reading and that's just not good for the blood pressure.

 

[aart]

Yes, they were - in the 60's. That was an awfully long time ago. A lot of people still think these books are the ones banned, but they're actually required reading in a lot of schools.

The point is, banned book week is about books that are banned and censored and that changes as culture changes.

Yes, that was my point too

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Ah, I understand better now. There's been some misinformation going around about banned book week this month, saying those books are part of banned book week reading and should continue to be because they were once banned.

I misunderstood your post as being in support of featuring them for banned book week. My apologies.

 

[aart]

Ah, I understand better now. There's been some misinformation going around about banned book week this month, saying those books are part of banned book week reading and should continue to be because they were once banned.

I misunderstood your post as being in support of featuring them for banned book week. My apologies.

No prob.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Hello friends. I know the news out of the supreme court this week is stressful for most of us. <3 I want you to know I'm rooting for you all.

Please remember to take care of yourselves. Self care looks like a lot more than bubble baths - it looks like cleaning, getting that extra nap, watching our chickens, stabilizing ones life by catching up on undone tasks. I hope you all find time for it this week.

Tagging @Tre3hugger, @CharcoalDragon, @Ihavesomechickens, @AllenK RGV, @Chickaritasowner, @KikiDeAnime, @jolenesdad, and of course @allosaurusrock to check in on ya'll. No need to respond if you don't wanna. Just letting you know I'm thinking about you.

 

[Chickaritasowner]

I am doing fine personally but also want to let everyone know that I am thinking about them. Reach out if you are needing any extra support!