On March 10, the William T. Cozby Public Library in Coppell decided by a 4-2 vote that the controversial graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir will remain in the library’s catalog. However, the board of directors decided to move the book out of the teen reading section and into the adult section of the building.
Thursday’s vote was prompted by a December request from a Coppell citizen for the board to reconsider the book’s presence in the library, as he felt it contained pornographic material.
Two months earlier, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) had released a statement in support of the book, asserting, “Given their visual nature, comics are uniquely susceptible to challenges. In the case of Gender Queer, challengers have taken a scant handful of out-of-context images to falsely assert that the graphic novel is pornographic and obscene.”
After receiving the request for reconsideration, Cozby’s library board met with the public in December to discuss the topic, but no decision was made at that time. At the December meeting, some citizens contended the book should be removed, while others felt it should remain, just not in the teen section.
Gender Queer, written by self-identified “non-binary queer” author and illustrator Maia Kobabe, depicts the “gender identity and sexual orientation journey” of its creator in the form of a 239-page graphic novel.
It was written, according to Kobabe, to make others who are struggling with gender identity feel less alone.
The Library in Coppell was abuzz ahead of the meeting to determine if Gender Queer: A Memoir would remain on the facility’s shelves or not.
About fifty people showed up early for the 7 p.m. board meeting, and one group of five wore shirts with “I Read Banned Books” printed across the front. Some people brought literature to read at the meeting, while others came empty-handed but with heads full of thoughts on the matter.
When the conference room doors finally swung open, an exuberant murmur enveloped the waiting area. People filed in and were met by thirteen board members, including director of library services Dennis Quinn and board chair Frank Gasparro, who told the crowd he appreciated their civic engagement and the large turnout.
Some of the board members were student advisors and alternates, as only six board members would be voting on the book ban that night.
A City of Coppell ordinance declares that the public comment portion of the meeting is not to exceed 20 minutes, so each speaker was asked to limit their comments to two minutes. When the 20 minutes concluded, five more people were allowed to speak, but had to keep their remarks to one minute each.
Each member of the public who wanted to comment was allowed the opportunity to do so, which made for a total of sixteen individuals who spoke during the public forum, nine against and seven in favor of the book’s removal.
“As a [Coppell] resident of 34 years [with] eleven grandchildren, I’m here to bring truth to why Gender Queer should be permanently removed from this library,” said Pamela Canterbury. “This book and others are inappropriate for the eyes of young people and adults. That’s why parents and grandparents across America are waking up to let their voices of disapproval be heard concerning the sexual content and destruction of this book.”
Jane Marrow, who is personally related to a transgender individual, saw the situation differently.
Marrow explained her child had attended Coppell High School before later transitioning to male.
“We have lived here for 20 years,” Marrow said. “We wish that … books like this [were] available [to be] checked out [then].”
She commented that their transgender son, who experienced “gender identity issues” while younger, could have benefitted from access to books like Kobabe’s.
Many people in favor of removing the book pointed to the graphic images inside Gender Queer. One panel depicts the main character simulating fellatio on another character.
Some who argued in favor of keeping the book in the library said parents are responsible for monitoring what their children look at in the library, noting that the internet (including social media) is a hub for graphic images that are more pornographic than those in Gender Queer.
Quinn told the board and the public that the library currently has four copies of the book in question. He said the book had been heavily vetted and deemed appropriate for the facility.
“To summarize, at the point where staff was considering this work for inclusion in the collection, the various criteria that it met, we found that it was in line with popular interest,” he said.
When each of the sixteen speakers had finished, the Library Board had the floor. Of the six voting members, two made their case for removing the book, three maintained their December sentiments in favor of keeping it, and another member said he saw things differently after researching the matter.
Board member Haridas Radhakrishnan said that he had an opportunity to watch a discussion with the author, Kobabe, through the Central Public Library, and the presentation changed his viewpoint. Radhakrishnan had previously voted that the book should be removed.
“It gives some context about why the author chose to write a book, you know, directly coming from the horse’s mouth,” he said.
Radhakrishnan said the Cozby Library Board is responsible for making the right decisions for the citizens and the people. He added the librarians had done the proper job vetting the book to ensure it was suitable for the library.
“I think it’s my responsibility to provide the opportunity for the residents … to gain knowledge in that aspect,” said Radhakrishnan. “I think the book should remain in the library. I am totally convinced now, compared to last time, knowing the context … it makes a point for the book to be in the library.”
With that, the board voted 4-2 to keep Gender Queer in the library, re-shelving it from the teen section into the adult section.