A Fort Worth resident was ejected by security from a school district board meeting after he attempted to read an excerpt from a book he claimed is available to students in Fort Worth ISD.

Mike Cee’s remarks to the board included reading an excerpt from the book Flamer by Mike Curato. School board members warned him that he was not allowed to read vulgar remarks, then removed him after he read a single sentence.

“Satan rules the world,” Cee said at the start of his testimony. “Satan speaks through some of you. It could be some of these board members; it could be some in the audience. God has given us free will to do the right thing. This is a quick review of homosexuality and Satanism.”

“As far as people reading off the book, we’re not going to allow that,” one board member interrupted. “If it’s vulgar, we’re going to stop you.”

“Security, will you please start removing people who are being disruptive,” school board president Camille Rodriguez interrupted as others in the audience began to voice support for Cee.

“On page one, … ‘who wants my hot wiener, oh yeah baby,’” Cee read from the book before security moved the mic away. As he continued to read, the security officers ejected him from the meeting.

Fort Worth ISD said Cee was removed within the guidelines of board meetings.

“An individual was escorted out after failing to comply with repeated warnings from the Board president and legal counsel,” Cesar Padilla, FWISD Communications Coordinator, told The Texas Scorecard. “Disruptions at board meetings are not permitted. Per Board policy, guests will receive one warning for an initial infraction.”

The exchange at the meeting comes as school districts prepare to comply with the Texas READER Act passed in the recent legislative session, which is set to be enacted next month. The law prohibits school libraries from making sexually explicit material available to students.

Fort Worth parents have pressured their school district to adhere to the new law, Texas Scorecard reported. Fort Worth ISD closed its libraries this month to review materials.

Others have argued that such materials belong in school libraries, however.

“The books in our library need to be relevant to the experiences that the students are living. Our students are still children, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t had adult experiences in their lives,” said Rebecca Wynkoop, a librarian and teacher at a Seattle middle school, per Parent Map. “The library is supposed to be a reflection of the students that we serve.”

“In particular for a student who is LGBTQIA+, this whole conversation based on the fact that somebody somewhere thinks their being is inappropriate, is why we need to provide more opportunities for them,” she continued. “Books can be really important places for students to find the language they need to express anything that they might be dealing with.”

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