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I went to a book burning and a book club broke out – Daily Montanan

['More From Author', 'January', 'Darrell Ehrlick']

Date: 2022-01-27 00:00:00

Activist. Special interest. Radical.

Those are the most commonly lobbed insults at public officials – so common that folks in the media hardly take notice anymore. To the public, they’re watchwords meant to signal an instant reaction, revulsion, and set off mental panic alarms.

So without checking comments on a recent story about the Billings Public Schools voting unanimously to keep two controversial books in its high school libraries, I’m sure some parents who had alleged that two board members in particular were foisting child pornography onto unsuspecting youth are drumming up a healthy dose of outrage, maybe with a few vague threats.

For the rest of us, though, Monday’s long school board meeting is well worth a watch on community access or Facebook – not because of the outcome, but because of the way the meeting was conducted. Quite frankly, after years of acrimonious overheated rage on nearly any issue of controversy, including a simple face covering, the Billings Public Schools put on an absolute clinic for the ages in civility, dialogue and good government.

Regardless of how one may feel about the two books in question, Jonathan Evison’s “Lawn Boy” and Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer,” the meeting and the trustees should be commended for not letting something as charged as censorship, sex, gender and youth deteriorate into a shouting match or mudslinging contest.

Originally, a subcommittee of board members had recommended keeping “Lawn Boy” but removing “Gender Queer.” Both are coming-of-age books, and both were classified as adult literature. And both had passages dealing with sex, gender and sexuality.

Yet, two board members after listening to the public, doing their own interviews with district staff and experts, and consulting with the district’s attorney, took the most courageous vote any politician today will make – they changed their minds.

In a day of entrenched politics, where “flip-flopping” is proof-positive of a moral flaw, these board members calmly and clearly described why they were changing their vote, and shared the remaining concerns they had. It was a brilliant and beautiful example of democracy, something we don’t often see.

More importantly, it should be the kind of thoughtful approach that more communities – and, ahem, Congress – should employ.

For example, school board member Jennifer Hoffman, who changed her vote which ultimately led to keeping Kobabe’s book, remained concerned about the content in the book, a sentiment echoed by her fellow board member, Russ Hall.

Yet, board members are called upon to support the district’s policies, which include an academic freedom to read, constitutional rights, and they must help safeguard the district from lawsuits. Because of this, the members said it wasn’t their job to become the district’s censors, overruling the professional staff of educators and librarians. They were there to uphold the policies, which likely argued for the inclusion of the two books.

Instead, they had two messages to parents concerned about the books or materials: First, take an active role in what your child or young adult reads. Parents are the ultimate gatekeepers of what material their children consume. Finally, if residents are upset by a collection that is too broad, then a larger discussion about district policy needs to happen instead of targeting one objectionable book at a time.

What began as a discussion on censorship was more of a conversation about the acceptable line in literature for young adults. How do several explicit passages or cursing weigh against the totality of a book’s content? And what experiences do our LGBTQ+ youth face, and what characters and settings may help?

And while my own personal tastes and comfort were different than other parents, even those who brought the objection raised points that could not be easily dismissed as overzealous censorship. We indeed should have more conversations about how characters, books and content are presented.

Every person who wanted to speak or submit a comment got the chance. And even as some board members were singled out with the frankly insulting accusations that they were plying child porn to students, they remained professional, resisting the urge to take a swipe in return.

And when it concluded, it wasn’t just that the largest school district in the state had kept two books among thousands of other titles. It was also that a community – despite its deep division – can still have a conversation and wrestle with sensitive issues without the situation devolving into a melee.

Some may still see the final decision in terms of winners and losers, but to me, the entire state won.

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