Nowadays, it seems that many books are in the cross hairs of red state censors—around 850 on one list in Texas alone—that we can’t talk about all of them. But there are many others that haven’t made individual headlines when they were banned. These books are also being pulled from the shelves in Granbury Independent School District, in Texas; being scrutinized in Polk County, Florida; and being targeted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Those books are also heavily LGBTQ.
All Boys Aren't Blue, an essay collection by journalist and LGBTQ activist George Johnson that was included on best books of 2020 lists from Kirkus Reviews, the New York Public Library, and others.
Echo Brown’s Black Girl Unlimited, described as “just brilliant” by Kirkus.
Susan Campbell Bertoletti’s They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of An American Terrorist Group, which won the American Library Association’s 2011 award for excellence in nonfiction for young adults.
Adam Rapp’s 33 Snowfish, one of the Young Adult Library Services Association's top 10 books for young adults in 2004.
Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House is an award-winning memoir about an abusive lesbian relationship.
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, by Duncan Tonatiuh.
Ordinary Hazards, by Nikki Grimes, is a memoir that got starred reviews in six major trade journals, among other honors.
Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer is a memoir in graphic novel form. It was an ALA Alex Award winner that got a starred review from the School Library Journal.
Drama, by Raina Telgemeier, is an LGBTQ-themed graphic novel that won multiple awards and made multiple year’s best lists, but was also the seventh-most-banned book between 2010 and 2019, according to the American Library Association.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero, made the best books lists at both Kirkus and the School Library Journal in 2014.
Ash, by Malinda Lo, was on the Kirkus best young adult books list in 2009.
More Happy Than Not, by Adam Silvera, got starred reviews at Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as making many best-of lists in 2015 and thereafter.
Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan, has made repeated appearances on the ALA's most banned books list. It was also on the National Book Awards longlist for young people’s literature.
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, was a well-reviewed, massive young adult bestseller, with Kirkus Reviews calling it “necessary” and “important” in a starred review. The School Library Journal also gave it a starred review. It was a Coretta Scott King Honor book.
The list goes on. And on and on and on.
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