Dallas Independent School District is under fire for allowing students to check out a sexually explicit book.
Libs of TikTok—a Twitter account that routinely exposes the sexualization and indoctrination of children—shared screenshots from Mike Curato’s graphic novel “Flamer,” which features scenes depicting sexually explicit language, partial nudity, and allusions to masturbation.
The book chronicles the experiences of the main character, Aiden Navarro, as he attends summer camp before starting ninth grade. According to the book’s description, as Navarro “navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.”
According to the DISD library catalog, the district offers “Flamer” as an ebook, with 20 high schools also owning a physical copy, including Woodrow Wilson High School, L.G. Pinkston High School, and Bryan Adams High School.
Libs of TikTok condemned DISD for providing children with sexually explicit books.
“The book discusses masturbation, watching porn, and has graphic depictions of sexual acts,” wrote Libs of TikTok. “This is what they’re giving 12-year-olds to read in school.”
Earlier this month, grassroots activist Carlos Turcios discovered that two high schools and a middle school in Fort Worth ISD also carry “Flamer” in their libraries.
However, “Flamer” is not the only inappropriate book in DISD school libraries.
Students using the district’s library catalog can search for books with “story elements” including “LGBTQIA,” “gay,” and “coming out experiences.”
The catalog defines the word “gay” as “typically men who are solely attracted to other men. This identity is important to them regardless of their relationship status.” The term “LGBTQIA” is described as “a community umbrella term encompassing people of multiple identities. LGBTQIA can also be used when characters express same-gender or gender-fluid attraction without immediate labels.”
Dallas high school students can also check out “Boy Meets Boy,” a young adult novel following a gay protagonist at a school where “the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.”
The district’s library catalog also includes “The Language of Seabirds” in a reading list for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The book claims to be “a sweet, tender middle-grade story of two boys finding first love with each other over a seaside summer.”
The exposure of sexually explicit books in school libraries comes on the heels of news that two DISD teachers committed sex crimes against students last month.
Police recently arrested two teachers—Qasim Frazier from Bryan Adams High School and Kaylen Cottongame from Hector P. Garcia Middle School—for having improper relationships with students.
DISD administrators have not given any indication they intend to remove the books from school libraries.
