Juno Dawson's 'This Book is Gay' removed from Children's Books Ireland reading guide
The Inappropriate Of The Claim Campaigners Contents Are For Children Book
Juno Dawson's young adult non-fiction book has been removed by Children's Books Ireland from their Pride Reading Guide.
The guide is aimed at young readers aged 0-18 and aims to include books that "were of excellent quality and that would positively represent every member of the LGBTQ+ community".
However, following concerns and complaints from campaigners, who claim the contents of Dawson's book are inappropriate for children, the charity said they undertook an "in-depth review of the book" and sought the views of an external reader from an LGBTQ+ charity. They then took the decision to remove the book from the list.
Dawson's book explores growing up as LGBTQ+ and addresses a variety of issues including sex, politics and stereotypes. However, the book has been challenged due to sections that provide detailed advice on anal and oral sex and sexting.
A Children's Books Ireland spokesperson told the that "after careful consideration" they have decided to remove from the Pride Reading Guide.
“The book was first published in 2014 and revised in 2020. Much of the book’s content remains valuable for LGBTQ+ teenagers, however some aspects do not reflect the more inclusive current language used by the LGBTQ+ community," the statement read.
“Although it was initially recommended for readers aged fifteen and older, we have also found that the language and tone is better suited to older teenagers and young people outside of Children’s Books Ireland’s 0–18 age remit.”
Project Coordinator at Cork's Gay Project Ailsa Spindler condemned the removal of Dawson's book saying "information should be freely available and we certainly do not agree with a book being banned or unavailable."
They said: "What's missed in the discussion sometimes, is that of course these books are important to young people, but it's important for everyone. We leave that judgment of what is age appropriate up to parents and teachers."
"And I know people will say, well, they shouldn't be in children's sections, but young people who read these books, already know these things — they just want better information, not just the gossip that goes around at school and peers."
Meanwhile, the HSE has said they will be removing reading lists from their Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) resource, including their Relationship and Sexuality Education unit for schools. The course is aimed at Junior Cert students as part of a roll-out of sex education for 12-15 year olds in Ireland. Dawson's book was included in the sex education course.
In a statement to the , the HSE said the recommended reading lists for parents and teachers were taken down "to reflect the updated SPHE curriculum and will be re-published shortly".
It claimed that the sections in the list were "too long, and teachers could miss some important information included in them."
This follows, Cork City libraries' recent decision to not remove LGBTQ+ reading materials despite staff at its central library being subjected to intimidation and verbal abuse. In March, the Council confirmed that it has reported to gardaí a number of recent incidents at the Grand Parade library involving people opposed to the display of the material.