Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

High Schoolers Expertly Call Out Hypocrisy Of 'Free Speech' Trumpers Trying To Ban Queer Book

High Schoolers Expertly Call Out Hypocrisy Of 'Free Speech' Trumpers Trying To Ban Queer Book
csd99media/YouTube

A high school board meeting in Chicago, Illinois became a lightning rod for the current culture war. Some parents and other area residents attended a board meeting for Community High School District 99.

The protesters carried signs that said, "NO PORN" and claimed that their children were being exposed to homoerotic language and images. And at the center of all this is an autobiographical memoir titled Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe.


The board meeting was recorded and uploaded to YouTube.

www.youtube.com

The protest was organized by the far-right, Trump supporting, SPLC designated hate group, The Proud Boys. Because of their postings on social media, many parents and protesters came thinking their children were being indoctrinated with gay pornography.

But the book is far from it. While the book does contain some discussion and depiction of sexual acts, most of the book is about the author's self-discovery in their own identity.

The book isn't required reading for any class, yet that didn't stop protesters from claiming that it's:

"liberal code for teaching children how to perform oral sex, anal sex, wear strap-on dildos."

The same protester who said this, also said:

"It's not your right to decide if our minor children should have access to pornography."

Some other parents were questioned about the book with one father claiming it made him sick. When questioned further, he said he hadn't read it, but just watched a YouTube video about it.

As you can expect, their claims were taken with a grain of salt.







More importantly, the students refused to be left out of the conversation. Many had their own opinions on the controversy surrounding the book.

Lauren Pierret, a senior at the school, said:

"Let's not present getting rid of Gender Queer as censoring our children from sex. It's homophobia."

She also pointed out that other books with graphic sex scenes like The Handmaid's Tale are still available in the library, and the parents aren't protesting those.

Another senior, Josiah Poynter said:

"Inclusion matters to young people. This is why we must have this book in our school's library... It brings comfort to people who feel unsolved and cast out."

The student's counter protest fairly successfully defended the book.






The superintendent said they would review the book's availability due to the two formal complaints, but it met the standards for inclusion in the school library.

The meeting wasn't even intended to discuss the book, but was forced on the meeting by the small band of protesters. It isn't part of any required curriculum, and only one copy of the book was available for check out at each library at the two high schools.

Elsewhere Gender Queer has been successfully banned by similar protest tactics. Virginia's largest school district removed the book earlier this year due to "parents' concerns."

More from Trending

Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less