Actions | Gay Rights

Tell Scholastic to Stop Censoring Gay Friendly Books

Victory - Oct 26, 2009

After more than 4,000 change.org members petitioned Scholastic Books, the company has responded that they will include Luv Ya Bunches in their Spring 2010 book fairs, and they've issued a statement affirming the dignity of LGBT families and LGBT parents around the globe.

Congratulations, and thanks!

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To: Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic), Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs)

Started by: Michael Jones

Scholastic, one of the largest education publishers in the world with broad influence over the reading materials of children everywhere, just dipped its toe into the anti-gay movement.

The publisher is censoring a book that depicts a girl character with two moms because they consider it offensive and inappropriate for children, preventing it from appearing in its Scholastic Book Fairs. These are the same book fairs that have reach to millions of schoolchildren nationwide. By censoring the book, Scholastic is sending the discriminatory and harmful message to children everywhere that same-sex relationships and gay/lesbian parents are wrong and should be hidden from sight.

The book in question is Lauren Myracle's new book Luv Ya Bunches, which features one character that has two moms. One of Scholastic's justifications for censoring the book is that they wanted to avoid letters of complaint from anti-gay parents.

This is offensive, wrong, and exactly the opposite of the message of tolerance we should be sending to children.

Tell Scholastic today that you are outraged by its decision and demand that they stop censoring gay-friendly books immediately.

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Sign the Letter

Please stop censoring gay friendly books

Dear Scholastic Leadership,

I was outraged to learn that you recently decided to censor a gay friendly book from your national Book Fairs, called Luv Ya Bunches. This is not the sort of discriminatory message I would expect an organization of your stature and influence among schoolchildren everywhere would be sending, and I respectfully ask that you immediately reverse this decision. Children everywhere are bombarded with messages of intolerance. These messages are what cause the suicide rate of LGBT youth to be four times the rest of the population, and which lead to hate crimes against gays and lesbians. We need our respected educational institutions to stand up for everyone’s rights and not to further intolerance and hate. Censoring this book in particular sends the message that children of gay and lesbian parents are abnormal, or that there's something wrong with two men or two women raising kids. There is nothing wrong with gay men and lesbians serving as parents, and Scholastic shouldn't be asserting that there is. As a leading education publisher, you have the responsibility to act without discrimination. Your censorship is unacceptable, and without reversing your decision or publicly apologizing for this intolerance you will be clearly aligning the Scholastic brand with the sort of anti-gay message that I sincerely hope you wish to avoid. I look forward to hearing your response.

[Your name here]

Sorry, the time period for signing this petition has ended.

Pastor Tim Redfern Sweet Springs, MO

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Brenda Arciniega Patterson, CA

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Sam Bosch Midlothian, VA

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Tanna Tuttle Danville, IN

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Amos Lim San Francisco, CA

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Mark Howard Durham, CT

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Teresa Vest Kalamazoo, MI

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
catharine Irvin london, United Kingdom

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Sonja Plummer Morgan Presque Isle, ME

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27
Phillip Britton San Francisco, CA

Sent letter to Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs) , Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic)

Oct 27