LGBT children’s books presented

University professors Michael Cadden, Imani Perry and William Gleason read several books that have been recognized for their LGBT-related subjects and censorship controversies during the event, which was held in the Mathey Common Room and hosted by the LGBT Center, Health-Interested Teens’ Own Program on Sexuality, the Lewis Center for the Arts, Mathey College, the Princeton Public Library and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

The 20 attendees included students from the University and the Princeton Theological Seminary as well as community members. They enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate while listening to the professors’ readings and viewing the books’ illustrations projected onto a screen.

University Circulation Services Director Trevor Dawes first proposed hosting an event during Banned Book Week last year. He was inspired by an LGBT-themed book tour of New Jersey during last year’s Banned Book Week celebrations, LGBT Program Coordinator Matthew Armstead said.

“We thought it would be a fun way to have faculty that the students probably connect with to read stories to honor Banned Book Week,” LGBT Center Director Debbie Bazarsky said.

According to Armstead, the idea to read children’s books came from looking at the American Library Association’s annual list of top banned books.

“This seemed like a very different way to do an event that happens frequently on campus, so instead of book readings or book talks, we had a storybook hour,” he said.

As Dawes was ill and thus unable to speak at the event, Armstead delivered the opening remarks. Speaking about the challenges that many controversial books — especially children’s books — face, he said, “It is believed that parents challenge materials more often than any other group.”

Meanwhile, Dawes’ written remarks stated that the ALA created Banned Books Week in 1982 in response to the “sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.” The ALA has reported more than 11,000 books challenged since 1982, with 342 reported in 2010 alone. Cadden started the reading with “Heather Has Two Mommies,” a seminal 1989 children’s book written by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza. Later, Cadden read a Leslea Newman picture book titled “Donovan’s Big Day.”

Having taught the University’s first LGBT course more than 20 years ago, Cadden said he was happy to reconnect with children’s books and work with the LGBT Center while supporting Banned Books Week.

“It’s disturbing to think that librarians across the country are under so much pressure to remove materials from their libraries because they deal with the way we live now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Perry read aloud from the book “And Tango Makes Three,” which has topped national censorship challenge lists since its publication in 2005. She also read “My Princess Boy (A mom’s story about a boy who loves to dress up)” by Cheryl Kilodavis. When asked whether she would read these LGBT-themed books to her own sons, Perry responded, “Absolutely. I think children’s literature is one of those ways in which we can become more inclusive and respect all kinds of families.”

Gleason, who teaches the popular ENG 335: Children’s Literature course at the University, read “King & King,” by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland.

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Event attendees including Shayla Reid ’15 said they enjoyed the event. Reid has previously worked on a project distributing “And Tango Makes Three” to elementary schools. That experience, she said, “was just to get the idea of LGBT issues and different families to different schools — so maybe a kid that has two dads or something can pick the book up and read it and understand the difficulties in the world.”