Report by Paula Antolini, October 7, 2023, 3:19PM EDT
“Flamer” is a controversial autobiographical book by Mike Curato and is on the Banned Books list due to questionable content and possibly not being appropriate for young readers.
A quick online search will reveal many parents speaking up at school board meetings all over the country, objecting to this book being carried in schools or libraries. Many speakers are cut off by school board members, from continuing their public comment, when they attempt to read passages from the book. One parent asked the board, “Why is it okay for children to read this but not okay to read it to the board?
However, CT State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan visited the Bethel Public Library yesterday to obtain the book and then promote it online with a photo of himself sitting in front of the library shelves, reading the book. Allie-Brennan then also placed a statement on his CT State Rep. Facebook page, in honor of Banned Books Week, that reads as follows:
“It’s Banned Books Week! This week we celebrate the freedom to read and spotlight current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.
“In the face of the rising threat of banned, challenged and removed books across Connecticut and our country, I visited the Bethel Public Library to read the YA [young adult] graphic novel “Flamer” by Mike Curato. Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.
“A strong democracy supports the free exchange of ideas. I’m standing on the side of students, teachers, librarians and freedom.
“Read a banned book this week!”
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According to the CT Centinal, “Allie-Brennan’s post on Facebook was liked by 30 accounts as of Saturday morning, including the Bethel Democrat Town Committee (DTC), former Bethel DTC Chair Jon Menti, democrat municipal candidate Rob Stowell, former Bethel Schools Principal and democrat candidate for treasurer Pat Lynch-Cosentino, democrat municipal candidate Marissa Allen Amundsen, and even State Rep Matt Ritter (D), Speaker of the Connecticut House and chair of Shipman and Goodman’s Public Finance Practice Group.”
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“Flamer has been subject to widespread criticism by proponents of an unprecedented wave of book banning in the United States. PEN America reported that it had been banned in schools in at least six states during the 2021-2022 school year. In 2022, the American Library Association named it as the year’s fourth most banned and challenged book in the United States due to inclusion of “LGBTQIA+ content” and “claims that it is sexually explicit,” according to Wikipedia sources.
There is much controversy pertaining to this book due to its reported ‘sexually explicit’ image content and language, and especially that the book is available to children at an alleged inappropriate young age for the content shown in words and drawings. Some parents are even calling it “pornographic.” View, “Michigan mom reads graphic passages in revolt against pornographic books in school libraries,” from 2022. View here.
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Is “Flamer” stocked in the Bethel Public Library? We checked with Tom Borysiewicz, Bethel Public Library Head of the Reference Department, he said, who confirmed that Allie-Brennan was, in fact, in the library yesterday to obtain and read the book “Flamer.” When we read Allie-Brennan’s statement to him (shown above) Borysiewicz stated that yes, the book was on the shelf at the Bethel Library and that he was okay with that. Although he also said he has NOT read the “Flamer” book in question. We suggested that he should read it (in order to judge it).
Borysiewicz also stated that Allie-Brennan was not reading the book to anyone in the library right then (even though the photo appears as such, on purpose or not, and people online were wondering).
Apparently it appears that Allie-Brennan needed the publicity photo to promote the banned book, following his own personal agenda about the “free exchange of ideas” no matter what the book content, age recommendations, or parental permission is. It’s one thing to discuss rights, it’s another to discuss actual content.
Where do the Bethel parents/guardians and school and town officials stand on this??
Photo Credit: Facebook.
CONTROVERSY:
“Flamer was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, “Sensitive Materials In Schools,”[17] many of which were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines porn using the following criteria:
- “The average person” would find that the material, on the whole, “appeals to prurient interest in sex”[18]
- The material “is patently offensive in the description or depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or excretion”[18]
- The material, on the whole, “does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”[18]
After a district parent filed a criminal complaint in August 2022 against Flamer’‘s inclusion in the Jordan High School library in Katy, Texas, district police temporarily removed the book for an investigation. The book had already been deemed appropriate for high schools by a book review committee in March, and the police concurred with the committee’s evaluation of the book’s content.[19][20]” —Wikipedia
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We are presently waiting for a response from Bethel Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christine Caver, on this issue.
CT State Rep. Allie-Brennan has blocked numerous individuals and reporters from contact so we have no feedback from him.
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