Fort Worth ISD removes 3 books deemed 'too graphic' for younger students

FORT WORTH, Texas - Earlier this month, Fort Worth ISD announced it removed three books from elementary and middle school libraries.

The district says the graphic, sexual content or gender identity exploration in the books is not appropriate for students that age.

The move came after a conservative social media account shared news of Fort Worth ISD having those books in those libraries.

Two dozen people signed up to speak during public comment. Three different speakers began reading excerpts from the graphic books, but they were cut off by the school board and district staff because the language was inappropriate. The speakers wondered if they can’t read it to the board, why can their kids read it?

"Gender Queer" is one of several highly controversial LGBTQ books Fort Worth ISD says it had in some elementary and middle school libraries.

FOX 4 is unable to broadcast some images in the books because they’re too graphic.

Hollie Plemons is a parent to three boys, including an elementary student who she pulled out of Fort Worth ISD.

"If it’s not something that can be broadcast on tv, then why are we giving it to our children?" she said. "Some families might be ok with this, and that’s great. They can go to Barnes & Noble. They can to Amazon, and they can buy it for their kids. I do not want material like this in front of my children."

Board of Education Trustee Dr. Michael Ryan agrees with the district’s decision to remove the books, ‘Gender Queer," "Flamer," and "Wait What?"

"If books are pornographic, they don’t belong in our schools. I wouldn’t put Playboy in there. I wouldn’t put Playgirl in there. I wouldn’t put Hustler in the schools."

A conservative social media account discovered the books were in some Fort Worth ISD libraries and announced the discovery to its millions of followers earlier this month.

"The district immediately looked at them. They picked those books up. They’re in the central office," Ryan said.

The district tells FOX 4, "We are currently reviewing our guidelines and policies in preparation for the upcoming school year."

"When they present to the board, the board can take any action they need to," Ryan said.

"I just really hope that they’re going to do a deep dive into these books that they have, looks at the publishers that are publishing this kind of content," Plemons said.

"Gender Queer’s" author labels the book "the most challenged book in the United States in 2021 and 2022."

The graphic memoir claims to be a teaching guide on gender identity.

A group of people at Tuesday’s board meeting believe it has no place in public schools.

"And it sickens me to read or listen to passages from some of these books and to look at the graphic images," one person said.

"These books are placed on the shelves by someone in hopes of normalizing this trash," another speaker said.

"I sincerely hope that you take this seriously and consider finding out how these books entered the schools and who was responsible," another person said.

Their feelings are shared by Plemons.

"We want them to read quality books," she said.

During the most recent Texas legislative session, House Bill 900 passed, which will require school districts to obtain written consent from a student’s parent to access a sexually relevant materials at a school library. That goes into effect on Sept. 1.