Texas governor calls books 'pornography' in effort to remove LGBTQ2S+ titles from school
CTV
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, called on the state's school boards to remove books he described as "pornography," a move that comes after at least two state lawmakers have asked officials to investigate books in schools.
Abbot's letter, sent to the Texas Association of School Boards on Monday, did not cite a specific book that contains what he described as "pornography." Last week, Texas Republican lawmaker, Jeff Cason, released a statement calling on the state's Attorney General to investigate books he also described as "pornography." In his statement, he singled out the graphic novel "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe.
This is not the first time Kobabe's book and other LGBTQ2S+ books are targeted by politicians and community members.
Another district in Keller, a city in Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, removed Kobabe's book after receiving complaints that it contained "inappropriate images."
"Illustrations of this sort should never be available in the school environment. Ensuring our curricular materials are appropriate for students is a priority for Keller ISD. We are changing the process we use to review and approve books and related materials to prevent future incidents," the district said in a statement shared with CNN.