McMaster calls LGBTQ+ memoir ‘obscene,’ wants books in SC schools investigated
Gov. Henry McMaster called for an immediate investigation Wednesday into the “presence of “obscene and pornographic materials” at all South Carolina public schools following parents’ complaints in one school district.
He’s also ordered the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate whether any state laws have been broken.
McMaster’s office said the governor made the request after he received examples of pornographic materials found in schools from parents in Fort Mill, specifically the book titled, “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe. The book is an autobiography about how Kobabe dealt with being nonbinary while growing up.
The book includes “sexually explicit and pornographic depictions, which easily meet or exceed the statutory definition of obscenity,” McMaster wrote to Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.
“For sexually explicit materials of this nature to have ever been introduced or allowed in South Carolina’s schools, it is obvious that there is or was either a lack of, or a complete breakdown in, any existing oversight processes or the absence of appropriate screening standards,” McMaster wrote.
Fort Mill School District spokesman Joe Burke said the district received a complaint about the book last week and it underwent a review process. Only the district’s three high schools and students of high school age had access to the book, Burke said.
Fort Mill’s district policy says anyone can lodge a complaint about instructional material. Complaints must be made in writing to the school board, and then the committees at the school and district levels review the complaint, the policy states.
“The district has a process in place for anyone to file compliant regarding materials available in the district,” Burke said in an email to McClatchy. “The book has been removed from circulation in our high school media centers and through our online catalog while the review process is completed. While the letter references the Fort Mill School District, the governor is requesting a statewide investigation and is not specifically targeting the district.”
Education spokesman Ryan Brown said library and media center books are not covered by the state’s instructional materials process, nor do they get state dollars. Instead, they’re selected by local school and district officials, he said.
Brown said Spearman was made aware of the book last week, and the agency immediately contacted Fort Mill’s superintendent who had already told staff to remove the book. While districts have their own book policies, the district failed to properly vet the book before it was adopted, Brown said.
Recommendations for districts will be coming, Brown added.
On Tuesday, the state’s education department opened up its review of state covered instructional materials.
“This is a fitting time for each district to review their own purchased texts including those used in classrooms, libraries, and media centers to ensure they are age and content appropriate,” the letter said. “Schools and districts should not rely solely on publishers’ vetting. We must work alongside students, families, and educators for this process to be successful.”
The particular book at the center of the governor’s request for investigation became a central debate in Virginia and its governor’s race, after a school system there removed the same book from its school libraries because of parent concerns.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 5:28 PM.
