I like to joke that “I write gooder than I talk.” I’m very passionate about a lot of things, and when I’m talking about them, it can lead to some wild ranting. Anyone who’s been around me after a beer or two can confirm. Writing forces me to slow down, take a step back, and organize my thoughts.

This month, I wanted to write something about the alarming frequency of challenging and banning books. June is Pride, and some of the most frequently challenged or banned books in the past several years have been challenged for LGBTQIA+ content. It’s infuriating.

It’s so infuriating that every time I try to organize my thoughts around it, I see red and it all devolves into a rant that’s better suited to a soapbox than a blog post.

But I don’t think I can put it more succinctly than one of the kids at my teen advisory board did last night:

Me: A lot of books are being challenged or banned for having queer or DEI content.
Teen: What’s DEI?
Me: Diversity, equity, and inclusion. In book challenges, it’s usually related to race.
Teen: That’s stupid.

This is obviously something I care a lot about. I’m aiming to write something more in-depth for October, since Banned Books Week is October 1-7. Until then, I wanted to share a poem I wrote in April 2020 on this topic.

Reason for Ban:
by Kaye Norton

Banned for profanity
Our kids don’t use language like that.
They’ve never heard those words on TV.
We don’t use them at home.
Of course they don’t say them when we’re not around.

Banned for alcohol use
Our kids have never seen us with a glass of wine
or stolen sips from our beers.
They’ve never drank from red plastic cups at parties
or even wondered about the taste.

Banned for sexual content
Our kids don’t know what lust is.
Certainly, they’ve never felt it.
Never spun bottles,
laid in the backseat of a car,
or felt the breathless rush of young love.

Banned for bullying
Our kids have never thrown a punch,
or spread vicious rumors,
or spent a day crying in the bathroom,
and faked being sick to stay home
because someone threatened to kill them.

Banned for religious viewpoint
Because we have faith in God
But not our kids.