News/Commentary

Security forcibly removes man from school board meeting when he starts reading LGBTQ graphic novel

August 24, 2023 | | Print Article

A Texas school board meeting sparked anger in the crowd as security forcibly removed a man for reading an excerpt from an LGTBQ graphic novel that is included in the schools’ libraries.

The incident was caught on video and posted to X by Paul Leavitt.

In the video, the unidentified man began reading from Mike Curato’s controversial graphic novel, “Flamer.”

The man starts from the podium with a quote from a character who asks, “Who wants my hot wiener?”

A Fort Worth Independent School District board member promptly bangs her gavel and calls for security, which quickly responds.

Undeterred, the man continues reading as the crowd begins voicing its disapproval.

“Hey, easy now, easy,” cautions one person in the crowd.

“He didn’t break the law!” another yelled over the repeated gavel-banging.

Ultimately, three officers pull the man away from the podium and escort him out the door.

“Unconstitutional,” another member of the crowd shouted, as others held up signs.

Another angle of the incident shows the man being pushed and grabbed repeatedly by one officer as angry parents yelled at the officer to stop.

According to Fox News Digital, “‘Flamer’ is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel set in 1995. It tells the story of Aiden, who is bullied at a Boy Scouts summer camp for ‘acting in a manner considered stereotypical of gay men.'”

In April, Curato boasted that his book was the “#4 Most Challenged Book of 2022.”

In June of last year, Curato bragged, “FLAMER made third place on Florida’s Don’t Sat Gay ban list.”

“Guess I just wasn’t gay enough to get first place,” he added.

“The book has been challenged in at least 62 schools for its LGBTQ content and sexually explicit material,” Fox News Digital reports.

“Critics of the book have pointed to several illustrations as cause for alarm. One panel shows a teenage boy bending down in a shower while another cleans himself. The boy is also shown ogling the bodies of other students,” according to the outlet, which adds, “No genitalia is shown in these depictions.”

The debate in Texas comes following confirmation last week that the Fort Worth Independent School District would be closing their libraries until Aug. 25th, “so catalogs can be inventoried,” ABC’s WFAA, which identified the man in question as “Mike,” reported.

(Video: YouTube)

Roughly 100 books are being reviewed, the district’s Interim Library Director, Dr. Ross Teller, told WFAA, and the books facing scrutiny have already been removed from the libraries’ shelves.

“We are committed to having a safe and welcoming space for all students in our libraries,” Teller said. “We’re just concentrating on ensuring we have the most welcoming inviting and appropriate collection available.”

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles