November 24, 2005 | Sex & Society

Gay teens online too scary for school board

It's a modern love story: Gay boy feels alone. Gay boy goes online. Gay boy meets handsome stranger in chatroom. Gay boy meets said stranger after dark in public park, where he discovers that he's not alone and lives happily and homosexually ever after.

Now, a school district in Washington state is trying to keep teens from discovering the controversial themes of this classic "fairy" tale. Responding to complaints from two separate parents in University Place, Wash., superintendent Patti Banks has removed gay-themed teen novel "Geography Club," by local author Brent Hartinger, from the school district's library shelves.

The book follows high school sophomore Russel Middlebrook as he discovers his sexuality and searches for other gay teens in his community. When he finds them, they form a support group together called the Geography Club.

According to Banks, she does not object to the story's gay themes, but rather to its "romanticized" portrayal of Russel's meeting with a stranger, who he met on the Internet, at a local park after dark.

"We want to send a strong and consistent message to all our students that meeting individuals via the Internet is extremely high-risk behavior," Banks wrote in a letter Nov. 2 to the parents that requested the book's removal.

Nevermind the strong and consistent message that your sexuality is normal and healthy, and that there is a community out there to support you. Back in the closet, kids!

• Wash. school district bans novel about gay teens [First Amendment Center]