Texas county may ban pro-gay sex-ed book (6062)

A sex education book for young adults may be banned from libraries in Texas's Montgomery County after protests by some residents upset with its material on homosexuality. Montgomery County commissioners agreed Tuesday that It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris should be removed from county libraries pending a review of its content. "That book tries to minimize or even negate that homosexuality is a problem," county judge Alan B. Sadler said. "This is clearly a book for children about sexuality, and it clearly tries to steer the child toward being pro-homosexual or at least neutral."

"I don't promote anything in the book," Harris said in a story in Tuesday's edition of The [Conroe, Tex.] Courier. "There are a lot of topics. I am giving honest, accurate information. In every community there are straight people and gay people, young people and old people, conservatives, liberals, and those who are middle-of-the-road. I feel it is important to let our children know we live in a democracy. I am getting information out to all kinds of people, and that's what's important. We might not all agree. We are all different, but we all live in this country together."

About a half-dozen people describing themselves as Christians showed up at the commissioners' meeting Monday to ask that all copies of the book be removed from libraries in the county. The county has four copies of the 89-page book. Three were checked out Monday, and one was missing. "It's not sex education," said local resident Frances Brown. "It's pornography. It's horrible." Sadler and Montgomery County library director Jerilynn Williams said a ban would be contingent on the outcome of an official review process. Many of those who spoke during the commissioners' meeting were concerned about the illustrations in the book. The book uses cartoonlike drawings to illustrate various issues relating to puberty, sexual intercourse, masturbation, and pregnancy.