A graphic novel honoring the victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting was reportedly banned in one Texas high school for it's "extreme homosexuality," and now a teacher wants answers.
Anna Waugh worked as an English teacher at Irving High School in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In Spring of 2018, the English department put together a "social justice graphic novel unit based on the interests of our students," including titles like March, Speak, Monster, In Real Life, Hidden, and the book in question, Love Is Love.
"What followed was the sudden removal of all six novels from the unit because of one LGBT-themed text," wrote Waugh in an open letter in The Dallas Voice. "This was followed by silence from leadership, an eventual cover-up by the district, and a new policy gatekeeping teacher-selected materials."
The graphic novels were originally chosen because they covered issues like bullying, abuse, child labour, violence, and bigotry. Waugh says the initiative was "supported by the school principal and the school district grant paid for their purchase."
But after the graphic novels arrived at Irving and were in the process of lamination, the principal walked in and instructed the English faculty to pack them back up because of a complaint received by the superintendent.
The next day, the English department lead sent an email "requesting an immediate return of the novels and that the district follow its policy for challenged materials."
Waugh says their email was ignored and the policy wasn't at all followed. The support they originally had from the principal, district curriculum advisor, and English department chair quickly disappeared. According to Waugh, a committee led by the district's superintendent, Jose Parra, met secretly and decided to ban Love Is Love, the rumor she heard from another librarian because they took issue with the novel's "extreme homosexuality."
"I have thought long and hard about that description and can only say that it’s a hateful depiction for a graphic novel that memorializes the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, and that proceeds from the sale benefit the survivors of the deadliest attack on the LGBT community in U.S. history," wrote Waugh, who is openly lesbian.
After securing a new job over the summer, Waugh followed up on the injustice and inquired with Rafael McDonnell, the Communications and Advocacy Manager at the LGBT Resource Center, who then contacted State Representative Rafael Anchia. Anchia's staff called a meeting in September of 2018 and Waugh says "Superintendent Jose Parra claimed ignorance of the events." But in under a week, he had quietly resigned at the school board's request.
Despite that move, the book remained unofficially banned as it isn't listed in district records. The ban was held up because of a "new policy that requires six-weeks’ notice for non-approved texts." Waugh points out that "this was not the policy in spring 2018, and it can only have been created to prevent future LGBT-inclusive texts" and that the district is still actively concealing the ban by not officially listing them in their records.
Waugh reached out to teachers still at the school and the GSA advisor to see if they could take up the fight from within Irving High, since someone associated with the school needs to make the complaint to reverse the ban through the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. But faculty reportedly felt pressured to keep everything quiet. Waugh feels like there's not much else she can do, and she's frustrated with herself for not doing more sooner.
"We want the graphic novels repurchased and united with the set," declares Waugh, "and we want the new gatekeeping policy removed to allow teachers the ability to choose texts, including LGBT texts, for their students."
"At the end of the day, the LGBT students of Irving ISD deserve to see themselves represented in the curriculum and to have their stories told," Waugh concluded. "Not erased like the district has done with its recordkeeping."
