The complaint against "Lily and Dunkin" came from one Johnson County parent who has repeatedly challenged books she finds objectionable. A special committee overwhelmingly recommended to keep the book in circulation, but the school board voted this week to remove it anyway.
The Gardner Edgerton school board in Johnson County, Kansas, has voted to remove a young adult novel featuring a transgender protagonist from a school library.
It's the latest move the board has made in response to one parent's repeated challenges in recent years to books she finds objectionable. And though the district in the past has temporarily pulled books for review, this is the first time the board has opted to permanently remove a book from being accessed by students.
The book under scrutiny is "Lily and Dunkin" by Donna Gephardt, a novel that tells the story of a friendship between Lily, a transgender girl struggling with her identity, and Dunkin, a boy dealing with bipolar disorder.
According to the American Library Association and Goodreads, the novel is intended for young readers in middle school as well as upper elementary grades. Just one copy of the book was in circulation in the district, at Trailridge Middle School, according to the district.
Parent Carrie Schmidt first challenged the book last year. Schmidt's challenges to books over the past two years have prompted the district to review at least ten other titles. Often she has objected to what she sees as inappropriate sexual content in books and has also complained about books' depictions of drug use and self-harm.
Her challenge to "Lily and Dunkin" prompted a special book review committee to take a closer look at the novel earlier this year.
That committee, made up of a building principal, library media specialists, two community members and a student, among others, voted 10-1 to recommend to the school board that the book be kept in circulation.
But on Monday, the board went against that recommendation, voting 4-2 to remove "Lily and Dunkin" from the school library where it had been on the shelf.
School board members Katie Williams and Heath Freeman voted to keep the book. Board member Patrick Ross was absent from Monday's vote.
Schmidt spoke at Monday's meeting before the vote.
She read excerpts from "Lily and Dunkin" illustrating why she wanted the book removed. The excerpts she read depict the title character Lilly using hormone blockers to help her transition to female.
"School districts shouldn't have any propaganda to children that glorifies drugs, and you are setting major precedence today with your vote," Schmidt said. "Please protect the children."
Schmidt said society used to recognize that adolescence is a tough time to grow up and tried to encourage teenagers to accept themselves, but now the message is for teenagers to alter themselves chemically and surgically.
"This is an insane and dangerous way to talk to our young people, and you need to stop doing it through the books that you put on the shelf," she said. "You need to stop providing content about sex and sexuality in our schools regardless of this absurd social contagion that has occurred over the last four years."
Schmidt said she attended the book review committee's meeting in August when it discussed "Lily and Dunkin," when most of the members concluded "the transgender message was subtle."
"However that is how grooming starts: subtly," Schmidt said Monday. "Personally, I don't know how mentioning hormone blockers 28 times, hormone therapy twice, female hormones once and estrogen hormones once is a subtle message to the 10- to 14-year-olds who are allowed to read this content."
Board member Katie Williams said she appreciated that the book encourages children to work as a team with their family, therapists and doctors before making a major life decision.
"Because that is ultimately what is the most important," she said.
She pointed out that "Lily & Dunkin" is not being used as instructional material in any Gardner Edgerton classroom but is available for students to check out from one school's library.
Williams said she also took to heart the mental health struggles both title characters face that are portrayed throughout the book.
"It is a very prevalent topic that is happening among students in our district, and I think it is important to have that visibility," she said. "I think this is a very positive book for these students to understand the importance of going to therapy, speaking to a doctor, having all the information and support to process this. It is very, very dangerous if they do not do those things."
Likewise, board member Heath Freeman said he appreciated the process the book review committee went through with this book after Schmidt filed a petition challenging it.
Freeman said he trusted the committee and having a near-unanimous recommendation from that committee to keep the book held a "credible amount of value."
"Once they come to a decision, I think it is something that we value, we should trust and we should respect," he said. "We have families that are experiencing this within the district."
Furthermore, pulling items from shelves, he said, gives the appearance of hiding information and preventing students from accessing information.
"I think we are doing a disservice to those kids who absolutely are in this world," he said.
Board President Tom Reddin said there were good aspects of "Lilly & Dunkin" that address bullying but he "couldn't get over the repetitive pushing of puberty blockers."
Board member Jeff Miller said he, also, felt the book's repeated discussions of puberty blockers "almost sensationalized the use of the drugs."
"I didn't find much academic value in the book that really stood out to me," he said.
Board Vice President Lana Sutton echoed similar concerns, pointing out the target audience for the book was older elementary students, in fourth to sixth grades.
"I do have concerns about confusion and causing harm to our students," she said.
Board member Greg Chapman voiced stronger negative assessments of the book, saying he couldn't find any redeemable qualities in the novel.
"It shocked me that so many staff members were on board with this book and praising it so heavily," he said. "Where do we draw the line with mental health and which ones we are going to glorify and which ones we are going to help them get the assistance they need?"
Chapman said he also felt the book sent a terrible message to men and fathers.
"This happens too many times in the real world, and it would be nice if men stood up and did not cave and take care of their families like they are supposed to," he said.
Superintendent Brian Huff said he wanted to thank the board for "being willing to engage in difficult discussions" that not everyone is willing to take on.
"This board is dedicated to the high quality of education for our kids," he said. "We all want what is best. Sometimes we disagree on the nuances of that."
The district's next book review policy meeting is tentatively scheduled for early spring 2025.