Settlement Reached On Gay Books

Although librarian Christine Enterline is glad that the ACLU and her school district have reached a settlement over a series of gay and lesbian books, she thinks the district's book-banning actions have sent a bad message. "Some damage has already been done," says Enterline, the librarian at Orangeview Middle School in Anaheim, CA. "I think the way that all this has been handled does not show a lot of respect or caring for the gay population that we have."

The controversy began last year when school administrators confiscated 10 new books in a series called "Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians" from the middle school library. After failing to receive an explanation of why the biographies of James Baldwin, John Maynard Keynes, and other notable figures had been removed, Enterline and her assistant, Library Technician Tommy Kovac, contacted the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. On December 21, 2000, the ACLU filed suit against the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), claiming the district had violated students' First Amendment rights. On March 15, lawyers for the school district and ACLU approved a settlement that put an end to the book banning.

Under the agreement, the 10 Chelsea House books will be shelved in a district high school. But the books will not be returned to the middle school; administrators have told Enterline to order new gay and lesbian books written at a lower reading level. Also under the agreement, the district will amend its library selection policy, specifying that no books be removed from a library when the primary reason is content relating to sexual orientation. Additionally, no AUHSD official or employee will be permitted to remove books from a school library except to file a challenge under the district's reconsideration process. The 10 gay and lesbian titles were never formally challenged.