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As Burkman began to speak, the teen hoisted whe posters scrawled wh sentenc black marker. They were taken om the book he’d disvered a week earlier his AP English classroom and brought home for supplemental readg: “<a href=" target=_blank>Lawn Boy,</a>” a novel by Jonathan Evison.</p></div></div><div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman’s three-mute speech reunted passag that scribe a sexual enunter between two 10-year-old boys. Quotg Pag 19, 91, 174 and 230, she told the roomful of adults how the boys meet the bh after a church youth group gatherg, touch each other’s penis and progrs to oral sex.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“What sort of diversy are you tendg to teach my child wh material like this?” Burkman asked, her voice shakg, her son exprsnls. “Who normaliz sex acts between fourth-grars?”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">She did not wa for an answer: “I’ll tell you who. Pedophil.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman’s remarks set off a tsunami of nmnatn that, a year later, would see the book “Lawn Boy” challenged at least 35 school districts spanng 20 stat and temporarily removed om shelv almost half those plac, acrdg to a Washgton Post analysis. Most of those districts — 63 percent — later returned the text to shelv after a review, while at least four banned the book for good. The plethora of plats, 87 percent of which were brought by parents, The Post found, renred “Lawn Boy” <a href=" target=_blank>the send-most challenged book of 2021</a>, acrdg to the Amerin Library Associatn.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-PPTf7" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The plats agast “Lawn Boy” me amid a historic natnwi spike schoolbook challeng and bans as nflicts simmer over what to teach about race, racism, history, sex and genr. Already, <a href=" target=_blank>25 stat have passed laws rtrictg</a> what teachers n say about the topics or limg the rights of transgenr stunts at school, a Post analysis prevly found.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Lawn Boy” is many ways the qutsential target for the book-banng movement: It is a g-of-age novel centered on a gay character of lor, Mexin Amerin Mike Muñoz. The thoands of books targeted for school removal the past two school years <a href=" target="_blank">were overwhelmgly wrten by and about people of lor and LGBTQ dividuals</a>, acrdg to the Amerin Library Associatn and PEN Ameri.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image-group"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Lawn Boy,” and the people who targeted , also illtrate how misrmatn germat. Days after Burkman’s speech, a Virgia mother spired by her ments falsely asserted durg a school board meetg that “Lawn Boy” picts a sexual enunter between an adult man and a 10-year-old. Her claim, ught on vio, was repeated on social media and news reports and magnified by proment policians, spawng pedophilia claims nearly a dozen school districts, The Post found.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The saga of “Lawn Boy” further shows how ncerns about public tn spread, fueled by nservative media verage, polil speech, and advocy om relig and parents rights groups. In rponse, mothers and fathers across the untry sured their school library talogu, signed up for public ment at school board meetgs and filed challeng agast books.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And what happened to “Lawn Boy” reveals the ltle room left for nuance or fivens the Amerin polil bate. Evison, the thor, never meant for his book to be placed school librari, he told The Post an terview. He was surprised when the Amerin Library Associatn <a href=" target=_blank>gave</a> “Lawn Boy” an award 2019 for s appeal to teens. Evison believ that some librarians who chose the novel did so bee of the award — and he says that, if any remend to lower- or middle-schoolers, they probably nfed wh the children’s book “<a href=" target=_blank>Lawn Boy</a>,” by Gary Plsen. (The Post found no documented s which this nfn happened.)</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="wpds-c-VkPmP hi-for-prt"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Mandy Peterson, a lear of the <a href=" target=_blank>Nebraska School Librarians Associatn</a>, said book acquisns often stem om Amerin Library Associatn remendatns: “We check those awards lists on the day that they e out.” She said librarians ually cross-reference the associatn’s suggtns wh profsnal review s such as the <a href=" target=_blank>School Library Journal</a> and <a href=" target=_blank>Kirk Reviews</a>, both of which gave “Lawn Boy” high marks. Peterson said she do not know of any librarians who nfed Evison’s book wh Plsen’s. But a few months ago, she noticed many menters onle givg Plsen’s book bad reviews for pedophilia.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Evison said his novel, an exploratn of racial assumptns and the failur of late palism, is meant for adults. If schools want to offer the text, he said, they should rtrict accs to olr stunts.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Nobody below a teenager is ready for that book,” Evison said. “It’s got a lot of adult stuff.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman did not know Evison’s feelgs when she stood at the lectern Texas that warm September night. Informed durg an terview, she said she do not much re. What matters is that the book is still available schools, she said — cludg her own district, which never removed the text bee Burkman, diststful of the system, never filed a formal challenge.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman said she did not mean to kick-start a natnwi ph to eradite “Lawn Boy.” But she’s glad happened. A vout Catholic, she said she se more than cince at work.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Out of all the kids to brg that one home, out of all of the books …” she psed. “I’m the mom that he brought home to.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="JVL4XGGU5ZHHVCN35VZXK2F374"><div>‘Is this a problem jt Texas?’</div></h3></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">On the Friday before 9/11 last year, Stacy Langton was okg dner and half-watchg “Spicer & Co.,” a televisn show hosted by Print Donald Tmp’s former prs secretary. Then somethg ma Langton, a 53-year-old parent of six, pse and stare at the televisn screen mounted above her pantry.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It was the voice of Brandi Burkman, railg agast “Lawn Boy” at the Leanr school board meetg.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Well, what the heck?” Langton, a stay-at-home mother Northern Virgia, rells thkg. “Is this a problem jt Texas?”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The next day, Langton checked out the book om her son’s high school library Fairfax County. She kept the novel locked her r and brought out for pesal only after her children — cludg her youngt, age 7 at the time — had gone to bed.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">She zeroed on the same scene of oral sex that troubled Burkman Texas. She beme nvced, wrongly, that “Lawn Boy” shows fellat takg place between an adult and a boy. In fact, the book scrib a man his 20s meetg another man his 20s and rememberg the nsensual sexual enunter they shared fourth gra.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Langton wanted to protect the children of Fairfax County. Inspired by Burkman’s example, she lled the school district and asked how to speak at the next board meetg, which she’d never done before. Two weeks later, she was standg at a lectern, wavg her py of “Lawn Boy” and shoutg.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">This “book scrib a fourth-gra boy performg oral sex on an adult male,” she said. “Pornography is offensive to all people! It is offensive to mon cency!”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Langton later submted a formal plat; after nductg a review, the Fairfax school district nied her requts to yank the book om shelv.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But she had a more lastg effect elsewhere: superchargg the bate over “Lawn Boy” by takg natnal.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Her speech received verage om mastream outlets, <a href=" target=_blank>cludg The Washgton Post</a>, and drove an explosn of stori om nservative media. A Post analysis shows that, the month followg Langton’s remarks, right-wg shows and s produced at least 13 articl or episos cricizg “Lawn Boy.” Overall, 64 percent of nservative stori and shows produced between September 2021 and early October 2022 that negatively referenced “Lawn Boy” also poted to Langton’s speech, The Post found. At least 31 repeated Langton’s ntentn that the book picts pedophilia.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“The novel ‘Lawn Boy’ ntas graphic pictns of sex between men and children,” Tucker Carlson <a href=" target=_blank>said falsely on his namake Fox News show September</a>, shortly after referencg Langton’s efforts to ban the book. “So why are they phg this on kids? Well, of urse, to prime them for sexual exploatn.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-1bCYa" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And parents natnwi were payg attentn.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It is impossible to say precisely how each of the 30-pl adults who challenged “Lawn Boy” beme aware of the book. The Post attempted to ntact every person who cricized “Lawn Boy” durg a school board meetg or filed a formal plat, addnally analyzg school vio footage and documents. Many did not rpond.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Still, Burkman and Langton, and news verage of their activism, played a signifint role.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Post was able to terme the source of ncern for 12 plats brought agast “Lawn Boy.” In half of the s, parents said they grew worried about “Lawn Boy” bee of the “natnal attentn” the book received, or by readg “natnal news reports.” Three of those parents poted specifilly to Burkman’s or Langton’s activism. Three parents mentned hearg about the book om policians and one om a neighbor, and two parents, cludg Burkman, said their child spontaneoly checked out the text.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-DiW2G" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Langton spired Mary Ellen Cuzela, a 50-year-old mother and substute teacher Texas’s Katy Inpennt School District, to check out “Lawn Boy” om her public library. Deemg the book “well-wrten but … R-rated,” she persuad her school district to permanently yank the novel October 2021, an acunt <a href=" target=_blank>nfirmed by lol news reportg</a>. The district did not rpond to requts for ment.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“This is not about ncelg people or beg sensive to someone’s walk this life,” said Cuzela, who had never challenged a tle before. “It’s about removg sexually explic, vulgar material om schools.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In North Carola, father of three Chad Slotta said he cid to challenge “Lawn Boy” the Wake County Public School System after readg about a ph to remove the book natnwi and Virgia — probably cludg Langton’s efforts, although he nnot remember precisely. He bought and read “Lawn Boy,” which he found graphic and obscene.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“My wife and I heard the stori and were cur about what was gog on our own children’s schools,” Slotta said. (Wake County officials later cid not to remove the book.)</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Of the 38 parent speech and challeng agast “Lawn Boy” intified by The Post — some of which were filed wh the same district — at least ne clu false assertns that “Lawn Boy” picts an enunter between a man and a boy.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“This one’s about pedophilia,” Florida parent Alicia Farrant <a href=" target=_blank>announced to Florida’s Orange County Public Schools board</a> at a Nov. 9, 2021, meetg. Farrant, who did not rpond to requts for ment, repeated the charge a formal plat she filed agast “Lawn Boy.” Unr a qutn that document askg what she’d done to review the book, Farrant wrote: “I watched another mom discs the book.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Today, Langton acknowledg that she was wrong about the pedophilia. She said is “unfortunate … if there are other parents who have gone to school board meetgs and repeated that particular misnceptn.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But if given the chance, she said, she would do everythg aga. Exactly the same way.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image-group"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="UNOHTHWRFBDSFLYX5EXNSFTT44"><div>‘How to blow the whistle’</div></h3></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Conservative policians and activists were close behd parents.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It began wh Virgia gubernatorial ndidate Glenn Youngk (R). At a bate five days after Langton’s speech, Youngk lled attentn to “Lawn Boy,” listg as an example of school officials refg to listen to parents.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“In Fairfax County this past week,” <a href=" target=_blank>he said</a>, “we watched parents so upset bee there was such sexually explic material the library they had never seen. It was shockg.” The next day, the Youngk team pasted vio of Langton’s board meetg assertn that “Lawn Boy” ntas pedophilia <a href=" target=_blank>to a mpaign advertisement</a>, which appeared on televisn and YouTube, where garnered 56,000 views.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">A week later, Lt. Gov. Mark Robson (R) North Carola posted a <a href=" target=_blank>Facebook vio</a> which he asserted that sexually explic materials were fectg schools and ced three texts as proof. One of them was “Lawn Boy.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“The materials,” he said a clip seen nearly a half-ln tim, “do not belong public schools.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Sixteen days after that, Texas state Rep. Matt Krse (R) clud “Lawn Boy” on <a href=" target="_blank">a list of 850 books</a> he <a href=" target="_blank">flagged</a> as objectnable to the Texas Edutn Agency late October. The next month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) <a href=" target="_blank">orred a crimal probe to “pornography”</a> school librari, potg to “Lawn Boy.” Not long afterward, Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (R) <a href=" target="_blank">announced that he was reviewg 54 books</a>, cludg “Lawn Boy,” to see “if they vlate the state’s obsceny law.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And late March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) mentned the book while signg a law that grants parents greater ntrol over the selectn and removal of textbooks and school library books. Ldg the new legislatn, DeSantis <a href=" target=_blank>repeated a falsehood</a> that had origated several hundred north and six months back wh Virgia mother Langton.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“‘Lawn Boy,’ a book ntag explic passag of pedophilia, is somehow accepted as beg okay,” DeSantis said.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Youngk, Krse, Abbott and O’Connor did not rpond to tailed lists of qutns. DeSantis prs secretary Bryan Griff sent a one-sentence email: “If you don’t see an issue wh the ntent of the book Lawn Boy beg krgarten through third gra classrooms, then you have exemplified the problem.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">A spokman for Robson said the litenant ernor first heard of “Lawn Boy” October 2021, when someone submted a plat agast the book to an <a href=" target=_blank>onle portal that Robson’s office matas</a> to uphold classroom “fairns and acuntabily.” After Robson “shed a light” on the tle, the spokman said, North Carola schools pulled the book om onle talogu — but “ is hard to say exactly how many.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Post’s analysis shows that at least three school districts Texas saw challeng of “Lawn Boy” bee of policians’ actns. In November, a mother the Lamar Consolidated Inpennt School District <a href=" target="_blank">argued for removg “Lawn Boy” and several other books</a> after munitg wh Rep. Krse about the tl, <a href=" target="_blank">she said</a>. The next month, officials the North East Inpennt School District said they opted to rensir “Lawn Boy” after seeg Abbott scribe the book as appropriate. And this Febary, two parents the McKney Inpennt School District <a href=" target="_blank">plaed</a> about <a href=" target="_blank">282 books</a> — “Lawn Boy” among them — all of which appeared on Krse’s list.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Meanwhile, advocy groups were spreadg the word, too.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The founr and print of parents’ rights group <a href=" target=_blank>No Left Turn Edutn</a>, Elana Yaron Fishbe, said that, over the urse of 2021, she munited her worri about “Lawn Boy” to the several dozen chapters of No Left Turn Edutn tablished across 27 stat.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Our volunteers sought out the books their lol school districts and when they found the book was prent the schools, they mand they be removed,” she emailed The Post. “Our volunteers challenged this book approximately 20 school boards cludg KY, MO, PA, GA, WI, GA, and others.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">She cled to share the nam of the 20 school districts or to review The Post’s list of school challeng and say whether her volunteers were rponsible.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="2TOTGNQJ7FCITCWFX77CY4I2UA"><div>A spike threats and sal</div></h3></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Jonathan Evison is not sure how to feel.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In the first days after Burkman’s speech, as vio of her remarks accumulated more than 30,000 views on <a href=" target=_blank>TikTok</a> and <a href=" target=_blank>YouTube</a>, Evison received a flurry of ath threats and msag llg him a “pedophile,” mostly through Facebook. Those didn’t bother him much — but the strangers who vowed sexual attacks on his dghters did. He set his acunts to private.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Evison is not sure he disagre wh all the cricisms of his book. “Too profane? I’ll own that, fe, who r. My mother would heartily agree.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But he fends the passag showg the sexual enunter between 10-year-olds. That acunt, he says, marks a pivotal step the protagonist’s procs of g out to his bt iend, Nick, who is racist and homophobic. Muñoz is g arse language to power himself through a moment of extreme vulnerabily, Evison said.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I don’t thk the effect was to glorify the experience,” he said of the sex scene.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He also qutns the motiv of some parents. He spects they “don’t like a margalized, non-Whe, non-cisgenr character tryg to be fortable and fd their place the culture. I thk the end game of the people is they want to keep the stat quo, and the bt way to do that is not to have the stori told.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He is heartened, he said, by The Post’s fdg that most school districts returned the book to shelv.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-qWvNy" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He also noted that sal of “Lawn Boy” have spiked massively the past year: The paperback edn has now sold 100 percent more than did durg s first prt n 2018.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Evison cled to give specific numbers. But, he said, the book has gone to four extra prtgs sce Burkman’s school board speech Texas.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h5 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="MKG353WPJBF7HP5LVJGEHG7YAE"><div>Methodology</div></h5></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Post tallied the number of school challeng, temporary removals and permanent bans of “Lawn Boy” a roughly one-year perd by reviewg public databas piled by the nonprof groups <a href=" target=_blank>PEN Ameri</a> and <a href=" target=_blank>EveryLibrary</a>. The Post also nducted s own pennt rearch by reviewg more than 3,000 news articl, at least 50 school district webs, and more than 150 social media acunts mataed by school districts, school employe and parents.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In every se where The Post intified an cint ncerng “Lawn Boy,” The Post ntacted the school district to verify the tails. In every se, The Post also attempted to ntact and terview the parent(s), teacher(s) or school admistrator(s) who plaed about the book. If The Post was unable to verify a book challenge, removal or ban, The Post removed that cint om the tally.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Addnally, The Post tallied policians’ negative ments about and actns taken agast “Lawn Boy” between September 2021 and September 2022, as well as the number of articl criqug “Lawn Boy” published by nservative news outlets the same perd.</p></div><div class="flex mt-md grid-center grid-body"><div class="mb-lg-mod" data-qa="ments-btn-div"><button aria-label="Scroll to the ments sectn" data-qa="ments-btn" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-nsy-flt wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left ments hi-for-prt"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp "><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg><span class="ral-unt unfed" data-ral-notext="te"></span> Comments</button></div><div class="wpds-c-dXjReQ"><button id="gift-share-shortcut" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left hi-for-prt ml-sm"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf "><path d="M10.73 5h.14a1.75 1.75 0 0 0 1-2.25 1.83 1.83 0 0 0-.51-.75 1.72 1.72 0 0 0-1.48-.35 1.76 1.76 0 0 0-1.2.94L8 3.93l-.68-1.4A1.76 1.76 0 0 0 4 3.59 1.74 1.74 0 0 0 5.13 5H2v4h1v5h10V9h1V5ZM9.58 3a.77.77 0 0 1 .51-.4h.17a.73.73 0 0 1 .47.17.72.72 0 0 1 .27.71.72.72 0 0 1-.48.58l-1.77.66ZM5 3.43a.72.72 0 0 1 .27-.71.73.73 0 0 1 .47-.17h.17a.77.77 0 0 1 .51.4l.83 1.7L5.48 4A.74.74 0 0 1 5 3.43ZM3 6h4.5v2H3Zm1 3h3.5v4H4Zm4.5 4V9H12v4ZM13 8H8.5V6H13Z" data-name="Path 10"></path></svg><span class="wpds-c-iSKIAI">Gift this article</span>Gift Article</button></div></div><div class="grid-center grid-body"><div></div></div></article><div class="centered-layout grid-layout"><div class="grid-center grid-mobile-full-bleed"><div class="hi-for-prt ml-to mr-to mt-md pt-lg recirc" data-qa="recirc"><div class="flex-l jtify-center hi-for-prt"><div class="pr-sm ml-sm ml-0-ns b-l br-l bc-gray-darkt more-om-post"><div></div><div class="dn db-l pb-md pt-md"><div data-qa="newsletter" class="hi-for-prt relative"><div class="dib w-100"><div><div class="flex jtify-center align self-center center transn-all duratn-400 ease--out" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup" aria-label=""><svg aria-labelledby="react-aria-1-aria" role="img" viewBox="0 0 100 80"><tle id="react-aria-1-aria">Loadg...

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* LAWN BOY GAY BOOK

Comment on this story</tle><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg></button><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Comment</span><span class="wpds-c-fOvfhP wpds-c-fOvfhP-kshkDy-isCommentType-te none" aria-hidn="te"><span class="ment-unt font-xxxxs sc-ral-unt"><span class="ral-unt unfed" data-ral-notext="te"></span></span></span></div></div><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><div class="dib poter" data-qa="gift-share"><div aria-label="Gift this story" aria-ntrols="gift-share" aria-owns="gift-share" id="gift-share-ntrol" class="" aria-haspopup="te" aria-expand="false" role="button" tabx="0"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf wpds-c-PJLV" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><path d="M10.73 5h.14a1.75 1.75 0 0 0 1-2.25 1.83 1.83 0 0 0-.51-.75 1.72 1.72 0 0 0-1.48-.35 1.76 1.76 0 0 0-1.2.94L8 3.93l-.68-1.4A1.76 1.76 0 0 0 4 3.59 1.74 1.74 0 0 0 5.13 5H2v4h1v5h10V9h1V5ZM9.58 3a.77.77 0 0 1 .51-.4h.17a.73.73 0 0 1 .47.17.72.72 0 0 1 .27.71.72.72 0 0 1-.48.58l-1.77.66ZM5 3.43a.72.72 0 0 1 .27-.71.73.73 0 0 1 .47-.17h.17a.77.77 0 0 1 .51.4l.83 1.7L5.48 4A.74.74 0 0 1 5 3.43ZM3 6h4.5v2H3Zm1 3h3.5v4H4Zm4.5 4V9H12v4ZM13 8H8.5V6H13Z" data-name="Path 10"></path></svg></div></div><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Gift<!-- --> <span class="PJLV PJLV-ikqOWxF-css">Article</span></span></div></div><div class="dib poter" data-qa="wpds-tooltip-ntrol"><div aria-ntrols="actns-tooltip" aria-owns="actns-tooltip" id="actns-tooltip-ntrol" class="" aria-haspopup="te" aria-expand="false"><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><div tabx="0" aria-label="Share" class="PJLV PJLV-ietWzJw-css"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf wpds-c-dJBvpf-iPJLV-css "><path d="M14 14H2V7h1v6h10V7h1Zm-5.5-2h-1V3h1Z"></path><path d="M10.29 5.71 11 5 8 2l-.71.71L5 5l.71.71L8 3.42l2.29 2.29z"></path></svg></div><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Share</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="teaser-ntent grid-center"><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Brandi Burkman arrived at the Texas school board meetg wh a prted speech, a plastic-sheeted library book and a swellg sense of fury.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The 43-year-old mother of three approached the lectern at the Sept. 9, 2021, meetg of the Leanr Inpennt School District board wh her 16-year-old son tow. As Burkman began to speak, the teen hoisted whe posters scrawled wh sentenc black marker. They were taken om the book he’d disvered a week earlier his AP English classroom and brought home for supplemental readg: “<a href=" target=_blank>Lawn Boy,</a>” a novel by Jonathan Evison.</p></div></div><div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman’s three-mute speech reunted passag that scribe a sexual enunter between two 10-year-old boys. Quotg Pag 19, 91, 174 and 230, she told the roomful of adults how the boys meet the bh after a church youth group gatherg, touch each other’s penis and progrs to oral sex.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“What sort of diversy are you tendg to teach my child wh material like this?” Burkman asked, her voice shakg, her son exprsnls. “Who normaliz sex acts between fourth-grars?”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">She did not wa for an answer: “I’ll tell you who. Pedophil.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman’s remarks set off a tsunami of nmnatn that, a year later, would see the book “Lawn Boy” challenged at least 35 school districts spanng 20 stat and temporarily removed om shelv almost half those plac, acrdg to a Washgton Post analysis. Most of those districts — 63 percent — later returned the text to shelv after a review, while at least four banned the book for good. The plethora of plats, 87 percent of which were brought by parents, The Post found, renred “Lawn Boy” <a href=" target=_blank>the send-most challenged book of 2021</a>, acrdg to the Amerin Library Associatn.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-PPTf7" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The plats agast “Lawn Boy” me amid a historic natnwi spike schoolbook challeng and bans as nflicts simmer over what to teach about race, racism, history, sex and genr. Already, <a href=" target=_blank>25 stat have passed laws rtrictg</a> what teachers n say about the topics or limg the rights of transgenr stunts at school, a Post analysis prevly found.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Lawn Boy” is many ways the qutsential target for the book-banng movement: It is a g-of-age novel centered on a gay character of lor, Mexin Amerin Mike Muñoz. The thoands of books targeted for school removal the past two school years <a href=" target="_blank">were overwhelmgly wrten by and about people of lor and LGBTQ dividuals</a>, acrdg to the Amerin Library Associatn and PEN Ameri.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image-group"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Lawn Boy,” and the people who targeted , also illtrate how misrmatn germat. Days after Burkman’s speech, a Virgia mother spired by her ments falsely asserted durg a school board meetg that “Lawn Boy” picts a sexual enunter between an adult man and a 10-year-old. Her claim, ught on vio, was repeated on social media and news reports and magnified by proment policians, spawng pedophilia claims nearly a dozen school districts, The Post found.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The saga of “Lawn Boy” further shows how ncerns about public tn spread, fueled by nservative media verage, polil speech, and advocy om relig and parents rights groups. In rponse, mothers and fathers across the untry sured their school library talogu, signed up for public ment at school board meetgs and filed challeng agast books.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And what happened to “Lawn Boy” reveals the ltle room left for nuance or fivens the Amerin polil bate. Evison, the thor, never meant for his book to be placed school librari, he told The Post an terview. He was surprised when the Amerin Library Associatn <a href=" target=_blank>gave</a> “Lawn Boy” an award 2019 for s appeal to teens. Evison believ that some librarians who chose the novel did so bee of the award — and he says that, if any remend to lower- or middle-schoolers, they probably nfed wh the children’s book “<a href=" target=_blank>Lawn Boy</a>,” by Gary Plsen. (The Post found no documented s which this nfn happened.)</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="wpds-c-VkPmP hi-for-prt"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Mandy Peterson, a lear of the <a href=" target=_blank>Nebraska School Librarians Associatn</a>, said book acquisns often stem om Amerin Library Associatn remendatns: “We check those awards lists on the day that they e out.” She said librarians ually cross-reference the associatn’s suggtns wh profsnal review s such as the <a href=" target=_blank>School Library Journal</a> and <a href=" target=_blank>Kirk Reviews</a>, both of which gave “Lawn Boy” high marks. Peterson said she do not know of any librarians who nfed Evison’s book wh Plsen’s. But a few months ago, she noticed many menters onle givg Plsen’s book bad reviews for pedophilia.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Evison said his novel, an exploratn of racial assumptns and the failur of late palism, is meant for adults. If schools want to offer the text, he said, they should rtrict accs to olr stunts.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Nobody below a teenager is ready for that book,” Evison said. “It’s got a lot of adult stuff.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman did not know Evison’s feelgs when she stood at the lectern Texas that warm September night. Informed durg an terview, she said she do not much re. What matters is that the book is still available schools, she said — cludg her own district, which never removed the text bee Burkman, diststful of the system, never filed a formal challenge.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Burkman said she did not mean to kick-start a natnwi ph to eradite “Lawn Boy.” But she’s glad happened. A vout Catholic, she said she se more than cince at work.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Out of all the kids to brg that one home, out of all of the books …” she psed. “I’m the mom that he brought home to.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="JVL4XGGU5ZHHVCN35VZXK2F374"><div>‘Is this a problem jt Texas?’</div></h3></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">On the Friday before 9/11 last year, Stacy Langton was okg dner and half-watchg “Spicer & Co.,” a televisn show hosted by Print Donald Tmp’s former prs secretary. Then somethg ma Langton, a 53-year-old parent of six, pse and stare at the televisn screen mounted above her pantry.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It was the voice of Brandi Burkman, railg agast “Lawn Boy” at the Leanr school board meetg.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Well, what the heck?” Langton, a stay-at-home mother Northern Virgia, rells thkg. “Is this a problem jt Texas?”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The next day, Langton checked out the book om her son’s high school library Fairfax County. She kept the novel locked her r and brought out for pesal only after her children — cludg her youngt, age 7 at the time — had gone to bed.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">She zeroed on the same scene of oral sex that troubled Burkman Texas. She beme nvced, wrongly, that “Lawn Boy” shows fellat takg place between an adult and a boy. In fact, the book scrib a man his 20s meetg another man his 20s and rememberg the nsensual sexual enunter they shared fourth gra.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Langton wanted to protect the children of Fairfax County. Inspired by Burkman’s example, she lled the school district and asked how to speak at the next board meetg, which she’d never done before. Two weeks later, she was standg at a lectern, wavg her py of “Lawn Boy” and shoutg.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">This “book scrib a fourth-gra boy performg oral sex on an adult male,” she said. “Pornography is offensive to all people! It is offensive to mon cency!”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Langton later submted a formal plat; after nductg a review, the Fairfax school district nied her requts to yank the book om shelv.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But she had a more lastg effect elsewhere: superchargg the bate over “Lawn Boy” by takg natnal.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Her speech received verage om mastream outlets, <a href=" target=_blank>cludg The Washgton Post</a>, and drove an explosn of stori om nservative media. A Post analysis shows that, the month followg Langton’s remarks, right-wg shows and s produced at least 13 articl or episos cricizg “Lawn Boy.” Overall, 64 percent of nservative stori and shows produced between September 2021 and early October 2022 that negatively referenced “Lawn Boy” also poted to Langton’s speech, The Post found. At least 31 repeated Langton’s ntentn that the book picts pedophilia.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“The novel ‘Lawn Boy’ ntas graphic pictns of sex between men and children,” Tucker Carlson <a href=" target=_blank>said falsely on his namake Fox News show September</a>, shortly after referencg Langton’s efforts to ban the book. “So why are they phg this on kids? Well, of urse, to prime them for sexual exploatn.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-1bCYa" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And parents natnwi were payg attentn.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It is impossible to say precisely how each of the 30-pl adults who challenged “Lawn Boy” beme aware of the book. The Post attempted to ntact every person who cricized “Lawn Boy” durg a school board meetg or filed a formal plat, addnally analyzg school vio footage and documents. Many did not rpond.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Still, Burkman and Langton, and news verage of their activism, played a signifint role.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Post was able to terme the source of ncern for 12 plats brought agast “Lawn Boy.” In half of the s, parents said they grew worried about “Lawn Boy” bee of the “natnal attentn” the book received, or by readg “natnal news reports.” Three of those parents poted specifilly to Burkman’s or Langton’s activism. Three parents mentned hearg about the book om policians and one om a neighbor, and two parents, cludg Burkman, said their child spontaneoly checked out the text.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-DiW2G" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Langton spired Mary Ellen Cuzela, a 50-year-old mother and substute teacher Texas’s Katy Inpennt School District, to check out “Lawn Boy” om her public library. Deemg the book “well-wrten but … R-rated,” she persuad her school district to permanently yank the novel October 2021, an acunt <a href=" target=_blank>nfirmed by lol news reportg</a>. The district did not rpond to requts for ment.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“This is not about ncelg people or beg sensive to someone’s walk this life,” said Cuzela, who had never challenged a tle before. “It’s about removg sexually explic, vulgar material om schools.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In North Carola, father of three Chad Slotta said he cid to challenge “Lawn Boy” the Wake County Public School System after readg about a ph to remove the book natnwi and Virgia — probably cludg Langton’s efforts, although he nnot remember precisely. He bought and read “Lawn Boy,” which he found graphic and obscene.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“My wife and I heard the stori and were cur about what was gog on our own children’s schools,” Slotta said. (Wake County officials later cid not to remove the book.)</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Of the 38 parent speech and challeng agast “Lawn Boy” intified by The Post — some of which were filed wh the same district — at least ne clu false assertns that “Lawn Boy” picts an enunter between a man and a boy.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“This one’s about pedophilia,” Florida parent Alicia Farrant <a href=" target=_blank>announced to Florida’s Orange County Public Schools board</a> at a Nov. 9, 2021, meetg. Farrant, who did not rpond to requts for ment, repeated the charge a formal plat she filed agast “Lawn Boy.” Unr a qutn that document askg what she’d done to review the book, Farrant wrote: “I watched another mom discs the book.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Today, Langton acknowledg that she was wrong about the pedophilia. She said is “unfortunate … if there are other parents who have gone to school board meetgs and repeated that particular misnceptn.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But if given the chance, she said, she would do everythg aga. Exactly the same way.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image-group"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="UNOHTHWRFBDSFLYX5EXNSFTT44"><div>‘How to blow the whistle’</div></h3></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Conservative policians and activists were close behd parents.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It began wh Virgia gubernatorial ndidate Glenn Youngk (R). At a bate five days after Langton’s speech, Youngk lled attentn to “Lawn Boy,” listg as an example of school officials refg to listen to parents.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“In Fairfax County this past week,” <a href=" target=_blank>he said</a>, “we watched parents so upset bee there was such sexually explic material the library they had never seen. It was shockg.” The next day, the Youngk team pasted vio of Langton’s board meetg assertn that “Lawn Boy” ntas pedophilia <a href=" target=_blank>to a mpaign advertisement</a>, which appeared on televisn and YouTube, where garnered 56,000 views.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">A week later, Lt. Gov. Mark Robson (R) North Carola posted a <a href=" target=_blank>Facebook vio</a> which he asserted that sexually explic materials were fectg schools and ced three texts as proof. One of them was “Lawn Boy.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“The materials,” he said a clip seen nearly a half-ln tim, “do not belong public schools.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Sixteen days after that, Texas state Rep. Matt Krse (R) clud “Lawn Boy” on <a href=" target="_blank">a list of 850 books</a> he <a href=" target="_blank">flagged</a> as objectnable to the Texas Edutn Agency late October. The next month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) <a href=" target="_blank">orred a crimal probe to “pornography”</a> school librari, potg to “Lawn Boy.” Not long afterward, Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (R) <a href=" target="_blank">announced that he was reviewg 54 books</a>, cludg “Lawn Boy,” to see “if they vlate the state’s obsceny law.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And late March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) mentned the book while signg a law that grants parents greater ntrol over the selectn and removal of textbooks and school library books. Ldg the new legislatn, DeSantis <a href=" target=_blank>repeated a falsehood</a> that had origated several hundred north and six months back wh Virgia mother Langton.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“‘Lawn Boy,’ a book ntag explic passag of pedophilia, is somehow accepted as beg okay,” DeSantis said.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Youngk, Krse, Abbott and O’Connor did not rpond to tailed lists of qutns. DeSantis prs secretary Bryan Griff sent a one-sentence email: “If you don’t see an issue wh the ntent of the book Lawn Boy beg krgarten through third gra classrooms, then you have exemplified the problem.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">A spokman for Robson said the litenant ernor first heard of “Lawn Boy” October 2021, when someone submted a plat agast the book to an <a href=" target=_blank>onle portal that Robson’s office matas</a> to uphold classroom “fairns and acuntabily.” After Robson “shed a light” on the tle, the spokman said, North Carola schools pulled the book om onle talogu — but “ is hard to say exactly how many.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Post’s analysis shows that at least three school districts Texas saw challeng of “Lawn Boy” bee of policians’ actns. In November, a mother the Lamar Consolidated Inpennt School District <a href=" target="_blank">argued for removg “Lawn Boy” and several other books</a> after munitg wh Rep. Krse about the tl, <a href=" target="_blank">she said</a>. The next month, officials the North East Inpennt School District said they opted to rensir “Lawn Boy” after seeg Abbott scribe the book as appropriate. And this Febary, two parents the McKney Inpennt School District <a href=" target="_blank">plaed</a> about <a href=" target="_blank">282 books</a> — “Lawn Boy” among them — all of which appeared on Krse’s list.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Meanwhile, advocy groups were spreadg the word, too.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The founr and print of parents’ rights group <a href=" target=_blank>No Left Turn Edutn</a>, Elana Yaron Fishbe, said that, over the urse of 2021, she munited her worri about “Lawn Boy” to the several dozen chapters of No Left Turn Edutn tablished across 27 stat.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Our volunteers sought out the books their lol school districts and when they found the book was prent the schools, they mand they be removed,” she emailed The Post. “Our volunteers challenged this book approximately 20 school boards cludg KY, MO, PA, GA, WI, GA, and others.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">She cled to share the nam of the 20 school districts or to review The Post’s list of school challeng and say whether her volunteers were rponsible.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-full-bleed" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="2TOTGNQJ7FCITCWFX77CY4I2UA"><div>A spike threats and sal</div></h3></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Jonathan Evison is not sure how to feel.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In the first days after Burkman’s speech, as vio of her remarks accumulated more than 30,000 views on <a href=" target=_blank>TikTok</a> and <a href=" target=_blank>YouTube</a>, Evison received a flurry of ath threats and msag llg him a “pedophile,” mostly through Facebook. Those didn’t bother him much — but the strangers who vowed sexual attacks on his dghters did. He set his acunts to private.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Evison is not sure he disagre wh all the cricisms of his book. “Too profane? I’ll own that, fe, who r. My mother would heartily agree.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But he fends the passag showg the sexual enunter between 10-year-olds. That acunt, he says, marks a pivotal step the protagonist’s procs of g out to his bt iend, Nick, who is racist and homophobic. Muñoz is g arse language to power himself through a moment of extreme vulnerabily, Evison said.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I don’t thk the effect was to glorify the experience,” he said of the sex scene.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He also qutns the motiv of some parents. He spects they “don’t like a margalized, non-Whe, non-cisgenr character tryg to be fortable and fd their place the culture. I thk the end game of the people is they want to keep the stat quo, and the bt way to do that is not to have the stori told.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He is heartened, he said, by The Post’s fdg that most school districts returned the book to shelv.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="mb-md"><iame tle="" aria-label="" id="datawrapper-chart-qWvNy" src=" scrollg="no" ameBorr="0" width="100%" height="500" style="borr:none"></iame></div></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He also noted that sal of “Lawn Boy” have spiked massively the past year: The paperback edn has now sold 100 percent more than did durg s first prt n 2018.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Evison cled to give specific numbers. But, he said, the book has gone to four extra prtgs sce Burkman’s school board speech Texas.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><h5 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-md" id="MKG353WPJBF7HP5LVJGEHG7YAE"><div>Methodology</div></h5></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Post tallied the number of school challeng, temporary removals and permanent bans of “Lawn Boy” a roughly one-year perd by reviewg public databas piled by the nonprof groups <a href=" target=_blank>PEN Ameri</a> and <a href=" target=_blank>EveryLibrary</a>. The Post also nducted s own pennt rearch by reviewg more than 3,000 news articl, at least 50 school district webs, and more than 150 social media acunts mataed by school districts, school employe and parents.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In every se where The Post intified an cint ncerng “Lawn Boy,” The Post ntacted the school district to verify the tails. In every se, The Post also attempted to ntact and terview the parent(s), teacher(s) or school admistrator(s) who plaed about the book. If The Post was unable to verify a book challenge, removal or ban, The Post removed that cint om the tally.</p></div><div class="article-body grid-center grid-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Addnally, The Post tallied policians’ negative ments about and actns taken agast “Lawn Boy” between September 2021 and September 2022, as well as the number of articl criqug “Lawn Boy” published by nservative news outlets the same perd.</p></div><div class="flex mt-md grid-center grid-body"><div class="mb-lg-mod" data-qa="ments-btn-div"><button aria-label="Scroll to the ments sectn" data-qa="ments-btn" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-nsy-flt wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left ments hi-for-prt"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp "><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg><span class="ral-unt unfed" data-ral-notext="te"></span> Comments</button></div><div class="wpds-c-dXjReQ"><button id="gift-share-shortcut" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left hi-for-prt ml-sm"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf "><path d="M10.73 5h.14a1.75 1.75 0 0 0 1-2.25 1.83 1.83 0 0 0-.51-.75 1.72 1.72 0 0 0-1.48-.35 1.76 1.76 0 0 0-1.2.94L8 3.93l-.68-1.4A1.76 1.76 0 0 0 4 3.59 1.74 1.74 0 0 0 5.13 5H2v4h1v5h10V9h1V5ZM9.58 3a.77.77 0 0 1 .51-.4h.17a.73.73 0 0 1 .47.17.72.72 0 0 1 .27.71.72.72 0 0 1-.48.58l-1.77.66ZM5 3.43a.72.72 0 0 1 .27-.71.73.73 0 0 1 .47-.17h.17a.77.77 0 0 1 .51.4l.83 1.7L5.48 4A.74.74 0 0 1 5 3.43ZM3 6h4.5v2H3Zm1 3h3.5v4H4Zm4.5 4V9H12v4ZM13 8H8.5V6H13Z" data-name="Path 10"></path></svg><span class="wpds-c-iSKIAI">Gift this article</span>Gift Article</button></div></div><div class="grid-center grid-body"><div></div></div></article><div class="centered-layout grid-layout"><div class="grid-center grid-mobile-full-bleed"><div class="hi-for-prt ml-to mr-to mt-md pt-lg recirc" data-qa="recirc"><div class="flex-l jtify-center hi-for-prt"><div class="pr-sm ml-sm ml-0-ns b-l br-l bc-gray-darkt more-om-post"><div></div><div class="dn db-l pb-md pt-md"><div data-qa="newsletter" class="hi-for-prt relative"><div class="dib w-100"><div><div class="flex jtify-center align self-center center transn-all duratn-400 ease--out" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup" aria-label=""><svg aria-labelledby="react-aria-1-aria" role="img" viewBox="0 0 100 80"><tle id="react-aria-1-aria">Loadg... .