MARIETTA, Ga. — The board of education for Marietta City Schools voted 6-1 to uphold a ban on "Flamer" by the author Mike Curato over objections to the book on the grounds it contains "sexually explicit" content.
A parent, Kayla Sergeant, had brought a challenge in October to the removal of the book from the city's school libraries and media centers.
Marietta City Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera initially denied the mom's appeal to the ban of "Flamer." She then appealed further to the board of education, which voted 6-1 to uphold it.
The lone dissenting vote against the ban came from board member A.B. Almy.
"Flamer" is a 2020 novel by Curato that "draws on his own experiences" in his "debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love," according to the book's description. Its plot revolves around a gay teen who struggles with his identity at summer camp.
Marietta City Schools is undergoing a review of all 20,000 books in its libraries and media centers for books that might contain "sexually explicit" content.
The board passed a 5-2 directive in September outlining the review.
"This was not intended to be a book ban," board chairwoman Kerry Minervini said at the time. "...we're trying to get people to coalesce around getting together and having these discussions so that we can come up with the most appropriate definitions and the most appropriate ways to protect our children from things that people don't want them to see."
Sergeant, the parent who objected to the removal of "Flamer," said at the time that, "Vague policies like this really just end up being swords to harm people who are already marginalized."
She said she did not "see any reason why there should be a unique attack on sexually explicit material or any kind of sexual content when there's not an attack on violent content or murder or homicide or any other sort of dangerous type of literature that we might be concerned about."
After news of the book's removal, Curato penned a letter to Marietta students, in part saying:
"Flamer is my truth and my joy. It may make some people uncomfortable, but their comfort is NOTHING compared to your safety and happiness. Remember that. They can ban my book, but no one has the right to ban YOU."
More than 100 signatures were collected in a petition defending the book from being removed.
“When it’s read in completion, in context, the book is simply benign. My 10-year-old has read it," Sargent said.
Pastor Joe Evans, a parent with a 12-year-old and 14-year-old in the district, said he was "nervous that marginalized groups in our school system are going to feel more marginalized because of the books that are being banned."
Sergeant's challenge to the removal of "Flamer" was the first brought by a parent under the new guidelines.