Scholastic backtracks on demand that author change book’s lesbian parents to a heterosexual couple.
Scholastic backtracks on demand that author change book’s lesbian parents to a heterosexual couple.
Lauren Myracle’s new book “Luv Ya Bunches” focuses on four girls and is meant to depict the “the lasting friendships” that blossom out of “the shifting alliances and rivalries that shape school days.” But Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, initially refused to carry “Luv Ya Bunches” because one of the characters had lesbian parents:
The company sent a letter to Myracle’s editor asking the author to omit certain words such as “geez,” “crap,” “sucks,” and “God” (as in, “oh my God”) and to alter its plotline to include a heterosexual couple. Myracle agreed to get rid of the offensive language “with the goal—as always—of making the book as available to as many readers as possible,” but the deal breaker was changing Milla’s two moms.
“A child having same-sex parents is not offensive, in my mind, and shouldn’t be ‘cleaned up.’” says Myracle, adding that the book fair subsequently decided not to take on Luv Ya Bunches because they wanted to avoid letters of complaint from parents.
Change.org reports that after thousands of people contacted Scholastic to complain, the publisher has decided to offer the book in its spring book fairs. “Over 200,000 kids in America are raised by same-sex parents. … It’s not an issue to clean up or hide away,” said Myracle. Read Scholastic’s statement here.
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What a disgrace. This day and age, the assault on gays and lesbians still continues. I will never understand peoples hang ups about this issue. Sad.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:48 amOh no! Gay Parents! It’s the end of the world! Once again, reading about it will not make your kids gay, grow up!
October 28th, 2009 at 11:50 amI think America should be more concerned if one or more parents are viewers/fans of Glenda and Faux.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:52 amI’m confused….was it the lesbians, the gays, the abortionists, the uppity blacks, the poor or the immigrants that destroyed the sanctity of all my failed marriages. Please advise.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:52 amWow – who knew?? Gay people = the new N****RS.
America, your bigotry sucks. Grow up already.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:53 amJust out of curiosity — what kind of homes do the other three girls in the foursome come from? Any single parent families? Any blended families?
Not every child grows up in the Cleaver family. The lucky ones have two loving and caring parents of any sex — same or different. Other children have single parents, are being raised by grandparents or other relatives because neither of their parents could handle the responsibility, or in foster care. And many children who do have two parents are neglected by them.
Are the four girls loved and well cared for by their families? Are they abused? Do they have emotional needs going unmet? Do the girls respect their parents, and are the parents worthy of their child’s respect? It seems to me these factors are of greater concern than whether a child has two loving parents who happen to be the same sex.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:53 amWow…
How’s that “radical homosexual agenda” working out, eh? This is just sad. And particularly so, that they have to hide their bigotry under the guise of “marketing”
Are people really so insecure in their own sexuality that a children’s book with a character who has lesbian parents is viewed as a “threat”?
And people wonder why we’re failing as a society.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:56 amExit Stage Left says
October 28th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I’m confused….was it the lesbians, the gays, the abortionists, the uppity blacks, the poor or the immigrants that destroyed the sanctity of all my failed marriages. Please advise.
____________________________________________________________
It was all of them. They banded together to trash your domestic bliss. It seemed the most efficient way, since each of these groups has at the top of their agenda the objective of destroying your marriage.
/snark
October 28th, 2009 at 11:57 amMy granddaughter read that book, and now I want to become a lesbian, and I’m not even a female.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:59 amBetter luck next life, shoeless…
October 28th, 2009 at 12:04 pm;)
just another reason that my kid will be going to private school
October 28th, 2009 at 12:08 pmI’m going to reserve judgment until I hear what bitblt has to say on the matter…
October 28th, 2009 at 12:08 pmAs outraged as I am by the flap over the two moms, I am somewhat encouraged that nobody has even raised an eyebrow over the fact that one of the four girls is a Muslim who wears a hijab.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:10 pmNot wanting to hear complaints from parents(redstate/bible
October 28th, 2009 at 12:11 pmbelt) parents that is………..
Ahh, pre-emptive censorship by the book company.
Missmolly, it’s a dirty little secret that all was not well in the Cleaver household. If you watch the show carefully, it was revealed in the dialogue that Mr. Cleaver was somewhat of a sadist. Often June would say, “Ward, don’t you think that you were a little hard on the Beaver last night?” Enuff said.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:14 pmMy daughter’s best friend in 1st grade has lesbian parents.
Should I ban them from having any social contact with her and us?
All kidding aside, I will now buy this book for my children (and myself) to read.
Thanks Ms. Myracle!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 12:16 pmShoeless, you just hit on the reason that girl-on-girl is one of men’s biggest turnons. Hetero men and Lesbians have much in common. We’re both attracted to women. All hetero men are Lesbians at heart .
October 28th, 2009 at 12:17 pmfergus says:
Shoeless, you just hit on the reason that girl-on-girl is one of men’s biggest turnons. Hetero men and Lesbians have much in common. We’re both attracted to women. All hetero men are Lesbians at heart .
And we both enjoy watching “The L Word”. Shaaaaaaane! *drools*.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:21 pmI’ve never heard of this book until now, but as soon as I logged onto TP this morning, I just knew I was a lesbian.
Teh gay agenda — it’s strong!
I wonder if Rachel Maddow is busy…?
October 28th, 2009 at 12:22 pmNever mind the lesbian angle (which doesn’t offend me), what about the fact that they object to “crap,” “sucks,” “geez,” etc? These are so inoffensive, OK for use at ANY hour on TV or radio. Because if they get them out of this one book, there would NO other way kids could EVER hear, them, right?
October 28th, 2009 at 12:30 pmOh for the love of pete, they always have to have a boogie man don’t they?
October 28th, 2009 at 12:30 pmWhat? Ok…now it seems like the author is just trying to manufacture controversy. ‘Crap’, ’sucks’, and ‘oh my god’ aren’t really all that appropriate for a tween fluff book.
I’m all for mainstreaming and inclusion, but not as a provacative gimmick, which I am guessing this is.*
This hardly sounds like this generation’s Huck Finn.
(only a guess as Im outside the target demo by quite a few metrics)
October 28th, 2009 at 12:34 pmI’m offended by the lazy writing. It’s also hardly age appropriate for a children’s book about fifth graders. Let’s not elevate mediocrity because it’s edgy. That’s as big a sin in my book as censoring awesome because it’s edgy.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:39 pmDamn, now I am going to have to get rid of my Lisa Sparxx porn and buy this book
October 28th, 2009 at 12:40 pmTheir response should have been to add an interracial couple.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:50 pmZooey says:
I’ve never heard of this book until now, but as soon as I logged onto TP this morning, I just knew I was a lesbian.
Teh gay agenda — it’s strong!
I wonder if Rachel Maddow is busy…?
Sorry, but I read it first and was lesbianized before you. Therefore, I’m ahead of you in line for Rachel.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:51 pmDon’t know any 5th graders, eh?
So, you’ve read the book? You think that books about what actually goes on in a 5th graders life is age inappropriate?
I don’t understand your criticizm. You seem to just want to pick it apart but you really don’t make a valid point.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:55 pmgummble-bee-itch says:
Sorry, but I read it first and was lesbianized before you. Therefore, I’m ahead of you in line for Rachel.
Whooah there fella! You and I may just have to have at it for Rachel’s affection.
She’s hot!
I loves me some Maddows!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 12:58 pmWhy? Is there something wrong with being interracial?
October 28th, 2009 at 12:59 pmgummble-bee-itch says:
Sorry, but I read it first and was lesbianized before you. Therefore, I’m ahead of you in line for Rachel.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Damn you, gummitch!!!
Now you’ll have to bake me consolation cookies.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:00 pmI’m more offended by the casual spelling errors in the title of the book. What is wrong with the grammatically correct: I love you very much? It’s the phone-text-and-IM-ification of ‘Murka. And that ain’t the ‘Murka I grew up in, the kind of ‘Murka that gets its flags real cheap because they use overseas labor.
/snark
October 28th, 2009 at 1:00 pmZooey (recently converted lesbian) states:
Now you’ll have to bake me consolation cookies.
With bacon???
(Inside joke.)
October 28th, 2009 at 1:01 pmslappy magoo, news flash: It aint 1955,
October 28th, 2009 at 1:02 pm“Now you’ll have to bake me consolation cookies.”
Lady Fingers?
;)
October 28th, 2009 at 1:05 pmWell slappy, it could have been titled “Luv Ya B!tches”, but not sure if that would have been age appropriate.
Okay, now I’m feeling “slappy”.
Back to work for me.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:06 pmThere would be, to the people who object to a same-sex couple.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:07 pmThat’s because the wingnuts aren’t in the Muslim closet.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:13 pmI dont need no cookies, I am fat enough as it is, what I need is some of that furiosly masturbating father son tag team porn office computer sex like my naybore has
[neighborhood joke =]
And for Geez sakes, clean that freaking keyboard and mouse off would ya its crustier than a trolls chin.
And Matty, Dallas’ oldest white male virgin, stop staring at your sisters behind and get a real job, a car, and out of your parents house. McDonalds is not a career move!!
I love my freaky naybores.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:15 pmWhere have these people been? Despite a ban on gay adoption in my state, I see tons of gay or lesbian parents all over the place, and I live in the South.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:41 pmShit there go my chances with Zooey….
October 28th, 2009 at 1:42 pmBTW I’m a friend of a lesbian couple, they just had their first baby. They’re extremely happy with their decision and I’m sure the little kid will be cared for and loved.
Same-sex parents, divorcees, single parents, they’re all human, just like us.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:55 pmMaybe I’ll have a chance, once I get my sex change operation.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pmScholastic is based in Missouri, the buckle of the bible-belt, so of course there’s going to be an outcry about same-sex couples, bad words, and blasphemy.
‘Oh my G-d’, this ‘crap’ has got to stop, ‘geez’!
I am also a fan of Rachel–I guess that makes me a lesbian too. :-O
October 28th, 2009 at 2:32 pmFred says:
slappy magoo, news flash: It aint 1955,
October 28th, 2009 at 1:02 pm Add Karma Vote Up | Subtract Karma Vote Down | (0) | Report Abuse
That would explain why my Tivo can’t find the Texaco Star Theater anywhere.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:36 pmI wonder what my chances are with Grace Jones…..
October 28th, 2009 at 7:21 pm