• Weather
• Transportation/Traffic
• Consumer
• Education
• Environment
• Politics
• Election '08
• Real Estate
• Webtowns/Neighborhoods
• Under the Needle
• Obituaries
• Special Reports
• Corrections

• Election '08
• U.S.
• Washington, D.C.
• Africa
• Asia
• Australia
• Canada
• Europe
• Latin America
• Middle East

• Mariners/MLB
• Seahawks/NFL
• NBA
• Storm/WNBA
• Sounders FC/Soccer
• College Football
• College Basketball
• Olympics
• High Schools
• Other Sports
• Art Thiel
• Jim Moore

• Tech
• Boeing
• Microsoft
• Bill Virgin
• Real Estate
• Wire
• Tech Wire
• Personal Finance
• Sci-Tech

• Event Calendar
• Movies - Showtimes
• TV & Radio - Listings
• Restaurants/Dining
• Music
• Local Bands
• Books
• Video Games
• Theater/Fine Arts
• People
• A&E Wire
• Going Out
• Staying In

• Pets
• Food
• Seattle@Home
• NW Gardens
• Getaways/Outdoors
• Snow Sports
• Visitors Guide
• Health & Fitness
• Fashion
• Parenting
• MomSeattle
• DadSeattle
• Advice Columnists
• Horoscope
• Wheels

• Comics & Games
• Crossword

• Photos
• MySeattlePix
• Multimedia
• AP Video
• Buy Photos

• Editorials
• Letters
• David Horsey
• Forums
• Soundoffs
• Joel Connelly
• Robert Jamieson
• D. Parvaz
• Mary Swift

• Staff Blogs
• Reader Blogs
• Blog for us

• Home Delivery
• Temp Stops
• Mobile
• e-Edition
• E-mail Newsletters
• RSS Feeds
• P-I Reader
• Twitter

• Online ads
• Online text ads
• Newspaper ads
• Classified ads

• Search job listings
• Post a resume
• Career Center
• Post a job

• Search auto listings
• Research Center
• Sell a vehicle

• Search new developments
• Search all properties
• Sell a property

• Search all rentals
• Post a rental listing

• Classifieds
• Seattle Neighborhoods
• Shopping
• Restaurants
• Pets

Monday, November 21, 2005

School district bans novel about gay teenagers

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TACOMA -- University Place school officials have removed a book about gay teens from the district's library shelves following parents' complaints.

In banning "Geography Club," Superintendent Patti Banks said she was alarmed by the "romanticized" portrayal of a teen meeting a stranger at night in a park after meeting the person -- revealed to be a gay classmate -- in an Internet chat room. She said her decision was not due to the homosexual theme of the novel by Brent Hartinger of Tacoma.

"We want to send a strong consistent message to all our students that meeting individuals via the Internet is extremely high-risk behavior," Banks wrote in a letter Nov. 2 to two parents who requested the book's removal. "To the extent that this book might contradict that message, I have determined it should not be in our libraries, in spite of other positive aspects (e.g., a strong anti-harassment theme)."

Parent Connie Claussen disagrees with Banks' decision and said she plans to appeal to the School Board.

"It is about gay students. However, the most important part of the book is that it's about bullying, outcasts, about tolerance. This is a really good book for any student to read."

In the 2003 book, a teenager thinks he's the only gay student in his high school until he learns that his online, gay chat room buddy is a popular athlete at his school. The teen meets others, and they form the school Geography Club, thinking the name will be so boring no one else will join.

Banks had "Geography Club" withdrawn from Curtis Junior and Senior high school libraries after a couple with children in both schools filed a complaint Oct. 21 asking the district to remove the book.

They wrote that reading the book could result in a "casual and loose approach to sex," encourage use of Internet porn and the physical meeting of people through chat rooms.

More headlines and info from Tacoma.

Add P-I Local headlines to
My web site My Yahoo! Google More options