An officer with the Great Barrington Police Department in Massachussets entered W.E.B. Dubois Regional Middle School on December 9 to search for an LGBTQ-themed book that they suspected was there. Police say a complaint had come from someone "who witnessed what they perceived to be concerning illustrations," but the book, identified as "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe, was not found at the school.
School officials and police later determined the illustration was part of Maia Kobabe's "Gender Queer: A Memoir," Storti told CNN. The graphic memoir examines the non-binary author's journey with identity, and it has been one of the most banned or challenged books from school libraries in recent years
Police chief Paul Storti apologized, vaguely, later, after his force's hysterial reaction to the least sexy cartoon blow job in literary history went viral.
"As the Chief of Police for the Great Barrington Police Department, I apologize to anyone who was negatively effected by our involvement at the W.E.B. Dubois Middle School on December 8, 2023," Storti said.
School officials also apologized.
"Faced with an unprecedented police investigation of what should be a purely educational issue, we tried our best to serve the interests of students, families, teachers, and staff. In hindsight, we would have approached that moment differently. We are sorry. We can do better to refine and support our existing policies. We are committed to supporting all our students, particularly vulnerable populations," Dillon and Bannon wrote.
Notwithstanding the horrifying prospect of armed agents of the state searching schools for books they don't want people to read, what a fantastic last-minute gift for the new queer in your life and for our holiday season referral link analytics.
