Opinion: Sexually explicit novels should be required reading
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (pictured) showing an explicit image from the novel Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe during a FOX News debate against California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Politico)
By James Wei
October 25, 2024
“This is pornography” says Governor Ron DeSantis, referring to a scene from the novel Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe that has been banned in Florida.
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What DeSantis clearly does not understand about novels like Kobabe’s is how they can be used to slowly ease kids to mature topics. Unlike pornography, these novels’ explicit images and descriptions provide a more realistic view of sex to kids.
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It is inevitable that kids will come across pornography at an early age whether it is through a Playboy magazine or on the internet. A study done by Common Sense Media found that over 54% of kids under the age of 13 have seen online pornograpy before (Robb 5). They also found that 45% of kids consumed porn to learn more about sex and their sexual preferences. So the real question is would we rather have pornography or these “sexually explicit” novels teach kids how to have sex?
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​Banned books like Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram depict healthy, authentic relationships. Khorram describes a scene where Darius’s boyfriend, Landon, puts his finger into Darius’ mouth to which he says he
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The percentage of teens who have seen online pornography, by age. (Common Sense Media)
“does not think he likes that” (Khorram 265). This novel deals with the pressure from others to have sex which is something that not only queer people face, but something that people of all sexual identities face. Because of porn, you see this in mainstream media where people flaunt their “body count” like it’s an achievement. Khorram also addresses Darius’ insecurity about his body, a common issue among teenagers which has only been exacerbated by porn.
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Having said that, the biggest issue with porn is with how it distorts perceptions of what relationships are all about. It portrays sex as a means to seek self-pleasure, pushing a hook-up culture, rather than as an intimate activity where two people strive to create a shared pleasure. A study from Indiana University Bloomington found that 97% of porn scenes depict the woman as the victim of violence, which helps to perpetuate the patriarchy (Fritz 2).
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As a result, books such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson have to be written to address issues that have been due in no small part to porn. Speak depicts a scene in which Melinda is raped by a high school senior at a summer party and her recovery following this incident. Novels like these help to destigmatize victims of sexual abuse and reduce the feeling of shame. When kids are able to see themselves in a character like Melinda, they will be more willing to share and work through their feelings, rather than internalizing it all.
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This all speaks to the greater issue with sexual education across the country. The same group of policy-makers who are trying to control the books that ​
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18% of teen girls report experiencing sexual violence in the past year (CDC)
children are able to read are also attempting to control the sexual discourse around schools. These lawmakers try to push onto everyone their harmful, religious beliefs like sinning homosexuality and emphasizing abstinence. Mississippi is one of the states that require abstinence-only sexual education programs, which has amazingly led to the highest number of teen pregnancies in the US. In fact, according to the National Coalition of STD directors, the US has the highest rate of STI’s out of all the developed countries. And also by making kids believe homosexuality is sinful, it will only encourage them to seek out pleasure in dangerous ways like on a dating app.​​
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If schools are not going to educate our kids properly about sexual education, we need these banned books to help to fill in. Banned books are not pornography, but rather an educational tool for kids about sexual health and sexual identity.
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