‘Anti-trans bias’: Florida school district met with blowback for banning LGBTQ+ book
Tallahassee Democrat | By Douglas Soule | January 9, 2025
The world’s largest book publisher is urging a Florida school board to put a children’s novel featuring a transgender character back on shelves.
Penguin Random House, along with national free expression organization PEN America, said in a Tuesday letter to the Escambia County School Board that the decision to remove “Too Bright to See” by Kyle Lukoff from its libraries represented “further steps to restrict Escambia County students’ right to read and put their ability to learn in jeopardy.”
Escambia, Florida’s westernmost county, has been a hot spot for book banning. It’s drawn two notable federal First Amendment lawsuits, including one from PEN America and Penguin Random House.
“Too Bright to See” has raked in significant acclaim since its 2021 publication, being named a finalist for the National Book Award and a Newbery Honor Book. It also won the Stonewall Book Award, which recognizes “exceptional” books relating to the LGBTQ+ experience.
The story follows 11-year-old Bug who is preparing for middle school: “A ghost is haunting Bug’s eerie old house in rural Vermont … and maybe haunting Bug in particular,” reads a summary on a Penguin Random House webpage.
“As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they’re trying to say, an altogether different truth comes to light — Bug is transgender.”
But Vicki Baggett, an Escambia County language arts teacher who’s filed hundreds of books challenges, also objected to “Too Bright to See.”
In her challenge form, she accused the book’s purpose as being “indoctrination” and said “sexualities and alternate gender identities” prompted her concern.
That challenge went to a district book review committee, which tied 4-4 on whether to keep the book on school shelves. As a result of the tie, the vote went to the members of the committee appointed by the school board. Only one of those appointees voted to keep the book.
One of those voting to remove the title called it “errant and evil” and another labeled it “absolute indoctrination of transgenderism.”
Lukoff wrote in his own Tuesday letter to the board that there are reasons not to read his book. For example, he said, maybe they prefer more action- and adventure-driven stories. Maybe they’re scared of ghosts.
“But none of those reasons should be because a small number of adults, driven by bigoted and ideological agendas (here, review committee members appointed by the school board), have decided that it should be taken away from young people,” he wrote.
Another of Lukoff’s books, “When Aidan Became a Brother,” has been removed from county schools. It’s a children’s picture book that also includes a transgender character and was also challenged by Baggett.
While the district review committee voted to keep the title, the school board reversed that decision. As a result, Lukoff joined PEN America and Penguin Random House’s lawsuit.
“We hope the Escambia County School Board will reverse the decision to remove ‘Too Bright to See,’ allow the students of Escambia County access to this vital work of literature and cease expanding its liability for blatant anti-trans bias in the removal of library books,” said Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America’s Florida office, in a statement.
Skip Dye, chair of Penguin Random House’s Intellectual Freedom Taskforce, said in a statement that the decision “deprives students of the chance to discover a beautiful book that fosters empathy and understanding.”
Cody Strother, a spokesperson for the district, said it couldn’t comment due to the pending litigation.
That litigation has cost local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, but school officials have nevertheless persisted. They were recently unable to reach a settlement in the PEN America and Penguin Random House lawsuit, despite a federal judge’s prodding.
