‘HEARTSTOPPER’ Bellaire library board plans hearing on LGBTQ-themed books

BELLAIRE — A citizens’ group is asking the Bellaire Library to restrict access to a set of young adult novels with LGBTQ+ themes.

In response, library’s Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing on the issue at 10 a.m. Friday in the Forest Home Township Hall, 321 N. Bridge St., in downtown Bellaire.

Interested parties will be allowed up to three minutes each to share their views and opinions on the matter.

The illustrated books in question are part of the “Heartstopper” series by British author Alice Oseman. They chronicle the romantic relationship between the fictional characters Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson.

While some of the illustrations show encounters such as hugging and kissing between two teenage males, none of those hand-drawn images are sexually explicit.

COMPETING PETITIONS

Library officials said the issue first came up in early October when area resident Jennie McCormick-Killian objected to one of the “Heartstopper” volumes being displayed in the young adult book section of the small community library.

At the time, Library Director Tom Shilts, 61, agreed to move the book in question away from the front display to a shelving area about 20 feet away.

Subsequently, McCormick-Killian launched a petition drive on Change.org urging the library to restrict access to the series to library patrons over the age of 16.

“I am alarmed that these books openly shows sexual scenes in a manner accessible to children,” she wrote in her petition text. “These books have the potential to expose young, innocent minds to mature content they may not yet be ready to understand… and may influence their development in unhealthy ways.”

“The Bellaire library should be a safe place for children to nurture their love for reading, we must ensure this library helps the developmental needs of our children,” she added. “Join me and help protect our children by signing this petition.”

The Record-Eagle attempted to reach McCormick-Killian by phone and e-mail on Wednesday, but received no response by press time.

Meanwhile, 1,386 people have signed an opposing petition seeking to keep “Heartstopper” books available to library patrons.

Kalico Casady, who organized that effort, called allegations that the book portrays graphic sex aimed at minors “fraudulent.”

“I have read the entire series and am encouraged by the themes of anti-bullying, coming out, identity, and how to help a struggling friend,” she said in her own petition. “I understand that as parents we want to keep our children safe.

“However, it is our responsibility to monitor what our kids read. The library is not there for only the straight, white, Christian community, it is there for every community. The library is a safe space for all. Let’s keep it that way.”

The issue probably won’t be settled at Friday’s public meeting, Shilts said, noting that he expects the library board to send the matter to a subcommittee.

“This is really a romance story – the topic of sex is only a small part of the book,” he said. “Our book collection represents all points of view. The library is a public space that we all share. Ultimately, it’s up to parents to decide what books their children and teens should read.”

In March 2023, the Michigan Library Association commissioned EPIC-MRA to survey more than 800 people on the topic of banning books.

According to the MLA report, 87% of all respondents agreed that “there is absolutely no time or rare times when a book should be banned from local public libraries.”

Also, 87% of all respondents said “political ideas you disagree with” should never be banned, and 67% of all respondents said that “books with discussions about sex, gender identity or sexual orientation” should never be banned.

Another 2024 survey of 616 parents by the EveryLibrary Institute showed somewhat different results.

That survey showed about 81 percent of parents want age restrictions placed on sexually explicit books in school libraries. But, at the same time, they said they trust librarians to select appropriate materials for their collections.

Of those respondents, 19 percent said they did not trust librarians to make such decisions.

Adrienne Brown-Reasner, the executive director of Up North Pride, said, “Nothing in the ‘Heartstopper’ series is dangerous.”

If a library removes those volumes or other LGBT-themed books, “it sends a message that the world is telling them there’s something wrong with us,” Brown-Reasner said. “It also encourages young LBGT people to internalize hatred and fear.

“On the other hand, it’s absolutely helpful if you can see yourself reflected in media – books, TV, music. After all, we are just people.”

PREVIOUS BANS

Many groups and individuals have attempted – sometimes successfully – to ban the “Heartstopper” books in recent years.

For example, two school districts (Clay County, Florida, and Canby, Oregon) pulled the books from their library shelves in 2023.

In August of the same year, the Marion County, Mississippi, library system pulled “Heartstopper” books from its shelves following complaints about their themes and depictions.

Some governments overseas have required the books to be sold in closed packages with warnings.

Peter Makin, owner of Brilliant Books in downtown Traverse City, said his store will continue to sell the “Heartstopper” series, as well as other LGBT-themed books.

“We gladly carry banned books,” Makin said. “You’ll notice that we fly the Pride flag all year long, not just during Pride month.

“Every parent has the power to decide what their children read, but we shouldn’t remove books from the public square simply because some people object to them.”

Carissa Yonan, who works at Brilliant Books, said she’s read the five-volume “Heartstopper” series.

“It’s very much a coming-of-age story,” she said. “I’d call it wholesome and heart-warming – even kind of ‘fluffy’ or ‘cutesy romantic.’”

ORIGIN AND SUCCESS

The “Heartstopper” series originated online as a “web comic” starting in 2016. Each of the five paperbacks reads like an extended comic strip or graphic novel.

The webcomic version of “Heartstopper” has received more than 52 million views and the printed novel has sold more than one million copies worldwide, according to a report in The New York Times.

Oseman, 30, both writes and illustrates the novels. Published by Hachette, the books are marketed for the “young adult” marketplace, which typically is defined as ages 12 to 18 or, in some cases, 14 years and older.

In January 2021, See-Saw Films developed the “Heartstopper” storyline into an eight-episode series for Netflix that first aired in April 2022.

As a tie-in to the series’ premiere, the first volume was re-released with excerpts from the show’s script. It became the top-selling children’s book the United Kingdom in the wake of the Netflix series, according to trade journal The Bookseller.

A sixth (final) volume in the “Heartstopper” series is expected to be published in late 2025, according to Goodreads.com.

The Record-Eagle attempted to reach author Alice Oseman on Wednesday, but did not get a reply before press time.

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