WaPo: Author banned from reading Unicorn book at school cause of concern it was spreading a gay agenda

[Saucycarpdog]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/04/14/unicorn-book-jason-tharp-ohio/

Jason Tharp wants to write books for weird kids — because he was one.

Growing up in Ohio, the 45-year-old children's author, illustrator and inspirational speaker sometimes felt invisible. But as he battled feelings of loneliness, he found comfort in books.

Now, Tharp is on a mission to reach that "one kid" who needs to feel seen. So in 2017, he developed a character to remind his readers that it's okay to be different.

"I sat down and tried to figure out what kind of character would be nonthreatening, that they will be instantly lovable and I would be able to kind of get them … to be invested in the story," Tharp said in an interview with The Washington Post. "I was like, 'Kids like unicorns.' "

But for one Ohio school district, Tharp's book — featuring a blue and purple unicorn underneath a rainbow-colored title — was too controversial.

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On April 6, as Tharp prepared to read "It's Okay to Be a Unicorn!" to students the next day at an elementary school in the Buckeye Valley Local School District, north of Columbus, he got a call from the principal saying higher-ups didn't want him reading the book.

"I just straight up asked him, 'Does somebody think I made a gay book?' " Tharp said. "And he said, 'Yes. … The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay.' "

Tharp, who lives in Powell, Ohio, about 10 miles south of the Buckeye Valley Local School District, was originally scheduled to visit Buckeye Valley West Elementary in 2020, but the event was postponed because of the pandemic. The school rescheduled the visit for April 7, and administrators ordered over 500 of his books for students in anticipation of the event, Tharp said. "It's Okay to Be a Unicorn!" follows Cornelius, a unicorn who hides his true identity because he lives among horses who don't like unicorns. At the end, he reveals his true self and is accepted by everyone.

But on the morning of April 6, the principal at Buckeye Valley West called him to say the plans had changed — the superintendent didn't want him to read the book.

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[The Albatross]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

that's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.

 

[Pirateluigi]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

I'm just so fucking tired. This is the stupidest fucking thing and I cannot believe we're still fighting this same battle.

 

[Isilia]

...Recruit them.

These guys are either ignorant or cruelty was the point.

Going to say both.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

The exact same people who think this are the kind of scum-fucks who want to put the Bible into public schools, too. They're totally cool with recruiting kids as long as it gets more warm bodies in their corner.

But letting kids who are already gay feel more normal, more accepted? That's wrong to them.

 

[Jedi2016]

These people actually think that all LGBTQ+ were "recruited" or groomed to be that way, don't they?

 

[AlgusUnderdunk]

God it would've saved me so much time if someone from the Bi Agenda had tried to recruit young me.

"Wait, that's an option?!" "Yes." "AND I can be a unicorn?!" "Not until the internet forums exist."

 

[No Depth]

These people actually think that all LGBTQ+ were "recruited" or groomed to be that way, don't they?

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They have to push that narrative, it's the only way to convince the morons that it's a fight to be won. They need an enemy to aim at.

 

[StudioTan]

Who recruited them to become straight?

 

[XenodudeX]

Sick and tired of white conservatives.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

These people actually think that all LGBTQ+ were "recruited" or groomed to be that way, don't they?

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Some of them do. But just as many of them are utter cynics who know that dumb people will believe them if they position it that way. The conservative voting model is almost entirely structured around manufacturing a problem, whipping their idiot voters into a frenzy about it with scare language, and then flinging them at the "problem" they created.

 

[Ouroboros]

I've been buying this for my son. Oh nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

 

[Leafshield]

These are the same schools totally OK with having kids form up to pledge allegiance to a flag, right?

 

[Omegasquash]

They have to push that narrative, it's the only way to convince the morons that it's a fight to be won. They need an enemy to aim at.

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Bingo. Hammer the narrative that the gay left pedophile communists are coming for your kids and keep the attention on it. These are the same people that corrupted the term "save the children" and that are also overwhelmingly the side doing what they're accusing the left of doing.

All this while claiming Christianity and America. They're hateful liars.

We should start doing the same. If we aren't willing to get our hands dirty, we're going to lose.

 

[Dierce]

"WE MUST PROTECT FREE SPEACH" Elon Musk

Fuck all conservatives. So sick and tired of how conservatives project their bullshit onto other people. How they ban books while complaining about free speech when they face consequences for their hate speech.

 

[Santerestil]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

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...projecting as usual, I see.

 

[entrydenied]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

The exact same people who think this are the kind of scum-fucks who want to put the Bible into public schools, too. They're totally cool with recruiting kids as long as it gets more warm bodies in their corner.

But letting kids who are already gay feel more normal, more accepted? That's wrong to them.

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It's always projection when it comes to these people😶

 

[astro]

I'm so exhausted by the sheer idiocy of the right.

 

[Thordinson]

Sick and tired of white conservatives.

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The sad part is that it isn't solely white Conservatives that believe this garbage.

Who recruited them to become straight?

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It doesn't work that way to them. Being straight is the "natural" "normal" state to them so it means that people must have corrupted people to become gay.

 

[CrocM]

I'm worried my kid is one unicorn story away from becoming gay

 

[Violence Jack]

This is a small taste of what most of the Christian Conservative/hardcore Republicans believe. Being gay is something that you can be talked into or learned, and that being trans means you're mentally ill. Hell, that book has a lot of different meanings as does similar books for children regarding being left out because you're different. Fucking homophobic shitty superintendent.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Their worldview is warped by their own methods - conservatives see corruption and a lust for 'us vs them' domination everywhere because it's how.they operate, right-wing religious groups see recruitment and grooming everywhere because it's what they do.

 

[OSHAN]

Enjoyable cover.

 

[blacklotus]

...Recruit them.

These guys are either ignorant or cruelty was the point.

Going to say both.

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These guys want to suck a dick so bad it's tremendous.

 

[Dierce]

Their worldview is warped by their own methods - conservatives see corruption and a lust for 'us vs them' domination everywhere because it's how.they operate, right-wing religious groups see recruitment and grooming everywhere because it's what they do.

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And it's ironic because it's the right wing religious groups that recruit and groom. It's always projection with those monsters, how I wish the majority of people were more aware of it so that these conservative groups would have absolutely no political power.

 

[nihilence]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

that's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.

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As opposed to indoctrination. It's only okay when they do it.

 

[Kyuuji]

This is so pathetic. Unicorns are rad and perfect imagery for kids. I wonder how many unicorn pictures it takes to turn the average straight person gay.

 

[BassForever]

Imagine being a kid and just liking unicorns and being told you're not allowed to enjoy them because "the gays are using them to groom you". Not only does this kind of nonsense hurt the lgbtq+ community, it hurts all kids who aren't allowed to just be themselves.

This is so pathetic. Unicorns are rad and perfect imagery for kids. I wonder how many unicorn pictures it takes to turn the average straight person gay.

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69

 

[jwk94]

...Recruit them.

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I assume by "recruit" they mean expose kids to queer lifestyles that would make them question their own sexual identity. That could happen from anywhere though.

 

[Yerffej]

"The concern is that you're coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay."

that's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.

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But they'll never be convinced otherwise. Like talking about these things is equivalent to speaking Voldemort's name aloud.

 

[Caped Baldy]

Every fucking week it's just a new thing. Sit down and shut the fuck up.

School should've stood their ground and outright told parents that even if was a book about being gay, there's nothing wrong with that. Look inward you fucking bigots.

 

[PAFenix]

Enjoyable cover.

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Farting rainbows sounds amazing. Fuck the Hoofington's horses for trying to peddle that as a bad thing!

 

[Paroni]

It feels so bizarre how they seem to think that people will just start feeling uncontrollable sexual attraction towards everything unless they're specifically told that Jesus wants them to be straight.

 

[Fisty]

"It's OK to be different"

"No its not"

"Oh"

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

My daughter loves unicorns.

Is she part of the gay agenda too?

 

[Kyrios]

This would be hilarious that they think being gay is contagious, but then you realize that most of these dumbfucks actually think being gay is a choice, so.

 

[skeptem]

My daughter loves unicorns.

Is she part of the gay agenda too?

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Only if she is getting those gay Soros checks

 

[Stalker]

In fairness they have a point this looks exactly like all the queer orgy porn I have on my HDD's

Spoiler

/s

 

[pez2k]

I think it's remarkable how the intent of the book seems to simply be to reassure kids who feel like the odd one out, without applying any actual identity to that odd one out, but the homophobia of the principal is so high that simply talking about accepting others pushes them into a panic about a 'gay agenda'.

 

[mclem]

I fear there may have been a typo.

It's the line about recruitment that's most telling, as others have pointed out; I'm never quite sure how much of it is ignorance and how much is malice, but I suspect that's kind of the point; probably there are both camps there with the malicious side stoking and using the ignorant side.

 

[III-V]

Children's Gay Recruitment is really something.

 

[djplaeskool]

I've been buying this for my son. Oh nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

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TURNING THE FREAKIN' FROGS MAC AND CHEESE GAY

 

[Royalan]

It feels so bizarre how they seem to think that people will just start feeling uncontrollable sexual attraction towards everything unless they're specifically told that Jesus wants them to be straight.

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They don't believe this.

This isn't about fear. This is about control. Controlling and/or snuffing out that which you don't identify with.

Don't get caught in the trap of trying to figure out the underlying logic behind any of this.

 

[jvm]

Cancel culture is out of control. Someone just wants to be different, express an edgy idea like "it's OK to be different", and suddenly they're silenced.

 

[MrCibb]

It's sad because the premise sounds like a really nice, positive children's book, but these cunts just can't not be cunts. It's a shame it's not in stock on Amazon UK, would have bought it for my niece to throw the author a few quid of support.

 

[LCGeek]

These people actually think that all LGBTQ+ were "recruited" or groomed to be that way, don't they?

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Sadly yes my brothers thought I was brainwashed when I came out.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Enjoyable cover.

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So the book is a metaphor to be accepting of people who are different.... so they ban it because they don't like people who are different?
I guess they proved it to be a necessity and likely boosted sales by having it make headlines.

 

[Jedi2016]

Cancel culture is out of control. Someone just wants to be different, express an edgy idea like "it's OK to be different", and suddenly they're silenced.

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No, no.. it's only cancel culture and/or censorship when the "left" does it.

 

[Watchtower]

Their worldview is warped by their own methods - conservatives see corruption and a lust for 'us vs them' domination everywhere because it's how.they operate, right-wing religious groups see recruitment and grooming everywhere because it's what they do.

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Pretty much this. And it's more than just projection, they can't fathom why liberals wouldn't be operating just like them. "What do you mean you aren't actually trying to recruit people into gayness? What, you actually believe your own PR bullshit you feed to the press? What are you, a child?"

It's a deeply cynical and nihilistic mindset, and to be clear it's one shared with conservative voters too. Lot of those voters know what right-wingers are selling them is bullshit propaganda but they believe everything from left-wingers is also bullshit propaganda and so you're free to just pick and buy whatever side you like better. It also means that cutting out one side from "recruiting" while allowing the other isn't actually hypocrisy, it is a naked bias that they rationalize as "fair play".

 

[The Boat]

It's sad to see the US turn more and more into a religious fundamentalist country.