More than 90% of voters said they think the sexually explicit cartoons and descriptions in the book “Gender Queer” are inappropriate for public school libraries, a new poll shows.
“Gender Queer” is a graphic novel with explicit sexual content that has shown up in public school libraries across the country, outraging many parents. The book includes illustrations of sex between two males with a sex toy, oral sex, masturbation, and other sexually explicit content.
A total of 93% of people found inappropriate “Gender Queer’s” images of “people putting their mouths up to other people’s genitals” according to the new poll from Republican polling firm WPA Intelligence, which was provided to The Daily Wire.
Meanwhile, 91% of people said they found inappropriate the book’s “images and descriptions of a man touching his genitals, two boys engaging in sexual activities, and a boy imagining sexual acts being performed,” the poll found.
Similarly, 90% of people said they found inappropriate the “images and descriptions of how to insert your finger and other objects into your rectum,” according to the poll.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say “Gender Queer’s” content does not belong in public school libraries.
Less than 90% of Democrats found any of the book’s graphic images and descriptions shown to them inappropriate. Only 81% of Democrats said they found the images and descriptions of two boys engaging in sexual activities inappropriate.
Younger Baby Boomers and those slightly younger than them, people aged 55 to 64, were the most likely to say the book’s sexually graphic images were appropriate for public school libraries.
For example, only 8% of the youngest age group, people aged 18 to 35, found the book’s content about inserting things into your rectum appropriate, while 14% of people aged 55 to 64 said that content was appropriate.
Nevertheless, the vast majority of all groups across age, race, and sex said “Gender Queer’s” graphic content was inappropriate for public school libraries.
“Professional activists are calling these ‘book bans,’ but there has to be a line on what does or doesn’t go in a school library, and this material isn’t even a grey area,” said WPA Intelligence Vice President Matt Knee.
“As we’ve seen, this is the kind of material people can’t even describe on the news or public meetings. Practically no one — including the overwhelming majority of Democrats — believes this content is appropriate for public school libraries,” Knee said.
Even the book’s author, Maia Kobabe, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns “e, em and eir,” explained that while her book might be appropriate for “older teens,” she does not recommend it for children.
“It keeps being called a children’s book … but I think that’s coming from a misreading of the comic-book form. ‘Gender Queer’ is a comic, and in full color, but that doesn’t mean it’s for children. I originally wrote it for my parents, and then for older teens who were already asking these questions about themselves. I don’t recommend this book for kids!” Kobabe told The Washington Post in an interview published last week.
“Gender Queer” has been challenged in a number of school districts across the country after parents became aware that it was available to their children.
The WPA Intelligence poll surveyed 1,005 registered voters from September 15 to 18.