West Cook News

GOP activist William Mueller is calling for parents to consider taking their kids out of public schools after reports of the inclusion of highly sexual books on summer reading lists. 

The book, "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, has received attention from parents given its graphic depiction of sex scenes. It was recently included on a summer reading list meant for sixth graders in the Barrington 220 School District. Parents throughout the country have criticized the book’s inclusion in schools for being overly sexual and inappropriate for children.

“Get your kids out of public government schools NOW!” Muller told West Cook News.

Mueller's remarks follow criticism from worried parent Nelda Munoz, who accused school board members of promoting the book to pupils by including "Gender Queer" on a list of recommended summer readings. 

“This is exactly what I would expect a pedophile to behave when approaching a child. To normalize sexual behavior, to abuse them. And this is how I see you. Stop sexualizing our kids. Stop abusing them,” Munoz said at the meeting, North Cook News reported. 

"Gender Queer" was taken out of the library at Harlem High School. 

"It’s porn," Lynette Hofman said, according to WIFR, Rockford Sun reported. "We're talking incest, molestation and pedophilia." 

The book has gotten a lot of media attention since it contains illustrations of sex scenes. Parents all throughout the country have criticized Kobabe's images for being overly sexual and inappropriate for children.

Meanwhile, Downers Grove 99 voted to keep the book in its libraries, Dupage Policy Journal reported.

“District 99 board voted unanimously to keep 'Gender Queer' in its libraries at DGN and DGS in the face of a challenge from concerned parents opposed to pornographic materials (NBC news),” GOP activist Laura Hois said.

The leading Republican contender for governor, state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), recently stated that more schools need to take responsibility for the crisis by banning such materials from the classroom. 

“The people pushing pornographic books in our schools are doing it deliberately,” Bailey said, Rockford Sun reported. “We need more school leaders and school boards like the one in Machesney Park to take a stand for children. It's time school officials did their jobs rather than shrugging their shoulders and acting surprised when alerted to the contents of these books, which even include illustrations of children in sex acts. Those parents who want to seek out pornographic material for their children to read are welcome to order it online or go to a library, but inappropriate material has no place in our classrooms. As governor, I will do everything within my power to ban these pornographic books from being assigned to our children by activist teachers.”