Despite objections, Minnesota school district bans LGBTQ children's book with nudity.

Despite opposition from some parents and school librarians, a Minnesota public school district maintained its decision to remove an LGBTQ children's book from its elementary school libraries.

The book "The Rainbow Parade" by Emily Neilson was removed from the media center of Rochester Public Schools' elementary schools last month due to concerns raised by a parent at Franklin Elementary School about nude illustrations in the book.

The book narrates the tale of a young girl's first Pride parade with her two mothers. The book contains several pages with illustrations depicting full or partial public nudity, including two men in bondage gear.

The sidewalk is bustling with individuals dressed in their unique outfits, some wearing minimal clothing.

The committee, comprised of librarians, community members, and teachers, recommended that the district keep the book on the shelves after concerns were raised by a parent, according to a report in The Minnesota Star Tribune.

According to the report, Tammy Van Moer, library media specialist at Rochester Public Schools, stated that not all books are suitable for everyone, but their objective is to have books that reflect the diversity of students in their school district.

The superintendent removed the book from elementary school libraries because the nudity depicted was deemed inappropriate for young children.

The removal of The Rainbow Parade from our elementary media center shelves is not due to limiting student access to a particular viewpoint, message, idea, or opinion. Instead, it is solely because of the depiction and celebration of public nudity in illustrations on two pages of the book. I believe that the depiction of public nudity makes the book unsuitable for the open shelves of a media center in an elementary school where students as young as kindergarten can access the book without adult supervision or guidance.

Some school board members questioned the superintendent's decision to remove a book about LGBTQ issues, fearing it could lead to a "slippery slope" and set a "precedent" for removing other LGBTQ books from school libraries.

The superintendent's recommendation was approved by the board and sent to the Minnesota Department of Education, according to the Tribune.

At the January 7 school board meeting, Superintendent Pekel pledged that there would be "no backtracking" on the district's commitment to LGBTQ students and families, following repeated outbursts from one parent who was upset about the decision.

He vowed that there would be no slippery slope on retracting books that highlight the experiences of LGBTQ students and families.

He explained that his decision was solely due to the nudity in the book and not because of any other potentially controversial content, such as two men in bondage gear or a sign reading "Silence equals death."

Rochester Public Schools gave Planet Chronicle Digital Pekel's previous memo to the board.

At present, the district's decision regarding books with explicit content in school libraries is being contested by parents who are challenging their presence.

The ALA, the world's oldest and largest library nonprofit, has long been a vocal advocate for "banned" books in children's libraries. In 2023, the top ten challenged books were all challenged due to explicit sexual content.

Last year, during National Library Week, the ALA asserted that the censorship of sexually explicit books in children's libraries is discriminatory towards the LGBTQ+ community.

Planet Chronicle' Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.