Christian Group Sues for Right to Publicly Burn Francesca Lia Block Book
Posted on June 15, 2009
A Christian group in Wisconsin is suing for the right to publicly burn a copy of Francesca Lia Block's book, Baby Be-Bop. In the young adult novel a gay boy is beaten up by a homophobic gang. The group says that the book is "explicitly vulgar, racial [sic], and anti-Christian."
The complaint, which according to the American Library Association also demands $120,000 (�72,000) in compensatory damages for being exposed to the book in a display at West Bend Community Memorial Library, was lodged by four men from the Christian Civil Liberties Union. Their suit says that "the plaintiffs, all of whom are elderly, claim their mental and emotional well-being was damaged by this book at the library," and that it contains derogatory language that could "put one's life in possible jeopardy, adults and children alike."West Bend residents have been trying for some time to restrict access to teen books that they believe are sexually explicit. The residents want the books removed from the library shelves. The lawsuit is unlikely to gain any traction and a representative from PEN thinks it was filed mostly for publicity. Certainly it's been quite helpful for Francesca Lia Block, although that's probably not what the group intended."The word 'faggot' is very derogatory and slanderous to all males," the suit continues. "Using the word 'N****r' is dangerously offensive, disrespectful to all people. These words can permeate violence." The suit also claims that the book "constitutes a hate crime, and that it degrades the community".
"They've filed a claim against the city of West Bend and the city has to decide if it is valid," said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, acting director of the ALA's office for intellectual freedom. "Their insurance company is evaluating the claim, but I would be very surprised if they found any merit in it ... Should they find any merit in this claim, we would certainly support the library in fighting it."