COLUMBUS, Ohio — A children's author warned that kids won't be able to grow unless they learn different points of view — points of view that she says are being threatened by Republican leadership in Ohio.
Reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison changed Elisa Stone Leahy’s life.
"Toni Morrison is one of the many folks that wrote stories that weren't really on the page before that, in many ways," Leahy said.
The beloved book by the Lorain, Ohio native tells the story of the racism a young Black girl faced growing up. Morrison has won dozens of honors, such as the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Humanities Medal.
Morrison’s writing is one of the reasons that Leahy became a children’s author.
"The stories I most wanted to tell were stories about people who are in very vulnerable places and it wasn't always safe for them to tell their stories," she added.
Her book, Mallory in Full Color, tells the story of an LGBTQ+ child finding their way in the world, a topic that has come under fire throughout the past few years in Ohio.
Conservative advocacy groups and parents have been protesting at school boards to remove books they deem inappropriate, including novels that have two dads or stories that talk about race.
At the Statehouse, Republicans have continued to introduce legislation that limits which kinds of topics can be taught in schools. Last General Assembly, a lawmaker introduced a bill that would charge teachers and school district librarians with felonies for "pandering" so-called "obscene" material.
This would have banned certain materials from being displayed, given out or being able to rent or buy. It would also be illegal to create, direct or produce an obscene performance.
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Soon after, another GOP legislator introduced a bill that would defund public libraries if they didn't remove or hide so-called "harmful" materials to juveniles.
Under Ohio law, "harmful to juveniles" has a broad meaning, including material describing or showing nudity, sexual conduct or obscene behavior.
RELATED: Ohio GOP proposes bill that would defund libraries over materials government deems 'harmful'
But on Tuesday, on Morrison's birthday, Democratic lawmakers joined with Leahy to warn against the dangers of restricting books like Morrison’s.
"Banning her books isn't just silencing her, it's erasing a vital part of Ohio's history and the larger American experience," state. Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) said.
But Medina County Republican Gary Fox said that schools shouldn’t be the ones teaching what he believes are “divisive” topics.
"Those things, I believe, should be left to the parents to deal with, and that there shouldn't be a promotion of exploring sexuality," Fox said. "The purpose of the school... [it's the] way these kids learn how to read, write, understand history, understand biology."
He added that Ohio is a home rule state, meaning school districts get to pick and choose which books they have in their library and curriculum. So, if a conservative school board wants to ban a book, they should be able to.
"The more local I believe the better," he said. "The further you get away from the pupil, the crazier it can get, and the less connected it can get, and then also more bureaucratic it can get and potentially corrupted it can get."
Without access to books that share diverse perspectives, Leahy worries that children won’t grow and that educators won’t be able to do their jobs — to educate about different perspectives. Fox responds that he understands that.
"I'm sure if these issues come up, there could be some discussion or whatnot, as long as it's age-appropriate, but it should not be on the agenda," he said.
No one is promoting inappropriate content, Leahy said, saying that acknowledging that queer people exist is reality — not a political belief or sexual content.
"If those stories aren't shared, [kids] lose out on those moments of connection, those moments of validation of hearing that 'My story matters and is real,' and they'll miss out on their friends hearing that their story matters and is real," Leahy said.
So far, this G.A., no book ban legislation for K-12 public education has been introduced.
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