Tulsa Public Schools Removes Graphic Books From Library

Officials at Tulsa Public Schools said Thursday they removed two sexually graphic books from school libraries following criticism from several elected leaders amid a renewed conservative interest in public education as a political issue.

“When we were made aware of two books with inappropriate images, we immediately asked the secondary schools that had them to remove them from their libraries,” the district said in a statement. “When school resumes, we will follow our process and more carefully review books in question. We are also working to understand the selection process used and will modify as needed.”

The state’s education secretary, Ryan Walters, a Republican who is running to be the state superintendent of public instruction, said that when he posted images from the books “Gender Queer” and “Flamer” on his Facebook page, the company quickly censored his post.

“I posted some pictures of some of the inappropriate sexual material Tulsa Public Schools has in their library, and within minutes Facebook has blocked me and shut down my post,” Walters said in a video he posted on Twitter. “It’s really a sad day when woke Facebook has higher standards than (Superintendent) Debra Gist at Tulsa Public Schools.”