NW Illinois News

A one-year-old child in Illinois came across a book with graphic sexual images titled “Gender Queer.”

Jill Hayes, a local Dixon mother, was at the Dixon Public Library when her one-year-old son stumbled upon the book "Gender Queer," which contains graphic sexual images. Hayes' sister sent the following message to CatholicVote:

"She and her husband along with many other members of the community used the prewritten draft of the letter provided by CatholicVote's "Hide the Pride" Initiative. The letter was sent to the library director, the library board, and the mayor. Word quickly spread through our small, conservative town and people were outraged at what the library was doing. The library board had their regularly scheduled board meeting last night, and over 120 people showed up. Many people on our side spoke in the public comment section, and some people supporting the Pride display also spoke. Most of them even agreed that the pornographic material and images needed to be out of the hands of minors. The board was not able to vote on the matter last night because apparently, Illinois law states that anything brought up in the public comment section cannot be voted on until the next meeting. So now we have to wait for the July meeting," said Sister Hayes, an Illinois resident.

"Gender Queer" was part of the library's Pride display, Young America's Foundation (YAF) reported. The book includes graphic sexual images, including depictions of oral sex. "As a mother, I was appalled to find the graphic, vulgar content readily available to children of all ages in the public library. I will work hard to protect the innocence of my children and those in our community," Jill wrote in a letter to the library director and Dixon's mayor.

The Mayor of Dixon, Liandro Arellano Jr, said in a statement to YAF: "My first reaction upon seeing these graphic sexual images was to be very disturbed that the book was targeting minors. I immediately alerted our City Manager to the public concerns and added my concern to that as well. The library board has also been made aware of the issues and should be discussing them at tonight's library board meeting. In Illinois, the city does not have direct control of the library, but we do have an oversight role. I think parents and leaders need to work together and be vigilant in any city, and Dixon is no exception. I'm glad this was brought to our attention."

CatholicVote's "Hide the Pride" is a resource for parents who do not support the promotion of trans ideology or erotic literature to children or events such as Drag Queen Story Hours at public libraries. CatholicVote provides a template letter that parents can fill out and send to library boards and local officials. CatholicVote includes "Gender Queer" on a list of 16 books aimed at children that "push eroticism, glorify LGBTQ identities, undermine parental rights, and are 100% contrary to the Church's teaching on love and sexuality."

Maia Kobabe, the author of "Gender Queer," is a biological woman who refers to herself using "gender neutral pronouns," according to the Waukesha Times. Kobabe drew the book's illustrations, which include two teen boys using sex toys, performing oral sex, and masturbating. "When e got eir first period at age 11, however, everything changed. E felt betrayed by eir own body. E became unhappy and confused by societal expectations and norms. E withdrew and turned to reading and sketching to cope with feelings of depression and dysmorphia," the Santa Rose Press Democrat wrote of Kobabe.