LGBTQ+ Manga Banned in Florida County Schools For Inappropriate Content

LGBTQ+ Manga Banned in Florida County Schools For Inappropriate Content

In July of last year, Florida’s House Bill 1069 was implemented, giving parents in the state the ability to challenge books they deem “pornographic or unsuitable.”As a result, numerous titles have since been removed from school libraries.

Despite its popularity, Sho Harusono’s wholesome boys’ love (BL) manga Sasaki and Miyano, Vol 1 has fallen victim to unjust censorship. It is being labeled as featuring “harmful material”and has been removed from school library shelves.

The controversial “harmful materials”in question are simply a portrayal of a healthy, non-sexual friendship between two male high school students as it evolves into a romantic relationship. Despite its innocent nature, this depiction of a budding romance is deemed “harmful and inappropriate.”

Sasaki and Miyano: An Offensive Description

Despite not having any explicit content, Sasaki and Miyano is still rated as Teen (13+) on its back cover in the US. This makes it suitable for middle schoolers and older readers. However, if you hold homophobic views, the series may not be suitable for you.

Despite the presence of sexual themes in many BL titles, Sasaki and Miyano does not feature any explicit content. Nevertheless, a board member raised concerns that the material may be considered offensive to students and stated:

Children are harmed by being exposed to age-inappropriate, obscene, explicit content. These experiences can lead to struggles with porno…sexual identity, shame, self-esteem and maintaining healthy relationships.

Furthermore, the board member alleges that Sasaki and Miyano are promoting a specific sexual orientation through their illustrations.

Sexual orientation should not be encouraged, suggested or implanted in our youth. The subject of homosexuality should not be offered at school and sexual orientation should be expressed “within the safety of an adolescent’s home.

The objector argues that sexual orientation is not an innate and biological aspect, but rather a learned behavior.

Since its debut in 2016, Sasaki and Miyano has released 10 volumes, chronicling the gradual development of a romantic bond between two high school boys. It has garnered widespread acclaim as one of the top LGBTQ+ anime series.

On August 27, 2024, the Brevard County School Board conducted a vote and decided to prohibit Vol. 1 of the manga from being available in school libraries. The main relationship depicted in the manga was deemed “inappropriate,”with one board member specifically citing the manga’s format as a concern. It may sound surprising, but the manga’s format was indeed seen as an issue.

A Book Read from Right to Left is Suspicious

The chair of Brevard County Public Schools was outraged by the fact that you read Sasaki and Miyano from right to left. This behavior seems questionable and even possibly demonic.

In this video, a woman who introduces herself as Megan Wright appears to be the chairperson.

“I’ve read every one of these books…You start the book, you read it backwards – I mean, it literally, when you start reading a book, which we’ve been teaching our kids from day one, you start at the beginning and then you read from left to right, from the top. Not that book you don’t.”

The board member appears to be unfamiliar with the Japanese language and its unique formatting conventions. In Japanese books, novels, and manga, text is typically printed vertically and read from right to left. It is both surprising and disappointing that she views this as suspicious.

It goes without saying that Sasaki and Miyano is not unique in its presentation. Manga and Japanese literature are simply written in a different format compared to the typical left-to-right, top-to-bottom layout found in European and American publishing.

It is truly ridiculous to hear such uninformed statements from someone who holds the power to educate more than 74,000 students. The astonishing lack of cultural awareness is deeply concerning.

Sasaki and Miyano: Chainsaw Man Replaces Original Manga Suggested By Fans?!

It is certainly not amusing to see a book being banned simply for portraying a positive LGBTQ relationship. Surprisingly, the individual who filed the complaint recommended Chainsaw Man as a substitute. This series contains sensitive topics like grooming and sexual assault, making it ironic that it was suggested as an alternative to the innocent manga, Sasaki and Miyano. We cannot overlook the irony in this suggestion.

The titles they listed seem to be the top search results from Google, which is most likely the case. These suggestions consist of:

  • Chainsaw Man: Rated 18+ in its US release, graphically violent and explicit series packed with bloodletting in every issue and sports a controversial storyline that touches on the issue of sexual consent between two characters, Denji and Yoru. (I guess since both characters are cishet, it’s fine.)
  • Sailor Moon: The inclusion of Sailor Moon is another surprise, as the original manga depicts a lesbian romance between Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus.
  • To Your Eternity: The protagonist is born male and is attracted to men, but also identifies as gender-fluid and occasionally expresses a desire to dress as a woman.
  • Seven Deadly Sins: A series that includes excessive sexual harassment, explicit scenes, and highly inappropriate age gap relationships.

Along with Sasaki and Miyano, the Book Review Committee voted to remove People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins (which contains graphic depictions of violence) and Damsel by Elana K. Arnold from consideration.

Sasaki and Miyano

Harusono’s Sasaki and Miyano is a BL (Boy’s Love) manga that has been available on the pixiv website since 2016.

Despite his youthful appearance, Miyano is a boy who struggles with insecurity about his appearance and fills his days reading BL manga.

While attempting to diffuse a fight at school, he crosses paths with Sasaki, a rebellious senior. As time goes by, Sasaki becomes increasingly intrigued by Miyano.

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