OGDEN, Utah -- A panel of parents, educators and religious leaders met during an anti-bullying forum to discuss the limited access to a book in Davis County on Monday.
"In Our Mother's House" is about children being raised by a lesbian couple. Last month, a student's mother started a petition to remove the book from the Davis County School District library shelves. The school board agreed and now the book is available behind the library counter, accessible to the student only by a parent's signed permission slip.
The school district argued that the book should be restricted because Utah law prohibits schools from advocating homosexuality.
During the forum discussion at the Weber County Library's Pleasant Valley branch, many people in attendance there, including same-sex parents, say the book is not about advocating sexuality. They were hoping that the book be placed back on open library shelving.
"I think it's sad; I've heard other people say it's institutional bullying when a child can't get the support that they need or learn about healthy families," says Ogden Outreach Executive Director Marian Edmonds.
The group Northern Utah Stands Up Forum organized the event. They say they hope the district will reconsider their decision.
