Sex

Leslea Newman’s book Heather Has Two Mommies is a story that depicts a multitude of different kinds of families.  One of these is a lesbian family- the reason for its repeated censorship.  Religious groups often decry the book for promoting homosexuality, while supporters praise the book for providing views of 'non-traditional' families that increasing numbers of children can relate to.

Often, people who wish to ban this book from libraries feel that elementary school children are too young to be reading about homosexuality.  They argue that there are some things children just shouldn’t be exposed to.  Karen Jo Gounod, organizer of a movement to protest homosexual literature in Fairfax County Virginia public libraries, states that on issues of censorship, children and adults are operating on different planes: "One of the problems with the ALA, [American Library Association] is that they want the children to have the same right as adults” (Newman 153).  Both sides of the issue seem to agree that firstly, young children can’t understand the concept of sexuality in general, and secodly, it shouldn’t be discussed in detail until kids are older. 

Supporters of Heather Has Two Mommies, however, feel that the book simply recognizes and accepts differences, an important lesson for elementary school age children.  Lorrie Neilsen, author of "Eternity's Sunrise and other multiple choice question"  writes about the need for more diverse selections in libraries: "Are we so blind we do not see that on this continent, and in this world at large, 'apple pie' stories of white, middle-class America are a poor diet for our children's future?" (643).

Author Newman, grew up feeling very different from the images of family presented in the media: “Since I had never read a book or seen a TV show or movie about a young Jewish girl with frizzy brown hair eating matzo ball soup with her Bubbe on a Friday night, I was convinced there was something the matter with my family.” (149) She wrote the book in order to give children with gay parents a story that they could see themselves in.

Read a Found Poem based on the censorship of Heather Has Two Mommies