Credit: Screenshot of 'All Boys Aren't Blue' cover

A Flagler County School Board member filed a criminal complaint with her county’s sheriff’s office last week after discovering that a memoir about a queer writer was available in area schools.

Jill Woolbright took offense at the book All Boys Aren’t Blue:A Memoir-Manifesto being available at Palm Coast High School, Mantanzas High School and Buddy Taylor Middle School.

“I don’t have a problem with the book — I do have a problem with where the book has been placed,” she told WESH. “Some child could be disturbed to read a book that they’re not ready for.”

Author George M. Johnson begins the memoir with a content warning, noting that sexual assault, homophobia, racism and sex are discussed. In her police report, Woolbright shared two chapters she found particularly offensive.

“Chapter 11 discusses in detail, and very descriptive, about masturbation and oral sex. Chapter 15 ‘Losing my virginity twice’ is also very descriptive and discusses masturbation, oral sex, and sodomy,” she said.

The author, for their part, said that the book is not harmful to children.

“My book is not what is doing your child harm — it is you who will do your child harm by not allowing them to one: learn that other people exist in this world who have a different lived experience than them and, two: not allowing them to have the language or this particular resource to deal with the problems that will come to them in this world when they arise,” Johnson said of the controversy.

The book is not the first memoir on growing up queer that has run afoul of Florida school boards. Brevard and Orange County both removed a graphic novel on the subject from their libraries earlier this year.

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This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2021.