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Two books about transgender kids, including Broward resident Jazz Jennings’ I Am Jazz, have been removed from Palm Beach County classrooms and libraries in response to a new Florida law.
I Am Jazz tells the story of a transgender child based on the experiences of Jennings, who socially transitioned in kindergarten and shares her journey through gender surgeries and societal challenges on her TLC reality series of the same name, now in its seventh season.
The second book, Call Me Max, explores the experience of a child raised as a girl but who feels more like a boy. In the book, Max says: When I looked in the mirror, I saw a girl. Kind of. But because I’m transgender, I wanted to see a boy. Max describes his journey of making friends, telling his parents he’s trans and joining a support group. Its publisher says the book is appropriate for grades 2 to 4.
Call Me Max was cited by Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news conference March 28, moments before he signed the Parental Rights in Education law, nicknamed Don’t Say Gay, which strips primary school lessons of any mention of gender or sexual orientation.
Palm Beach County Deputy Superintendent Ed Tierney wrote a memo to principals explaining that the new law has spurred the district to begin to examine the content of books. Continue reading “Palm Beach schools pull two books about transgender kids, including I Am Jazz”