School bans unicorn book because it “could be promoting a gay lifestyle”

The cover of “It’s OK to be a Unicorn”
Photo: Book cover

As numerous states consider measures to ban LGBTQ issues and books in classrooms, heterosexual children’s book author Jason Tharp said he was blocked from reading his book, It’s Okay to be a Unicorn, during an event at Ohio’s Buckeye Valley School District because school administrators thought his book was about being gay — it’s not.

Tharp said that last week a school principal contacted him, informing him that he wouldn’t be able to read his book at a school event as scheduled. A district teacher also said they were ordered to remove any student artwork related to Tharp’s book from the walls, The Huffington Post reported.

Related: School bans on LGBTQ books “escalating dramatically” over last year

District officials also sent Tharp an email informing him he would also not be allowed to read his other book It’s Okay to Smell Good (a book about a skunk) during his visit, WBNS-TV reported.

Parents said that they thought the book “could be promoting a gay lifestyle,” possibly because its illustrations include unicorns and rainbows, both of which are seen as symbols of LGBTQ people. But Tharp’s book isn’t actually about gay people and it’s message is just about being oneself.

“The book is actually about…

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