Name

Martha Boksenbaum

City

Cranston, RI

Occupation

Librarian

My favorite banned book is I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel. It's a story of a transgender girl and her experience transitioning to a gender identity that fits her. It's a true story of a kid's life. So why is this book banned? There are people who don't think it's ok for someone to express a gender identity that is different from their sex. These people often disapprove of books that acknowledge that trans people exist. Especially in books for children, people often falsely equate queer themes with sexual content and assert that the story is inappropriate for children. How can a story about a real child and their real life experience be inappropriate for other children? This negates the humanity of the child and their right to share their story with the world.