Iowa school board candidate proposes outing kids who check out books on LGBTQ topics (the manic season of midterm elections is already upon us)

Vin Thaker wants to out kids who check out books on LGBTQ topics.

A proposal by an Iowa school board candidate signals just out of hand the upcoming 2022 midterms may become. 

According to LGBTQNation:

A conservative Republican running for the school board in Waukee, Iowa has a radical plan for fighting diversity and education. Vin Thaker, part of a conservative slate trying to take over the board, wants to out children who check out books on LGBTQ topics. He also wants the person who ordered the book to stand trial in front of the board. Thaker posted his proposition on Facebook in response to another user about books on LGBTQ topics available in the district’s school libraries.

 The online publication Jezebel adds more details: 

 The latest frontier of the conservative culture wars is the local school board, where low turnout elections are meeting deranged conservative beliefs. In Iowa, the Waukee school district removed three queer books for teens from its library system last month. The books — “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” “Lawn Boy” and “Gender Queer” — were taken out of the Northwest High School Library after a community member (not parent) read some spicy (you could say explicit) scenes from the books at an Oct. 25 meeting of the Waukee Community School District School. 

 But where the book banning really caught fire was when school board candidate Vin Thaker posted about the pro-LGBTQ book borrowers on Facebook last week. Thaker wants to know the name of every kid who checked out one of the pro-LGBTQ books. Shocking! And scary! I was reading all kinds of shit I didn’t want my parents to know about when I was in high school. (Thaker’s comment was highlighted by an Iowa Democratic group trying to elect Democrats to the school board.) This move incensed Thaker because the screenshot only disclosed that he wants do whatever the school board equivalent is to a subpoena to children’s library records. What Thaker actually wants to do is get all the students’ names, notify their parents, and then make “the person who ordered these titles” defend their choices. 

Such off-the-wall cruelty would usually get LGBTQ people and our allies shaking our heads in disgust and humor. But during this season, I think we should dispense with the humor and turn on the anger and concern.

Thaker's proposal is part of a larger appeal to chaos that the GOP has undertaken to rid themselves of the stench of former president Donald Trump and also take control of Congress. They are appealing to good old fashioned culture war fears -  the tactic which has worked so well for them in the past.

LGBTQNation said:

  

School board meetings across the country have been inundated this year with parents and other people protesting against mask mandates, teaching about diversity and racism, and equality for transgender students. Angry parents stirred up by the religious right and activists from outside the districts have accused board members of promoting pornography, “gender confusion,” and Critical Race Theory, a law school course on race relations that isn’t taught in lower education levels.

Nevertheless, the constant attention on Critical Race Theory (with help of a slack mainstream media, a few well-placed astroturfed 'concerned parents,' and the conservative propaganda engine led by Fox News) has reaped a lot of success for the GOP, allowing them to both dominate the narrative and galvanize their base. And by either tonight or tomorrow, we will find out whether or not the hysteria wins them the governorship of Virginia.

But I think that this nonsense over Critical Race Theory won't last. At least not by itself. I think the GOP will attempt to create a cultural movement not unlike the tea party. But this one will be all about supposedly protecting children from "radical influences." 

Already in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is talking about fighting 'pornography' in public schools with 'pornography' being code for LGBTQ-themed books. His proposal comes on the heels of another Texas lawmaker and candidate for attorney general, Matt Krause, "investigating" if school districts have books having to do with "race or sexuality." or "make students feel uncomfortable."

According to The Texas Tribune, which broke the story:

State Rep. Matt Krause, in his role as chair of the House Committee on General Investigating, notified the Texas Education Agency that he is "initiating an inquiry into Texas school district content," according to an Oct. 25 letter obtained by The Texas Tribune. Krause's letter provides a 16-page list of about 850 book titles and asks the districts if they have these books, how many copies they have and how much money they spent on the books.

And still another Texas lawmaker, Jeff Carson, called for an investigation looking for 'sexually explicit books" in school libraries.

In North Carolina, Lt Gov Mark Robinson began a firestorm by reducing LGBTQ people to isms and calling them 'filth.' His outcry was punctuated by a claim that LGBTQ people are supposedly invading schools via curriculum and 'indoctrinating' students. And he has hinted that he may run for governor.

These events took place this year. Just imagine what next year is going to be like. It's not that we can't still come out on top. It's just that the insanity of our opposition gets harder to describe without using adjectives like "bonkers" or "psychotic" or phrases like "five fries short of a Big Mac combo."

So while we may laugh at people like Thaker and think his proposal is bonkers, we should also keep an eye over our shoulders. He's not the only one proposing pieces of legislation which can be labeled as insane.

And during the election season, insanity has a danger of becoming reality.