The Breakfast Club - DONKEY: Children's Book Flagged by Alabama Library Because Author's Name is 'Gay'

Episode Date: October 11, 2023

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Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Lauren Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking musica, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening

in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight-up comedia, and that's a song that only Nuestra Gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. of the day and it really caught me off guard damn solomon who got the donkey of the day today well just hilarious donkey of the day for wednesday october 11th goes to the hunchville madison county public library in hunchville alabama salute to everybody who listens to us

in alabama we're on uh 104.1 to beat in birmingham hot 107.5 in montgomery and 107.3 to beat in mobile mobile mobile mobile drop on the clues bombs for alabama now y'all know i love reading 107.5 in Montgomery, and 107.3 to Beaton Mobile. Mobile. Mobile. Mobile. Drop one of Clues Bombs for Alabama. Now, y'all know I love reading. Thank you to my mother, who was an English teacher in South Carolina, and for the Book It program for fueling my hunger to read. My mother would always tell me to read things that don't pertain to me, and the Book It program was a game changer for a teenage mutant ninja turtle like myself.

I'm fully aware that I look like I could be cast in a live remake of the ninja turtles myself jay-z jay to kiss neo teenage mutant nigga turtle see when you love pizza hot pizza and you love to read and your mom tells you to read things that don't pertain to you and you have to read four books to get a free pizza reading things that don't pertain to you makes that easy okay that's why i love judy bloom and all her works okay that's why i love judy bloom and all her works the way that i do okay i'm saying all that to say i love reading i love books i'm a new york times best-selling author i have two books out black privilege and shook one can you see him can you see him on the camera nick i should i grab him you got him here black privilege let me come back to the microphone yes black privilege is

right here shook one is right here Shook One is right here Okay Okay I have a book in print Black Privilege Publishing With Shimon and Schuster Feel free to purchase Tamika Mallory

State of Emergency And Anita Kopach Shallow Waters Oh we got those in here too I got a book too Hold on I got a book too Hold on

Hold on Hold on Hold on Come back to the microphone See Tamika Mallory State of Emergency Anita Kopach Shallow Waters I got a book look Those are the first We got a book See Hold on, hold on, hold on. Hold on, come back to the microphone. See? Tameka Mallory, State of Emergency.

Anita Kopex. Shallow Waters. I got a book, look. Those are the first ones. See? If you got a book, real life, real love. Okay? Salute to Doug Melville, Invisible Generals, out November 7th. You can pre-order that now.

I'm saying all that to let you know how much I love books, okay? This one, let me show you what I'm reading right now. Hold on, hold on, hold on. You see this? Don Miguel Ruiz's new book. Okay? Just finished this. Rich Paul.

Lucky me. I'm never not reading. I love reading. My wife loves reading, and it's infectious. My kids love reading. I have three bookshelves in my house. I'm telling you all this to paint the picture of how much I love books, because I want you to know how it pains me to see all these books and authors being banned all around the country.

I'm from South Carolina, okay, where the first anti-literacy laws were passed it was prohibited to teach slaves to read and write so when you see me having the love for books that i do when you see me so deep in the book business understand it's personal so stories like what's happening at the huntsville madison county public library really grind my gear see they banning books they have a list of potentially inappropriate titles now i've never agreed with this kind of censorship because everything is subjective do you know that judy bloom is one of the most banned offers of the 20th century judy bloom are you there goddess me margaret blubber iggy's house banned because some culturally clueless fool labeled her potentially

dangerous i don't get it don't understand it just like i don't understand what the hunchville madison county public library is doing see they added a children's picture book titled uh read me a story stella to a list of potentially inappropriate titles now what could be in this picture book that's potentially dangerous is it humans riding on a penis shaped horse uh d riding derby if you will is it a little sexy red riding hood taking big bad wolves to pound town? Did Jack and Jill go up the hill to fetch Somali and Percocets? What could be in this children's book that is potentially dangerous? Let's go to the news report.

Read Me a Story, Stella, a children's book by author Marie Louise Gay, appeared in a public library keyword search list of potentially inappropriate material. It's because of the author's last name, Gay. This prompted a backlash against the library, which insists it was a mistake. In an exclusive, Arkin McCoy spoke with executive director Cindy Hewitt. Read Me a Story, Stella, which seems to be what everybody's focused on, was a book that was just on a keyword search list. It has never been banned, moved, or touched in the library. It's still sitting where it's supposed to. So we were examining our collection to see if our materials were in age-appropriate

categories. The communication was done at the managerial level, was passed down through staff, and in that conversation from managers to staff is where communication broke down and the intent and the purpose um was misrepresented that was fox 54 by the way so the answer to what's in the book that is potentially dangerous is nothing the book is about a pair of siblings reading together and building a dog house the reason the book was listed potentially dangerous was because of the author's last name, Marie Louise Gay. Yes, it was added to the list of potentially dangerous books because the author's last name was gay. OK, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Can we unpack this? If the author's last name being gay is considered potentially dangerous, then I know this library don't carry the memoir of Dick Buckus.

OK, this former New England patriot Dick Felt have a memoir. I know that would be considered potentially dangerous. What about Amanda Love? Amanda Love will never have a book in this library. OK, banning books is never acceptable. We need more conversations now. We need folks reading about different ideologies that individuals have. Stephen Chubosky says banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen it makes us blind when we need sight and i agree not to mention if a public school would remove every book that contains one word deemed objectionable objectionable to some

random person then there would be no books at all in our public libraries if you ask me they didn't ban this book because the word gay is considered sexually inappropriate. They banned this book because this woman is an author. Her last name is Gay. And I believe every single public library in a red state probably has all of the great Roxane Gay's work banned. Drop on a clue bombs for Roxane Gay. This isn't about sexuality as much as it's about banning one of the greatest authors, professors, social commenters we got on this third rock from the sun. Don't say gay takes on a whole other meaning in public libraries all right they don't want you reading uh bad feminists and roxanne gay's other works okay look man read all the banned books you

can all right let your children read all the banned books you can my daddy used to say if you want to hide something from a black person put it in a book we've been defied that stereotype that black people don't read and now that they know we actually read they just want to hide the books So go read all the banned books you can and remember this quote from Oscar Wilde The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame The books that tell the truth of America that hold a mirror to America and shows America what it needs to be embarrassed about. Please give this

Huntsville, Madison County Public Library in Huntsville, Alabama the biggest e-hall. All right. Well, thank you for that donkey today, sir. Yes, indeed. Now, when we come back on Peace BET BET, we'll see you for that donkey today, sir. Yes, indeed. Now, when we come back, well, peace be ETB, TBC, later. Everybody else, Somia will be joining us.

She has a new book called Fashion Killer. Do you know Somia's last name? I don't want to mess it up. Krisna Murphy. Huh? Somia Krisna Murphy. Krisna Murphy, yes. She'll be joining us when we come back.

Me and Somia used to host a TV show together back in the day on MTV called Hip Hop POV. It was me, Somia, Boo, Akon's brother Boo, Amanda Seals, Debbie Brown. I think that's it. Am I missing? No.

That's it. Boo. Oh, me. Yeah. There's five of us. I know. I think it was five of us. Who was the fifth person?

Me. Duh. Yes. Well, she has a new book out today called Fashion Killer and we're going to talk to her when we come back. So don't move.

It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not.

No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my god. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zaka-stan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight straight up comedia and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle listen to gracias come again on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast