Thatâs it for Dr. Seuss.
Sure, only six of his books are being taken out of print, and just two of those are worth reading, if you ask me: âAnd to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Streetâ and âIf I Ran the Zoo.â
But the writingâs on the wall.
Take a 2019 study, according to CNN, that looked at â50 books by Dr. Seuss and found 43 out of the 45 characters of color have âcharacteristics aligning with the definition of Orientalism,â or the stereotypical, offensive portrayal of Asia. The two âAfricanâ characters, the study says, both have anti-Black characteristics.â
Also, âHop on Popâ sounds pretty paternalistic. Just sayinâ.
What to do, then? Robin DiAngelo hasnât come out with a âWhite Fragilityâ pop-up book yet, so youâre going to need something to indoctrinate your child before DiAngelo monetizes that product.
Thankfully, M.L. Webb has just the thing for you: âThe GayBCs,â a way for readers as young as 4 years old to learn every letter in the alphabet in terms of how it relates to LGBT issues.
And now itâs going viral, thanks to a video of a child reading through it with more than a bit of aid from an adult.
And yes, itâs a real book.
âA playdate extravaganza transforms into a celebration of friendship, love, and identity as four friends sashay out of all the closets, dress up in a wardrobe fit for kings and queens, and discover the wonder of imagination,â the bookâs description on Amazon reads.
âFrom A is for Ally to F is for Family to Q is for Queer, debut author/illustrator M. L. Webbâs bright illustrations and lively, inclusive poems delight in the beauty of embracing oneâs truest self. A glossary in the back offers opportunity for further discussion of terms and identities.
âThe GayBCs is perfect for fans of âA Is for Activistâ and âFeminist Babyâ â showing kids and adults alike that every identity is worthy of being celebrated.â
Those are both real books, too; Amazon also recommended I check out âThe Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.â Which leads to the question, is that a bit too meta and/or recursive for Drag Queen Story Hour? Or just about right?
By the way, âThe GayBCsâ donât necessarily have to have anything to do with being gay.
Some letters do. C is for âcoming out.â G is for âgay.â L is for âlesbian.â O is for âorientation.â Q is for âqueer.â
When we get to D is for âdragâ â well, first of all, letâs save some air for âThe Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,â OK?
I is for âintersexâ â which is, per Merriam-Webster, âthe condition (such as that occurring in congenital adrenal hyperplasia or androgen insensitivity syndrome) of either having both male and female gonadal tissue in one individual or of having the gonads of one sex and external genitalia that is of the other sex or is ambiguous.â
This is a discrete physical condition. Whether or not you believe homosexuality is an inveterate human quality, it isnât something that can be physically diagnosed by a doctor.
We go the other way when we say that N is for ânon-binaryâ and T is for âtrans.â To the extent science exists on non-binary gender identification and transgenderism, itâs weak â and it also has nothing to do with being gay except that itâs linked in the nebulous universe of âLGBT issues.â
Beyond that, however, this is indoctrination â itâs telling your child what to believe. Beyond that, I found the description on Amazon interesting, about how âevery identity is worthy of being celebrated.â
Letâs say I gave my child a book about biblical morality â one which mentions that marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman. Itâs part of their identity in Christ, right? Iâm sure we can all get together and celebrate that.
On Twitter, users werenât particularly thrilled with the indoctrination of âThe GayBCsâ to the young reader:
Look at the bright side, though: At least theyâll never have to witness âAnd to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street.â
Thank heavens for small mercies.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
