Children’s picture book flagged as potentially ‘sexually explicit’ in Alabama over author’s last name

A children’s picture book about siblings reading books together was flagged as potentially “sexually explicit” at an Alabama public library system because the author’s last name is “Gay.”

“Read Me a Story, Stella” by author Marie-Louise Gay was included on a list of potentially “sexually explicit” books at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library system over the writer’s last name, AL.com reported.

The book would have been removed from the children’s section of the library system but staffers caught the error before it was taken off shelves.

HCPL executive director Cindy Hewitt told the news outlet the book was mistakenly placed on the list of 233 titles because of the keyword “gay.”

“Obviously, we’re not going to touch that book for any reason,” Hewitt said.

She said she asked 10 branch managers to use keywords like “sexuality, gender, sex, and dating” when exploring possible books to flag, but noted there was a miscommunication and confusion over the process.

The effort to review books and their placement in the library was in preparation for “unprecedented” book challenges, she said.

Gay’s publicist, Kirsten Brassard, of Groundwood Books, told AL.com her client’s book has never been “mistakenly censored.”

“Although it is obviously laughable that our picture book shows up on their list of censored books simply because the author’s last name is Gay, the ridiculousness of that fact should not detract from the seriousness of the situation,” Brassard said in a statement.

The book was first published in 2013.

The main character, Stella, introduces her little brother Sam to reading and also tells the tale of the pair building a doghouse together, according to an online synopsis of the book.

The list that included that book and 232 others has faced internal and public heat because critics say it targeted the LGBTQ community, which Hewitt denied, AL.com reported.

The process was stopped with librarians moving some books to the adult section while others have not been reclassified.

“We understand and appreciate our community, and the needs of our collection to reflect our community,” Hewitt told the outlet. “We were never eliminating any book. We were just looking at it as a whole.”