Board candidate says ‘Gender Queer’ is in Pinellas schools. It isn’t.

Pinellas County School Board candidate Danielle Marolf says she carries the graphic novel “Gender Queer” with her as she campaigns.

The book, which contains explicit sexual content including drawings, is both inappropriate and unlawful for Florida schools, Marolf said. Yet it appears in school libraries, and the public needs to know about it, she contended Monday during a candidate forum sponsored by the local PTA and the League of Women Voters.

School district records, however, tell a different story — one that two sitting board members were quick to point out.

The issue arose in response to a question about who should determine the age-appropriateness of materials in schools. Marolf answered that Florida law is clear about what types of content do not belong in students’ hands, and she said she knew some of those were in Pinellas media centers.

“I carry a book with me that is currently in our libraries called ‘Gender Queer,’” Marolf said. “‘Gender Queer’ has pictures inside of it, cartoon pictures of … oral things happening with minors, and I do not think that that’s appropriate.”

She questioned how the book got chosen, and questioned the oversight given to school libraries if such materials were allowed. “When I looked at our book list, there’s 800 of those books in our schools right now,” she added.

Two incumbent board members also on the candidate panel immediately rebuked Marolf. They noted that superintendent Kevin Hendrick, while in his prior role as chief academic officer, removed “Gender Queer” in 2021 from the two high schools where it was part of the library collection.

“At the Naval Academy, they say midshipmen cannot lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do,” said Laura Hine, whom Marolf is challenging for the District 1 at-large seat. Hine is a graduate of the academy.

“I’m chair of the Pinellas County School Board,” Hine continued. “We have five sitting school board members in this room. I will double-check about that book in our schools, but I am confident it is not in our schools.”

A review of the district’s online catalog indicates the district has one copy of “Gender Queer” located in the administration office, with none at any schools. Hendrick said the single book is available for teachers only, and not for circulation to students.

Challenged by Hine and board member Eileen Long, Marolf did not back down.

“I’d be happy to show the page that I looked at where it was today,” she said. “I do keep a very close eye on what’s in our schools. I make sure the information I have is current because I don’t want to be giving misinformation. I welcome all of you to look and see what’s in our public schools.”

Audience members also questioned Marolf’s statement that there were 800 of “those books” in the schools. They said it sounded as if she was suggesting the district had 800 copies of “Gender Queer.”

In a separate interview, Marolf clarified that she was trying to say the district has hundreds of inappropriate books in its collection. She said they could be found in the online listing, and did not offer other examples.

District media specialists have conducted regular administrative reviews of library materials as they learn about potentially controversial titles or prepare to purchase new ones. They have removed or reclassified a handful of books, not hundreds, as a result of those efforts.

The district also has held periodic public hearings for books that have been formally challenged for their content. The most recent two led to the removal of “Invisible Monsters” by Chuck Palahniuk, and the retention of “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold.