Two Boys Kissing

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Two Boys Kissing
Two Boys Kissing.jpg
First edition cover
Author David Levithan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult fiction
Published2013
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf
Pages224
ISBN 9780307931900

Two Boys Kissing is a 2013 young adult novel written by American author David Levithan. Inspired by true events,[ citation needed ] the book follows two 17-year-old boys who set out to break a Guinness World Record by kissing for 32 hours. The book includes a "Greek chorus" of the generation of gay men who died of AIDS. Throughout the narrative, the book discusses topics such as relationships, coming out, gender identity, and hook-up culture.

Contents

Two Boys Kissing was named a 2014 Stonewall Honor Book for Children's and Young Adult books, [1] and landed on the 2013 National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature. [2]

Reception

Awards

In 2013, Two Boys Kissing received the following awards and accolades:

In 2014, Two Boys Kissing received the following awards and accolades:

Challenges

Two Boys Kissing has frequently been challenged. According to the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, Two Boys Kissing was the 18th-most banned and challenged book in the United States between 2010 and 2019. [10] Additionally, it topped the organization's top ten list three times: 2015, 2016, and 2018 because of homosexual and sexually-explicit content, as well as because it condones public displays of affection. [11]

In 2014, a parent of a child at Fauquier County High School appealed for Two Boys Kissing to be removed from the school district's libraries because of the cover artwork, which shows two boys kissing, which violates the school's rules against public displays of affection, [12] as well as because the book has 117 references to words like "sex" and "kiss." [13] A public hearing with the Fauquier County School Board led to a committee unanimously deciding that the book would remain on the shelves. [13] [14]

On October 19, 2018, religious activist Robert Dorr borrowed four LGBT+ books from the Orange City Public Library in Orange City, Iowa (including Levithan's Two Boys Kissing) and proceeded to burn the books while streaming the video on social media. [15] Dorr claimed he was "exercis[ing] his freedom of speech and the freedom of [his] Biblical faith." [16] In 2019, Dorr was convicted of fifth-degree Criminal Mischief for destroying library property. [15]

In 2022, Two Boys Kissing was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, “Sensitive Materials In Schools," [17] 42% of which “feature LBGTQ+ characters and or themes.” [18] [17] Many of the books were removed because they were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines porn using the following criteria:

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References

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  2. 1 2 "National Book Awards 2013". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  3. "Previous Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  4. "Submission Guidelines - Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
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  7. "Subjects 2014 Inky Awards - Inside a Dog". insideadog.com.au. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  8. Milwaukee County Teen Book Award. "Nominees". Tumblr. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
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  10. "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  11. American Library Association (2013-03-26). "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  12. Pekoll, Kristin (2017-04-13). "Spotlight on Censorship: 'Two Boys Kissing'". Intellectual Freedom Blog. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  13. 1 2 Chung, Sandy. "Request to Ban 'Two Boys Kissing' from Virginia High School Library Denied". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  14. Emerson, Lawrence (2014-04-24). ""Two Boys Kissing" remains in Fauquier High library". Fauquier Now. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  15. 1 2 Tom (2019-08-06). "UPDATE: (with comments from Dorr)- Dorr Found Guilty, Fined For Burning Library Books". KIWA Radio. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  16. Aviles, Gwen (2019-08-07). "Religious activist convicted for burning LGBTQ library books". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  17. 1 2 "Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship". PEN America. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  18. "School District Removes 52 Books From Libraries". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  19. 1 2 3 Mullahy, Brian (2022-07-28). "Alpine School District pulls dozens of books from school library shelves". KUTV. Retrieved 2022-08-05.

See also