Orange County schools board votes to keep challenged animal mating book
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A children’s book with explicit images of animals mating caused an issue in Florida’s Orange County Public Schools this month, but will be available at four middle school libraries following a board vote.
Discussion, “Do Animals Fall in Love?” He focused on the non-fiction book called. This book, by German sex education expert Katharina von der Gathen, is available in four secondary school libraries in the area.
The book, about animal breeding and courtship behavior, “features candid and honest illustrations, some full-frontal,” its publisher says. The book, recommended for children ages 6 and up, says it can help adults discuss puberty and sexuality education through the “more neutral animal kingdom.”
At the Jan. 13 school board meeting, the board voted 6-2 to keep the book in circulation, while board member Alicia Farrant and board president Teresa Jacobs voted no. West Orange Times Observer.
Penguins play before mating at Presidente Eduardo Frei, Chile’s military base on King George island in Antarctica on March 13, 2014. (VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images)
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The trouble began when a parent objected to the book’s contents, requesting a reconsideration.
“The whole point of the book is to describe sex acts between different species of animals,” the parent wrote, according to the Observer, adding: “There is even information and descriptions of animals engaging in group sex.”
According to a report from the UK TimesThe book also shows “vibrant, graphic and humorous depictions of ten-foot blue whale penises and triple deer.”
Farrant also argued that the book was not appropriate for middle school students.
Orange County School board member Alicia Farrant voted against keeping the animal breeding book on middle school shelves. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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“My youngest is in fifth grade, I can’t imagine him being in sixth grade and being given a book like this,” he said, according to the Observer, calling it “an additional heresy.”
A literacy committee reviewed the book and recommended that it remain on the shelves because of its educational value. One parent expressed support for keeping the book, noting the committee’s recommendation and saying the content was consistent with sixth- and seventh-grade science standards.
Supporters on the board described the book as educational and age-appropriate.
“I think the book is an interesting book about animal reproduction. I think it’s written in a way that students will be really interested in picking it up and learning something,” board member Stephanie Vanos said, according to Fox9.
Orange County Public Schools board member Alicia Farrant said parents have told her their students are concerned about inappropriate content in the school library. (Images via Getty Images Ltd./Corbis)
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Board member Vicki-Elaine Felder argued that parents should be allowed to make choices about what is appropriate for their own children.
“As members of the Orange County School Board, we must give parents the right to choose and at the same time allow them to control and guide their family’s moral barometer. That’s why I voted to keep the book in the school,” he said, according to the report.
under Florida lawSchool districts must publish a process for parents to limit their children’s access to materials in school or classroom libraries.
Farrant said he would continue to fight to have the book removed, citing feedback from parents about inappropriate content in school libraries.
“This is a big concern,” he said. “Last year alone we lost almost 7,000 students.”
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Von der Gathen told the Times that he wrote the book to answer curious children’s questions about animal reproduction and sexual behavior.
“They would ask questions like: Can animals go through puberty like us? Can snakes have sex? Can animals be gay, too?” he explained to the outlet.
He also said that the content of the book was based on research he conducted with the help of a curator from the Leipzig Zoo.
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According to the report, the book’s popularity has led to it being translated into 15 languages since it was first published in German in 2017.
Von der Gathen did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
