On August 27th, The Brevard County School District in Florida decided to add three new titles to its list of banned booksamong which is the first volume of the popular yaoi manga, “Sasaki to Miyano” by Sho HarusonoThis decision was made despite recommendations from the Florida Book Review Board, which had suggested keeping manga in school libraries. The school board voted 3-2 in favor of the ban, which also includes the books “People Kill People” by Ellen Hopkins and “Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold.
The main argument behind the ban on 'Sasaki to Miyano' is the depiction of a romantic relationship between two male teenagers, which some board members deemed “potentially offensive” to students. One board member went so far as to say that children can be harmed by exposure to age-inappropriate content, suggesting that such materials can create confusion about sexual identity and affect young people's self-esteem.
Jennifer Jenkins, a school board member who voted against the ban, openly criticized the decision on her social media, arguing that “This is not a slippery slope, it's an avalanche“. Jenkins also mentioned that during the hearing, the board chairman could not understand why a Japanese translation had to be read from right to left, which further sparked controversy.
It is important to note that although 'Sasaki to Miyano' does not contain explicit material, it was included on the list of banned books for its focus on a same-sex relationship. In contrast, titles like 'Damsel', which was also banned, include graphic descriptions of rape, leading to its banning in other US school districts.
Interestingly, despite the ban on 'Sasaki to Miyano', The school board suggested other manga as alternatives, including 'Young Miss Holmes', 'To Your Eternity', 'Phantom Thief Jeanne', 'The Seven Deadly Sins', 'Sailor Moon' and 'A Silent Voice'. The inclusion of Sailor Moon was surprising, given that the original work openly depicted a lesbian relationship between two of its characters, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.
'Sasaki to Miyano'whose first anime season aired from January to March 2022 and featured a film titled 'Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation' released in February 2023, now joins the growing list of banned manga in the United States, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common in the country.
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