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Parents in Windham are battling with left-wing activists and members of the school board over books in the school library that feature cartoon images of children having sex and lurid passages about sexual encounters between minors. At immediate issue are two books – one in the middle school and one at the high school library – that depict graphic sexual activities.
"When I [checked out "Nick and Charlie"] to show my dad it, the librarian asked if I wanted more and if I wanted a graphic novel version," said Knox Zajac, speaking before the Windham Raymond School Board's meeting held February 15.
Knox said he'd found the book on display on a stand at his school's library.
The passage contains a graphic, blow-by-blow description of a sexual encounter between two boys. The passage also contains profanity.
After Knox read the passage, his father, Adam Zajac came to the lectern to offer his thoughts.
"Listen to the parents," Adam Zajac said, tapping a copy of "Gender Queer" on the lectern for emphasis. "I will be more than happy to focus my time and effort to the security of my child and children in this school."
A coalition of left-wing groups is lobbying lawmakers to kill LD 123, a bill that would repeal a provision of Maine law that allows pornographic materials to be given to minors so long as it happens in a school setting.
Maine has had a law banning the provision of obscene materials to minors since the 1970s, but the law includes exemptions for certain educational situations, like museums and public schools.
The exemptions were intended to protect legitimate educational materials, like great works of art that may include nudity.
But in recent years, public school officials and teachers have taken advantage of the obscenity exemption for schools to promote books like Gender Queer, which includes cartoon images of children having sex.
Despite their x-rated content, keeping Gender Queer and other LGBT-themed books in school libraries and classrooms has become something of cause célèbre for liberal school employees.
Two hours before the attacks the next day, Watson told a prison counsellor that he urgently needed to be transferred back to higher-level security "before I really (expletive) one of these dudes up," but the counsellor "scoffed and dismissed" him, the letter says.
Watson said he returned to his housing pod.
"I was mulling it all over when along came Molester #1 and he put his TV right on PBS Kids again," he wrote, according to the newspaper chain. "But this time, someone else said something to the effect of `Is this guy really going to watch this right in front of us?' and I recall saying, `I got this.' And I picked up the cane and went to work on him."
Watson said he then left the housing pod to find a guard and turn himself in, but on the way, he saw "a known child trafficker, and I figured I'd just do everybody a favour," Watson wrote. "In for a penny, in for a pound."
Watson said he then told a guard, who didn't believe him "until he looked around the corner and saw the mess I'd left in the dorm area," Watson wrote.