The Forest of Reading is Canada’s largest recreational reading program! This initiative offers ten reading programs to encourage a love of reading in people of all ages. The Forest helps celebrate Canadian books, publishers, authors and illustrators. More than 270,000 readers participate annually from their school and/or public library. All Canadians are invited to participate via their local public library, school library, or individually.
In the 2024 nominees are four titles with 2SLGBTQIA+ themes that the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) has placed in it’s “PRO Section”. This section is used primarily by teachers but students are able to access the materials — provided a teacher first gives them “Catholic context”.
Some activists are calling this a “shadow ban” of these books. Restricting access to books that include 2SLGBTQIA+ content is discrimination. We know how important it is for 2SLGBTQIA+ children and youth to see themselves represented in media. It has a significant impact on their sense of belonging and well-being. It’s also important for straight-cisgender children to read books that have 2SLGBTQIA+ themes so they can be better prepared to live in a world where 2SLGBTQIA+ people have always existed, and will always exist.
You can read a Cambridge Today article from November 16, 2023 about this, here.
Spectrum has added these titles to our lending library where they can be borrowed without restriction.
If you’d like to write to the WCDSB trustees, their email addresses are below:
· kathy.dohertymasters@wcdsb.ca
