Middle school principal has 'no plans' to remove graphic book that details sexual acts – tells parent that children should explore 'people and ideas that are new and different'

A New York City middle school principal told a concerned parent on Thursday that there are "no plans" to remove a book from the school's library that contains detailed information about sexual acts, Libs of TikTok originally reported.

In email correspondence with a parent, Booker T. Washington Middle School principal Elana Elster confirmed that the controversial book "This Book Is Gay," by Juno Dawson, was stocked in the middle school library and that school officials were not currently considering its removal.

The principal then seemed to question whether the parent was against exposing her child to "people and ideas that are new and different."

About the book

The American Library Association lists Dawson's book as the ninth most challenged book in 2021 for "providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content."

Parents across the nation have raised concerns over the book's explicit content, which describes the "finer details" of "boy-on-boy" and "girl-on-girl" sexual acts.

One page of the book, shared by Libs of TikTok on Twitter, features a diagram illustration of a naked "boy." The diagram is described as a "rough guide" that explains which "parts feel nice when you touch them."

A chapter in the book titled "The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex" states, "This chapter is about sex. Therefore it has sex in it. Well, duh. If you are a younger reader and feel you aren't ready for the finer details of same-sex pairings, then simply skip this whole chapter."

"However, before you do, I'd like to remind you that we taught you about straight sex when you were ten years old during year 6," the book continues. "The fact that they didn't also teach you what same-sex couples do is nothing less than institutionalized homophobia. Straight sex was presented as the norm to make five per cent of the population feel abnormal."

According to Fox News Digital, Dawson's book also discusses orgies, kinks, and sex apps.

Principal's response to parent's concerns

A parent, concerned about the book's age-inappropriate content for middle school children, contacted Elster to confirm whether the book was stocked in the school's library.

The principal responded, "As a parent, you have every right to monitor what your child is reading. Parents have very different opinions on what is appropriate for their children. Tell your child that you want to read certain books first to see if they are in keeping with your family values."

Elster then seems to insinuate that the concerned parent is sheltering her child.

"When you say you are 'at war everyday,' I am wondering if you are referring to the exposure your child is getting to people and ideas that are new and different. This is a public school and the children will be continuously exposed. It doesn't mean that they will have to agree with everything they are learning or seeing. In fact, they will be taught to question, analyze, expand their horizons," the principal stated.

"We do have 'This Book is Gay' in our library catalogue, and we have no plans to remove it," Elster concluded.

Neither the New York City Department nor Elster responded to a request for comment, Fox News Digital reported.