VANESSA: What is your favorite word?

EVI: "Wistful."

VANESSA: Ooh, I like that.

EVI: Right?

Like, it's like "alluring," but more floaty.

You know?

It's, like, "Whoo!"

VANESSA: Whoo!

EVI: Whoo, yeah.

What's your favorite word?

VANESSA: "Conundrum."

EVI: Yes!

That's also a vibe.

The other day, I learned of the word "anundrum."

An... What does that mean?

I don't know.

- (laughs) I guess... We could look it up.

Oh, right.

- (laughs) And I get to... Me and Vanessa love going to the bookstore in town.

It's kind of our thing.

We play a game where we both have to find a different book for the other person and try to read it.

And I've got her hooked on "The Selection" series.

And she's found me a bunch of poetry books that I love, because we both understand each other's tastes really well.

She likes Y, I think she likes more Y.A.

novels, young adult, and I love poetry-- that's my jam.

(laughs) Young adult section.

VANESSA: I think my favorite thing about Evi is just how nice she is to everyone.

Like, for a while, I did, I didn't buy lunch because I wasn't hungry, but still, she'd buy things for me, even though I wasn't hungry.

It was just really sweet of her.

And she'd always ask if I was okay and stuff.

Just well written, in my opinion.

Yeah.

Like, I just like the pacing of it.

I'm glad you inducted me into that.

Aw, you're welcome, buddy.

- Aw.

I always induct you into things.

- (laughs) Yeah.

- And then I love the... This is how I want my wedding dress to look.

Like, all that big and puffy, except I want mine to be pink.

- Yes.

Even though it's non-traditional.

Oh.

- I have my whole wedding planned out already.

It's gonna, my dress is gonna be so big, it'll take up the whole venue.

And then I want all my bridesmaids to wear tulle lilac-colored dresses.

I have it all planned out, and I don't care about the groom.

Like, it's just, it's my day, you know?

(laughs) That'd be so much fun.

You could be my maid of honor at my wedding.

(gasps) Aw!

- That'd be so fun.

Yes, we should do that for each other.

We should do that for each other.

I'll make such a good speech.

- Uh-huh.

EVI: Me and Vanessa talk about politics sometimes.

It's definitely not, like, a taboo subject.

But I'm definitely not trying to, like, convince her of my views.

I just talk to her what about I'm thinking and she talks to me about what she's thinking.

VANESSA: Me and Evi do have political differences.

Hi.

VANESSA: But I want to bond over our interests and what we like doing and our favorite subjects.

I think that's just a lot better thing to think about than politics.

EVI: She what?

(Vanessa laughs) NEWS ANCHOR: Passions are running high tonight at the Central Bucks School District over a proposed library policy.

REPORTER: The policy outlines how books should be screened and includes a prohibition on descriptions of sex acts.

Now, some school board members say the Central Bucks Library Review Policy 109.2 is actually intended to give parents a say on the content of the books in the library.

Some people say they desperately want a policy in place.

Others say this is essentially a book ban.

Every single book that has been brought before us and that is of concern to these groups has LGBTQ authors, LGBTQ characters, authors of color, or characters of color.

MAN: Unlike the biased media narrative, we are not against the LGBTQ community.

We are against sexually explicit content being given to minors.

There are people out there who want to rob your children of their childhood innocence.

People are in their own echo chambers, and they're just going on, like, this big witch hunt over something that really doesn't exist.

(laughs) It's very scary, not just to my child.

It should be scary to every, every person's child.

There were probably one or two books that would be deemed pornographic in the library.

Those one or two books should have been reviewed and removed.

This should never have been World War III!

♪ ♪ I'm Vanessa.

And I'm Evi.

And this is the story of our town.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (people talking in background) Nice to meet you-- sorry, I have so many... WOMAN: It's okay, no worries, no worries.

(talking in background) Good to see you.

NANCY: I'm Nancy.

Hi!

Are you ready?

So brave, you're so brave.

(conversations continue) LILY: Alrighty.

Good evening, everybody.

My name is Lily Freeman and my pronouns are she, her, and I have lived in Central Bucks all of my life.

Thank you all for being here this evening as we continue to work together to protect our district.

(audience cheers and applauds) Tonight, our politicized school board will be voting on the most restrictive library policy in Pennsylvania.

I am sad, disappointed, and mostly, I am angry, and you should be, too.

Using the pretense of policy to effectuate censorship that will disproportionately impact marginalized students is wrong, inequitable, inherently discriminatory, and violates section 1F of the Code of Conduct for our school board members.

WOMAN: The policy that the board will vote on tonight is part of a nationwide effort to erase the faces and voices of people of color and of LGBTQ authors, students, and families.

If this does not stop here, it is only going to spread.

(audience cheers and applauds) (people talking in background) SMITH: So regarding the library book policy, we have to figure out, as the minority group on the board, how are we going to respond to this?

Our kids have read "Gatsby," "The Crucible," uh, what, "Catcher in the Rye."

They're not doing anything radical.

Yeah.

- They're reading the same things we read when we were in high school.

- Yeah, yeah.

DELL'ANGELO: But the G.O.P.

machine told them, "Pretend there's a problem."

The same phrasing, the same sentences, are getting used across the country.

(laughs) SMITH: They keep saying it's not a book ban, but the policy clearly states books can be removed or banned.

DELL'ANGELO: Right.

I think we should use the word "banned"... MAHMUD: I like that.

- ...as much as possible.

(people talking in background) HUNTER: The policy says we're going to prioritize content that does not contain graphic sexual content.

How is that a book ban?

You have spent the last year creating problems where they don't exist, elevating extreme ideology, and ramming through discriminatory policies.

How dare you say that teachers are "indoctrinating and coercing students" and create policies that ban books, policies that ban symbols of support, policies that ban critical thought in classroom discussions, policies that further marginalize your-- our-- students.

Ban, ban, ban is all you know how to do.

Nobody wants porn in the schools, but it gets twisted into, like, either banning books or pedophiles and groomers, right?

And nobody wants either one of those things.

And this is a thing where I wish conservatives and liberals would work together.

This should have been, like, where it's, like, the liberals say, "Okay, conservatives, I understand you guys are a little bit more tight about stuff."

Um... (chuckles) I was gonna use a different word, but okay-- let me start over again.

Liberals should talk to conservatives, say, "Look, we know you guys are a little bit more staid "about certain topics, we understand you have some, "uh, worries about some of these books.

Let's go look at them together and read them together," right?

This is what transparency is all about, right?

Many taxpayers and parents are unaware that sexually explicit material is in our libraries.

Tonight, parents are here to set the record straight.

Here is "Gender Queer."

It clearly depicts two minors engaged in sexual intercourse, which is child pornography.

DEARMOND: Page 61, there's a picture of what looks like two males.

"And this would evolve into (muted) while thinking of my latest gay ship."

WOMAN: In the book "Living Dead Girl," passages include the little girl saying, "He shoves me to the floor and pulls off my pants.

He sweats (muted)."

DEARMOND: "Memorably, I (muted) once while driving "just by (muted) front of my jeans and imagining getting a (muted)."

Is this the education that Central Bucks is providing?

KITTY: Tonight, I want to acknowledge the wounds in this room.

Some of us believe that if children see graphic portrayals of sexual behavior in books, they will be traumatized or their innocence will be taken from them.

Others of us believe that seeing those things in books can help our children.

LILY: People think that these books are harming them or are a threat to them, when really, these books aren't necessarily for them.

And what a lot of people don't understand is that these books can be lifelines.

The harmful policies embraced by this board have very real and harmful effects on the students in your district.

I feel like if I go to a school board meeting that I'm going to get violence and pushback by a lot of the adults there for speaking out as a student.

Some of the times I've even, I've been scared to go to them, but I feel like I have to, um, because there's this very loud majority that is so adamant about taking away my right to exist.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (crickets chirping) (gear shifts) KITTY: We want to get along, you know, as human beings, but it feels very difficult to be with somebody who holds views that you don't agree with and that you believe are dangerous and problematic.

And it's difficult on a couple of levels.

One of them is sort of global and societal, but it's also difficult on a personal level, that here's a person you like, and you don't want them to believe things that you believe are harmful.

So these are difficult conversations.

(brake engages) Okay.

(engine stops) (seatbelt clicks) Here we are.

(clears throat) Hi!

- Hello!

How are you?

- How are you?

Good to see you.

How have you been?

- Good.

Good?

Good.

- Have a seat.

This is such a nice place.

- It is.

Beautiful stone and pictures.

- Yeah.

Paintings.

Yeah.

It is one of the things I love about Doylestown, is that, and this whole area.

- Mm-hmm.

It's just a little drive and you feel like it's sort of back in time.

- Mm-hmm.

And the scenery is so beautiful.

I fell in love with Bucks County the first time I came.

Me, too.

- Yeah.

SERVER: Hi.

Hi.

Okay, here you go.

Thank you-- so, like... So I'm, I'm really curious.

What are, what are you seeing that concerns you about, let's say, let's call it the right?

Um, the lingering anger at teachers is hard to understand.

And, and there are evidently members of the community who believe the teachers want dirty books in the library so that they can somehow... I see that as them trying to rationalize, why would you want sexually graphic material available to children?

And the conclusion that they come to is, well, there must be a reason, and it's gotta be nefarious, right?

I mean, I was shocked when I realized that certain books that I thought, "No way these are in the school."

And when I realized they were, I was, like, "What in the world is going on?"

"Children" is a loaded word when we're talking about high school.

15- to 18-year-olds have questions about sex.

And they go to the library to try and get those questions answered.

Well, I, I have a different view.

I don't think kids are going to the library to learn about sex.

(laughs) Maybe I'm wrong-- I think they, they're going to hit the internet first.

And, and unfortunately, they're going to see things they should not see.

That's right.

Uh, so maybe there's something to be said for, they're trying to figure out, "What did I just see online?"

Because when you have a book like "This Book Is Gay" talking about how to use an app to have homosexual sex, I believe it says... - Yeah, right.

And again, this is not about orientation, like... - Right, no, I understand.

I understand.

- You know, I just want to be clear on that.

Why would that book be available?

Because, um, the... (sighs) As far as I know, the, the one librarian who ordered it, um, didn't do due diligence.

- Mm-hmm.

Made a mistake.

- Yeah.

You know, and... - And you know what?

And I get that.

- Yeah.

You can't read every book.

I don't think you can say, like, "Well, "we should make this available to kids in the library, "because your kid's probably on TikTok "and YouTube and other things "that, where they're getting content.

You should be more worried about that."

I don't think it's an excuse to say, "Well, we should just," you know... "To heck with it and, and let the kids have whatever they want in school."

Protecting the innocence of a child is super-important.

I feel very strongly about some of those issues because of my own experience.

I have experience with sexual assault as a child, and then as a teen, and then as an adult.

♪ ♪ I had a very difficult childhood.

I was quiet, I was introverted, I had some trauma.

So I was, you know, when my mom died, I didn't probably brush my hair.

So I think I came to school kind of looking funny, and, um, the bullying was really bad.

Girls would threaten me.

"I'm going to beat you up after school."

And, in fact, tried.

I was so scared-- and I walked home from school.

I remember in the fifth grade, the teacher would dismiss us one at a time.

Like, it wasn't like we were all dismissed, right?

So whoever was, like, sitting quietly and well-behaved, and then you would hopefully get dismissed first.

And I would try to be as good as I possibly can so that I could get dismissed earlier, so that I could get home to be safe.

So when, when I speak about groomers, this is who they look for.

They look for a single-parent home, perhaps, or a child who doesn't have a strong sense of self or doesn't have a strong parent-child relationship.

That's what happened to me.

It definitely affects me-- it triggers, it affects.

It's, like, you know, there's situations where you might act differently just because of the trauma that you, you experienced.

And so this isn't about banning or censoring.

If you take a book like "Gender Queer," because it's a graphic novel, and there are many things that little children should just not be seeing-- I would say even, even middle-schoolers should not be seeing-- what if a older child gets that book out of the library, and uses it, and says, and says, "Hey, this is normal between boys.

Look at this, look at the pictures in this book."

One of my own children was groomed.

Because of our strong relationship, my son trusted me, my six-year old trusted me, to, to tell me, "Mom, this happened."

And then I was able to prevent worse.

Uh, but I didn't have that.

The, the positive thing out of it is that I'm able to speak about it now, and I'm able to recognize what happened to me, and... Um, I don't know how I can help others, but hopefully that's what... All the things that happen, the bad things, can be used for good.

SMITH: Have you heard something about Central Bucks and the A.C.L.U., but you really haven't had time to figure it all out?

Yeah, you're not alone.

Here's a summary.

The A.C.L.U.

filed a complaint alleging a hostile environment for LGBTQ students.

The complaint was soon taken up by the federal Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

The board majority hired the Duane Morris law firm to conduct their own investigation.

I voted no on that expense.

If you would like to return to a school district which focuses on educating all students, please vote for compassion and common sense on November 7.

Vote for me, Karen Smith, and Neighbors United.

STEPHEN MASS: You know, Karen Smith, the school board representative who I am running against, she wrote a letter to the Department of Education asking for an investigation.

What she's done has been very damaging to our entire district in every way, shape, and form.

And the tragedy is, it's really the kids who, who suffer.

What's going on?

- All right!

AARATI: Hi, how are you?

You look good, girl!

- You look absolutely stunning.

AARATI: Aw, thank you so much.

- We went for the red today, brought the red car, we went all red.

Candidate, candidate, spouse, spouse.

That's it.

- I know!

But I really like the enthusiasm.

I mean, people are very fired up.

AARATI: Yeah, people are coming up to me.

STEPHEN: And my opponent, Karen, she's running away from her own record, you know?

Not a mention about the role that she had in... PAUL: Call, calling the police.

(laughing) ...calling the federal government up, yeah.

AARATI: I mean, here's the email, yeah.

Yeah, and the old stereotype, you know, don't make a federal case of it?

Well... PAUL: Well, she did!

AARATI: She literally did!

- She made a federal case of it.

She's been reckless with the truth.

She's been very destructive.

And that was one of the reasons why I felt that I had to get involved.

Hello, girls-- who wants to be first?

(gasps) Ivy?

Do you want to be first?

(sheep bleats) Come here.

No?

No?

Okay.

MAN: Yeah, we had this the last time, remember?

SMITH: They're trying to say that they were forced to spend the million dollars on the Duane Morris law firm because I reached out to the Department of Education.

But at the same time, we had been contacted by the Education Law Center and by the A.C.L.U.

specifically.

And both of these organizations were saying to us, "If you continue on your current path, we will take legal action against you."

It wasn't me.

It was their actions, their policies that were being investigated.

Had absolutely nothing to do with me.

I want people to know that I'm not part of these policies that have been passed.

You know, I get phone calls and emails, and, "You're so horrible!

You're a terrible person!

You passed these policies!"

And, you know, calling me names and stuff.

And, and then I write back, and I, I just say, "Hi, Mr.

Smith, thank you for writing.

I agree with you.

I voted against these policies!"

(laughing) - Yeah, yup.

SMITH: And I voted against that spending and... MAN: I'm sure it's difficult, because you don't want to be attacked.

Nobody wants to be accused of things which aren't true and... SMITH: Yeah.

MAN: I don't know if I ever told you my theory about having a thick skin.

Did I ever tell you that?

SMITH: No.

MAN: Well... (shearer stops) If you have a thick skin, you lose the potential for sensitivity and feeling and, and tenderness and such, but if you have skin like a sheep, you have healing skin.

Oh.

So you get the cut, feel it, grimace for a little bit, and then you know that you'll heal in a matter of due time.

SMITH: Maybe that's me.

MAN: That's you.

(laughs) That's why you have sheep, maybe.

(shearer starts) Maybe that's me.

- You gotta have good skin.

Just like a sheep.

(shearer buzzing) (people talking in background) ♪ ♪ NEWS ANCHOR: The Central Bucks School District met tonight to discuss the findings of an internal investigation into allegations of LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Students and parents were also at the meeting this evening to hear the district's special counsel present its findings.

(people talking in background) (gavel raps) HUNTER: I'd like to call the special meeting to order.

LILY: Lily Freeman, Buckingham Township.

The purpose of this special meeting is to receive the report from special counsel who has conducted the investigation into the A.C.L.U.

complaint.

Regardless of what is presented, I know for a fact, as a student who has firsthandedly experienced and has talked with those who have experienced discrimination, that this is nothing but sheer hypocrisy.

You have removed signs of support from classrooms, claiming neutrality and justice for all, but it has shown me that I have no place in Central Bucks as an LGBTQ student.

GIRL: I've heard a group of boys saying, "Let's go hunt down the gays."

I've heard kids mock members of the LGBTQIA community simply because they're being who they are.

GIRL: Here are just two of the things that LGBTQ+ students have said about their experience in CB schools.

"I was repeatedly told by other students "to kill myself because I was gay.

I was on the verge of killing myself the entire school year."

I spoke to a student who eats lunch in a bathroom stall rather than face having food and hateful slurs thrown at them in the cafeteria.

To the LGBTQ+ youth and their families, we love you, we believe you, and we will never, ever, ever stop fighting with and for you.

PAUL: I am a little bit confused, though.

Has everybody already read the report?

I, I would actually like to hear the report instead of sticking to the narrative, because it seems clear that no set of facts that could come out at this meeting will change people's minds about what's actually going on.

I mean, why are we here?

(audience applauding) We're actually here to hear the report.

(applause continues) (applause fades) HUNTER: Mr.

Rinaldi, welcome.

Over the past few months, Duane Morris, on behalf of the school district, has conducted an independent internal investigation into allegations of wrongdoing by the school district.

We've interviewed personnel at each of the district's 23 schools, including each building principal.

We also reached out to LGBTQ students and their families.

We reviewed over 123,000 pages of documents.

These included correspondence, disciplinary records, policies, and procedures.

Witness after witness failed to come up with any specific instances of unaddressed bullying or harassment of LGBTQ students.

So, board policy 321 doesn't prohibit curriculum-based discussion of partisan political or social policy issues.

Now, let's talk about the book policies.

Books don't spontaneously appear on the shelf.

Somebody has decided to put them there.

The policy is neutral.

The evidence shows there was no discrimination against LGBTQ students.

The school district is very responsive... MAHMUD: This is so biased, it's ridiculous.

WOMAN: You're, you're biased.

MAHMUD: This is what you all paid for.

SCISCIO: You don't like the truth?

I'm sorry.

MAHMUD: It's not the truth, it's your truth.

It's your truth.

(people laughing) (board members talking at once) Instead, you made a public show.

HUNTER: Enough.

VLASBLOM: Debra... MAHMUD: I couldn't read it.

You read it-- you read it.

SCISCIO: Wait, wait, wait.

I'm sorry, wait.

Did you just say we made a public show?

MAHMUD: You did!

- I've been living a public show for the last year and a half because of you.

(gavel rapping) HUNTER: Mr.

Rinaldi, please continue.

RINALDI: May I continue?

HUNTER: Please continue, please.

RINALDI: My recommendation is to consider what you have here.

You have one of the best school districts in the state.

(audience cheers and applauds) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ LINDSEY FREEMAN: Bye, Scotch.

(door creaking) LILY: Bye, Scotchy.

BROOKE FREEMAN: Bye, honey.

LILY: Love you.

BROOKE: I hate closing the door on his face.

LILY: I know, right?

LINDSEY: I know.

(door closes) BROOKE: He just stares.

LINDSEY: I know-- makes me so sad.

LILY: Things in the district are very stressful, like, having to balance school on top of focusing on all these things that are happening outside of school.

Like, I gotta think about all these, like, policies and stuff, and then, "Oh, my goodness, I have an APUSH test on Friday."

(laughing) LINDSEY: Lil, do you ever get discouraged that, like, your voice isn't being, like, heard enough?

Like, when you're constantly speaking and, like, not necessarily seeing a lot of change or action?

Yeah, definitely.

I mean, a lot of times, I feel like I do, like, a speech and it's, like, "Okay, that's it.

Nothing happened."

I try to assume that, you know, everybody has the best of intentions, but putting these hateful policies in creates a hateful environment.

That's what causes it to trickle down to the students.

I just love all the fun stuff in here.

LILY: I know.

BROOKE: Me, too.

I like looking at the stuff more than actually, like, trying on anything.

LINDSEY: Right.

LILY: I've definitely started sharing more positive experiences.

We definitely try and highlight our good stories, in a way.

There's so much more to my family than what's happening in my district.

You know when you were posting the stuff about the-- what was it, the Met Gala?

And you were, like, talking about all their fabrics?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

LINDSEY: Wait, why did that... I was so impressed.

- ...entertain me so much?

Wait, I was so impressed, because you were, like, talking about the stuff, like, "This is, like, doesn't look even, like this, like, the draping..." LINDSEY: Right.

- Yeah.

LINDSEY: I feel like I would never have thought... LILY: I definitely want to go to school for, like, fashion and fiber arts.

♪ ♪ Of course, I like to crochet and stuff like that.

So this is one of my rough drafts for one of my college pieces.

I really, like, enjoy, you know, drawing up the different sketches, and I want to learn how to bring that to life.

I'm working on my A.P.

art portfolio right now, so that's been really exciting.

I talk about, like, you know, my activism and my, my work, um, in my designs.

My art is a big outlet for that.

MINDY: Lily struggles with wanting to be a regular teenager, which she is, and then wanting to advocate, support, and make sure people understand her journey.

BRETT: She doesn't want it to define her.

MINDY: Yeah.

BRETT: She is a person, like, you know, just like anyone else, you know, with dreams and aspirations.

You know, she's a kid, and she should live her life that way, just, just like anyone else.

TEACHER: Hi.

VANESSA (softly): Hi.

(Aarati speaking softly) (whispering) TEACHER: Yeah, let's start with this one.

- (whispers): Okay.

Piano, it's so cool.

It's, like, when you learn music theory, oh, my gosh, it's just, like... (laughing): You see, you see everything.

I think music theory is, like, the coolest part about the piano.

TEACHER: Go ahead.

(piece begins) Two, three, four-- move up.

Two-- walk up.

(playing hesitantly) Change position.

(piano playing "The Sound of Music") ♪ The hills are alive ♪ ♪ With the sound of music ♪ ♪ With songs they have sung ♪ ♪ For a thousand years ♪ I think I've always loved musical theater and singing and acting and stuff.

Yeah, I've never been one for math or sports or stuff like that.

That's the sort of stuff that I'm more adverse to.

♪ The sound of music ♪ ♪ My heart wants to sing every song ♪ ♪ It hears ♪ VANESSA: The first time I met Evi was in a cooking class.

She was so easy to talk to, and it was just, it was a good friendship-- oh, wait!

That wasn't actually the first time I met you.

Oh?

Oh, wait, yeah, we met... That wasn't the first time I met her!

Dude!

I have to tell you the story.

- (laughing) This is such a good story.

Okay.

I remember, the actual first time I met Evi... More.

- ...I was at my brother's friend's sister's, like, college graduation or something like that.

And I was at this party, and she was, like, in this, like, strawberry dress, something like that.

And she was, like, so rambunctious and, like... - Aw!

(both laugh) I love you!

And I was, like, "Wow, she's just, like, really energetic"-- I was, like, "Wait, watch us become best friends."

- Aw!

I literally remember thinking that.

I literally remember that.

- I love you so much!

TEACHER: Okay, so, why don't you put that one up in the front, and then you'll have that ready.

EVI: When we first-first met at the party, I remember thinking she was super-funny.

And then in cooking class, I remember we got so, like, enwrapped in, like, talking to each other, we kind of ignored the actual cooking part of it.

Um, but that was okay, because the other group picked up the slack.

(people talking in background) In seventh and eighth grade, like, when we were new to the school, and I would wear my puffy skirts, kids would just make fun of me all the time, and I didn't have, like, any, any friends.

Vanessa's, like, we were, like, each other's only friends for a while in school.

So I'm really glad that we have each other.

Like, I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Aw.

- Aw.

(both laugh) EVI: At the roundtable, I was very happy to be there with Vanessa, and I was very happy to get an opportunity to share my ideas with lots of different people.

It was respectful, but it was still passionate.

Yeah, it was healthy debate.

You know, we're young kids.

We're open to new views, unlike some adults.

EVI: Kitty and Vonna, they were the moderators.

I think they did a really good job.

VANESSA: I love the story of their friendship, too.

We met in the beginning at a school board meeting.

We were on, I wouldn't say opposite sides of an issue, but we were on different sides of an issue.

And then we ran into each other in the community.

DEARMOND: Kitty was brave in that when she saw me at the community event, she really was the one who instigated the conversation, and then who said, "I would really like to talk with you more.

Would you be willing to do that?"

KITTY: You know, it's been challenging, but we have found that by consistent effort and going back to the things that we do have in common, we're able to bridge the gap.

STEVEN: And they say adults can't do it.

(all laughing) Come on.

LILY: I think your story is really beautiful.

Thank you for sharing.

DEARMOND: Thank you.

KITTY: Thank you.

DEARMOND: Well, now we want to hear from you.

So I'm going to start with the first question.

What do you feel is happening in our community right now and why?

I think that there's, like, a lot of tension between, like, different groups in our community, and, like, people want to change our schools in a bunch of different ways.

I think now, more than ever, people are starting to realize that local politics do make a difference, and I think the repercussions in our local communities ripple through, you know, the whole nation.

There's something sort of thrilling in that.

Isn't there?

- There is, absolutely.

It's, like, it's, like, democracy is crackling.

(all laughing) ROBIN: The reason that we're facing all of these conflicts is because people care so much about people who they love and their children in the school districts.

And I think that's why it can get so ugly sometimes, because people just have, like, it's, like, mistranslated love for other people that turns into, like, this kind of anger.

DEARMOND: Yeah.

KITTY: So, now let's talk about book challenges.

(others chuckling) Um... (all laughing) Now, let's, let's go to a nice easy one, shall we?

(others laughing) Okay.

Some of the frequently discussed challenged books include "Gender Queer," "This Book Is Gay," "The Bluest Eye."

Have you read any of them and what's your opinion about that?

VANESSA: Um, it was a while ago, but I flipped through the book "Gender Queer," I think it was, and I have seen pictures of it online, too.

It was, it was really gross.

It was, like, pornographic.

And I don't think, even if it is educational, in a way, I don't think that belongs in a school.

ROBIN: I think that what is being seen online about this book is very much a cherry-picked section of what that entire book represents.

Even... Depending on how you feel after getting that context, leaving it out of the conversation does a disservice to everyone on any side of that argument.

FAITH: I mean, I might sound, like, awful for saying this, but I feel that these books aren't contributing anything other than, these kids wander into a library and read about controversial topics that are telling them to question their gender.

And their parents, who might be on the other side of that topic, might not feel comfortable with their kid reading it.

EVI: Like, yes, it's, like, it's, like, it can be up to the parents, but, like, um, they can, they can decide what their kid can read, but they shouldn't decide what goes into the library, because that's not just for their kid.

That's for, like, every kid.

KARSTEN: It's really awful, what is in those books.

It's literally, it's literally just porn, or it's just reading of graphic, vile stuff.

And it should not ever be in schools.

STEVEN: I want to make a really important distinction here.

I don't think that we're against these books being out there in the ether of the world.

You have so much access to everything that's out there on the internet.

This is not something that should be a resource in schools.

LILY: There are so many other, you know, books in schools that would be considered graphic.

Why is it just content that deals with marginalized communities and their experiences with material that might be kind of sensitive that is being put on these banned book lists?

KITTY: How many of you guys have read the entire book of "Gender Queer"?

(chuckling) - Okay.

Those of you who have read "Gender Queer," do you have anything to say to that?

LILY: I, I feel like I learned a lot from the author, Maia Kobabe.

And, you know, seeing that story, it didn't turn me to identify as anything else, but it allowed me to, you know, see into somebody else's life and to see into their experiences and really see, "Oh, you know, "that's really important for me to hear.

"It's really important for me "to see these challenges and how somebody dealt with them."

Like, of course, we don't, we don't want a first-grader reading "Gender Queer," we can all agree on that.

But the books are there for the appropriate ages for certain reasons.

I like to say books are mirrors for kids who have certain experiences to see themselves in literature and, and really feel not alone in how they're feeling, but they're also, they're windows for others to look into each other's lives.

And I think that is so important in just, you know, building just general empathy.

EVI: The roundtable was really fun.

Like, it was fun to talk to all those other kids, even though we very much had different opinions.

It was impactful for me to hear from other people's perspective and, like, think, like, how I can reevaluate how I talk to people and, like, how I, like, get on their level.

I remember one moment that really stuck out to me.

I still think about it every now and then.

It's, like, we were talking about that book "Gender Queer."

And I said that it had, like, pornography in it and stuff.

And I think it was Lily who brought up that that wasn't what the whole book was comprised of, and that there were other things that were beneficial to teenagers in it.

And it really made me think about how some of the sources I got information from, they weren't always trying to tell the truth.

They were just trying to get the most views, get the most fury out of people.

- Mm-hmm.

So, I still think about that a lot.

Yeah, I love the part about the, I love the thing that Vanessa was talking about, those books, because, like, um, I've read "Gender Queer," and for me, it isn't something that I would personally want to read, because it was a little much for me, but that doesn't mean that it's not helpful or something to someone else.

And I think that Vanessa's right.

Like, a lot of people are using that, like, like, that, like, anger and, like, hatred of, like, queer people as an, like, a way to get more views and, like, like, paint them in a bad light.

And I don't like that.

So I'm glad that we talked about that.

LILY: A lot of people think that the LGBTQ community is something inappropriate, even though we're all ages, we're all genders, and even in a way, I think people think that certain books or education will turn their child to be a part of the community.

And I will say that nothing can turn you to be a part of the LGBTQ community, just as nothing could have turned my eyes, like, a different color.

LINDSEY: Sit here?

BROOKE: This is nice.

And it's right by the bridge.

LILY: I have, definitely feel a little bit of an obligation to, like, correct misinformed opinions.

But I think in general, the most important thing that I try to emphasize is that these issues are not a matter of opinions.

You know, like, human rights are not opinions.

Like, these are decisions.

These are policies that affect people's day-to-day lives.

I am a female of trans experience.

I kind of went to my sisters first, and they were, like, "Well, you should probably tell Mom and Dad."

And so I, I went to both of them at the same time.

MINDY: Lily always knew she was a girl, but couldn't express... BRETT: She couldn't articulate it.

MINDY: Articulate it.

BRETT: Yeah.

You know, when she would try on her sisters' shoes in the garage, when she would play dress up with her cousin.

We actually thought that one day, she was gonna tell us that she was gay.

BRETT: Gay.

MINDY: Because in our mind, that was what that meant.

(talking in background) MINDY: The word "transgender" did not come out of my mouth, her mouth... BRETT: No, well... MINDY: We didn't even... BRETT: Really wasn't part of our vocabulary at that time.

MINDY: No, we didn't even... No.

- We just listened to the things she was saying.

Like, she was just scared, and honestly, I just remember hugging her and saying that, "We'll take this day by day."

Do you know-- I know now, like, a lot of our cousins have blue eyes.

But, before, it was just me, 'cause Mom and Dad have brown eyes.

Then Lindsey was born, and she had brown eyes.

And I felt, like, left out as a kid.

So Dad told me he would get blue contacts.

LILY: Oh, my God.

- But then you were born, and he didn't need to.

And then all of our cousins... MINDY: The way we supported her was just learning, you know, and just being there for her?

I mean, I guess that's the thing.

Yeah.

- And not dismissing her.

Yeah, I need to be the caboose-- I'm the big sister.

Or at least, like, the flank to, you know, protect you guys.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

My whole entire family was accepting.

Even though they didn't really have a lot of education on, like, what it meant to be trans, I felt like they were willing to learn, and they were willing to hear my experience.

It was just a very supportive process that I'm really lucky to have.

♪ ♪ A big misconception is that people decide to become trans, when really, it's just who we are.

It's who we've been our whole lives.

But a lot of people are scared of people like me.

A lot of people are scared of the possibility of their child being like me.

♪ ♪ There's a lot of this hysteria, that people like me don't even exist.

And then there are those who acknowledge that we exist, but don't think we should exist.

(people talking in background) Tensions have been pretty high coming up, with the election.

And there's been, you know, a lot of advertisements, a lot of signs around that are not very pleasant, that are saying a lot of negative stuff, a lot of untrue stuff about a lot of the candidates.

♪ ♪ SMITH: We started getting some emails from a PAC.

It's called Stop Bucks Extremism.

They're really vile.

"Karen Smith, Nazis, (muted), "and (muted).

♪ ♪ "She likens the school board "and district superintendent to Nazis "for not being allowed to, amongst other things, "teach kids as young as 11 about (muted) on another person as a form of (muted)."

And then, that PAC that I mentioned sent this little doozy out.

"Caution: contains sexually explicit images taken from inside Central Bucks school libraries."

And when you open up the envelope, there was this card with some images from "Gender Queer" and "This Book Is Gay."

They have mailed this out to thousands of people in the community.

And I've actually talked to parents whose kids saw that it said "school library" and opened it.

PAUL: This is Stop Buck Extremism, which is not my PAC.

So did I know that that mailer was going out?

Yes, I did, because I have a friend in common who said to me, "You're gonna get a kick out of this."

We need to wake up the general public that that book is available to your kids in the library.

What else are you supposed to do as a responsible parent?

Those tactics have done more to expose kids to age-inappropriate material than anything that's ever been in the library.

I don't know how the people on the other side are going to be able to look themselves in the mirror.

PAUL: I sleep fine, because I'm the person who has to go expose that this (muted) is happening!

♪ ♪ AARATI: People don't know some of the skeletons that are in our opponents' closet.

DEARMOND: It's not really about the kids.

(laughing): It's about power, actually, if you think about it.

(voices overlapping) MINDY: I have never seen a country like this.

MAN: School board president Dana Hunter cannot be trusted with our taxpayer money.

WOMAN: None of this has ever been about protecting children.

MAN: Heavenly Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.

KITTY: Hi, Aarati.

Hi, Tony-- very nice to see you.

How have you been?

Good!

- So we were just... Oh, look at your flowers.

- Yeah, we were just... Aw, pretty.

WOMAN: You brought flowers!

KITTY: Oh, thank you very, very much.

Okay, I think everybody already knows my name is Katherine.

People call me Kitty.

This is Kate, also a Katherine.

Sometimes we're called Kit-Kat when we are amalgamated, and we are fine with that.

Tonight we're having our book group.

The good that the books that are challenged can do for the students who need them is profound.

(continues indistinctly) We believe that very few people in our community have read very few of the books.

So in our opinion, it was a good idea, "Well, let's read them."

The first book that we chose to read was "All Boys Aren't Blue," which was a "New York Times" bestseller.

It's a memoir about the author's experience growing up as a queer Black man.

It touches on universal topics like grief and loss and the love of family, and also delves into more difficult topics, like sexual assault.

So, would anybody like to kick us off?

I think it was great-- the honesty and the tenderness.

It's just very touching.

ARJONA: I thought it was a fantastic story.

I think he hit on inclusiveness and I think he hit on acceptive, acceptance.

The college part was... KITTY: Two Republican school board candidates were there, Tony Arjona and Aarati Martino, and some other people from the right, and we had other people from the left.

That was a very interesting meeting.

It's always, like, shocking, and, and, you know... (inhales sharply) ...to read about any kind of victimization, particularly of a child.

DEARMOND: I think the part where he talks about being the victim could actually be very helpful for kids who, maybe they had that experience, too, and maybe that would give them the courage to talk about it.

KITTY: So, we should broach the topic of whether we feel that the book is appropriate to have in our high schools.

So I can tell you, initially, I thought no.

And then, talking to you guys tonight, I could see where this particular book fits.

AARATI: I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed, and this is why I love books, right?

You get to walk through someone's life and see what it's like to walk in their shoes, right?

WOMAN: As far as a book for the library in this school, yes, I think it's okay.

But as far as a book selected for a class, I think that could cause problems, unfortunately.

There were certain books that I was forced to read for a lesson-- I mean, not sexual in nature, other things-- and they disturbed me.

DEARMOND: I, I think it's appropriate for high school.

Just comparing the books that have been removed... NAZEMI: Yeah.

DEARMOND: So, "Gender Queer" is a graphic novel.

NAZEMI: Right.

- So it, it is very explicit.

Like, you can't get around it, because it's pictures.

NAZEMI: Right.

- And then, "This Book Is Gay" is the, is explicitly describing different kinds of sex.

This is different-- it's completely different.

But at the same time, if I'm a teacher in high school, I would be getting parent permission first before I would hand this to a kid.

Yeah, absolutely.

- I would be afraid.

I would be, like, "Well, it could be controversial, and I don't want to overstep bounds."

Totally.

- So I would absolutely be asking a parent.

I would do the exact same thing.

I would not, as a teacher or a parent, be comfortable, with this kind of content, just... DEARMOND: "Here you go," yeah.

KITTY: No, absolutely.

DEARMOND: To the whole class, right?

Yeah.

I'm gonna go home feeling really glad that I read it, that I had you guys to talk about it with, that we met and had this discussion.

It just felt very, um... It's like we're solving problems.

(people talking in background) AARATI: She's, like, "Mom, don't give him "the paper that you've written all over.

The ink may not be good for him."

At least it's better than when he used to eat all the trim, which he still sometimes does.

PAUL: Boy, he's going to town today.

(laughs) AARATI: That's pretty funny.

PAUL: Little happy animal.

See, now Vanessa's here, and he's all excited.

VANESSA: Aw.

- Okay.

AARATI: Oh, no, now you're gonna go back in.

PAUL: Oh, now you gotta go poop?

(Vanessa laughs) AARATI: Yeah, he's eating spinach.

PAUL: My name gets tied to anything that happens, good, bad, otherwise.

It's amazing how I'm always at the center of it.

...resources should we bring in, bring on.

A lot of people on the left think that I am orchestrating something, or that I have an army of people that listen to my orders.

(laughing): You know, Martino's got a day job, right?

Is, is he really spending all this time organizing a, a political coup of some kind?

A political takeover?

But painting me as the caricature, as the bogeyman, is great.

I mean, at some point, a set of mythology gets created, and the actual facts don't matter.

So, sometimes it's fun to play along, right?

Oh, so where's your thing that you made?

Yeah, I meant to ask you about that.

PAUL: A couple of months ago, Aarati and I did a dinner with former Lieutenant Governor Cawley, and he reiterated the story of Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill, and about how, after 5:00, "There's no politics, let's have a beer."

You know, "We'll, we'll go at each other's throats all day, but we'll, we'll have a drink after 7:00," or whatever it was.

So I posted that story with a reference to the history of Tip O'Neill and, and Ronald Reagan's history.

And I said, "Okay, guys, I'm in-- who wants to go?"

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I left that post up for about two weeks and I got exactly one taker.

♪ ♪ Hello, hello, good to see you again.

How are you?

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ If the school board flips, new woke agenda.

We need to flip the board.

I'm not here fighting for a political party.

DONTE: Right.

- I'm here fighting for my kids.

We went door knocking.

I see this happening, I was, like, "I feel like I have to do something about it."

She told me that she brought me along sometimes just because people are less likely to yell at you if you have a kid.

I'm Karen Smith.

I'm running for reelection to the school board.

For anyone out there canvassing, it's important to stay safe and carry pepper spray.

- (laughs) Especially women.

Up next, the school board election reaches its zenith.

I was particularly struck by the impact of ugly rhetoric and the simultaneous desire for conversation and understanding.

With so many characters and elements swirling, I found this episode especially compelling.

Be a part of this conversation.

Use #BucksCountyUSA and tag your local PBS station.

♪ ♪