Florida schools banned this sweet children’s book for alleged “adult content” — it has none

The Miami-Dade County Public School District (M-DCPS) of Florida has removed Michael Willhoite’s gay-inclusive children’s picture book Daddy’s Roommate – published in 1990 – for allegedly depicting “adult content” or “sexually charged language” even though the book has neither.

The 30-page book, which contains large images and one sentence per page, shows a young boy’s divorced father who lives with a new same-sex partner who helps raise the boy. The book includes non-sexual illustrations of the men shaving shirtless, sharing a bed together, and placing their arms around one another.

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The book has a first- or second-grade reading level and is appropriate for readers ages 2 through 8, according to its Amazon page. It’s one of the earliest kids’ books to depict homosexuality and gay parenting, and — as a result — was one of the most challenged books in the United States in the 1990s.

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“Mommy says Daddy and Frank are gay,” the book’s child narrator says near its conclusion. “At first I didn’t know what that meant. So she explained it. Being gay is just one more kind of love. And love is the best kind of happiness. Daddy and his roommate are very happy together. And I’m happy too!”

M-DCPS said district officials removed the book from four district school library shelves after an audit determined it was “inappropriate” for students, the Miami New Times reported. The school district also removed two other books for the same reasons: Sarah J. Maas’ 656-page novel A Court of Mist and Fury and Lauren Groff’s 400-page novel Fates and Furies, both of which were written for young adult readers.

In other Floridian schools, school officials have removed LGBTQ+-inclusive titles for “not being age appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for students. Some of the books are banned only for readers of certain ages and some are available to parents who provide written consent and pick up the book from the principal or designee at the school.

These removals and the removal of other books on race and LGBTQ+ issues statewide have been fueled by recently passed laws. In July, Florida passed H.B. 1467, a law that requires all school classroom and library books to be selected by a certified media specialist. The state also passed H.B. 1557, its infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades. Some libraries have removed the books as a precaution to avoid running afoul of these laws.

Daddy’s Roommate was reportedly banned from a public library in Wasilla, Alaska in 1995 after repeated complaints by then-councilwoman Sarah Palin (R). Palin, who became an unsuccessful vice-presidential nominee in 2008, allegedly fired the librarian who refused to remove the book, but then re-hired the librarian after a public backlash. Palin and her 2008 running mate, then-Sen. John McCain (R), dismissed the ordeal as an untrue “smear attack,” The Huffington Post reported.

At the time, the book’s author said, “[Palin] is my mortal enemy. She is one of the enemies of the First Amendment…. I am so offended by this.” He also said he was “strangely flattered” to be “on her list.”