Long An Elementary School in Taipei’s Daan District made a U-turn last Friday by lifting the ban on the children’s book The Boy in the Dress after causing a controversy by banning it. The school said it will allow students to borrow the book from its library again, and that it will encourage teachers to introduce the book to students as part of gender equality education.
The children’s book is written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. The controversy arose not long ago when the book was banned from its library after the school received a complaint from a parent, who demanded that the library remove the publication to avoid teaching boys to dress like girls. However, the book ban was strongly criticized by other parents as well as by academics and experts.
The Boy in the Dress tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who is expelled from his soccer team for cross-dressing, and it is often used to give students an understanding of value diversity. It has also been named an “excellent children’s book” by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Education.
Photo: CNA
照片︰中央社
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
位於台北市大安區的龍安國小，因為禁止借閱童書《穿裙子的男孩》引發爭議後，上週五政策大逆轉取消禁書令。校方將會准許學生自圖書館借閱該書，也會鼓勵老師把書介紹給學生，以作為性別平等教育的一部分。
這本童書是由大衛威廉斯撰寫、昆丁布雷克繪圖。爭議起源於該校不久前接到一位家長的投訴後便下達禁書令，該名家長要求圖書館下架該書，以免教導男生穿著打扮像女生，但這項禁書令遭到其他家長和學者專家們的強烈批評。
《穿裙子的男孩》講述一位十二歲的男孩，因為穿著異性的服裝而被足球隊開除的故事，並經常被用來讓學生了解多元化價值，該書還被台北市教育局選為優良兒童讀物。
（台北時報張聖恩）
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