The war against books isn’t over yet.
After a parent’s complaint, “I Am Billie Jean King,” a children’s book by Brad Meltzer, is under review to determine if it’s “age appropriate,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The book will remain on the shelves during the process.
"Leon County Schools is committed to following state statute and board policy when reviewing media center materials," District Spokesperson Chris Petley wrote in a statement.
Although King is known for winning the “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs in 1973, she is also an activist for gender equality and LGBT rights. She was married to sports promoter Larry, and was forced to come out publicly in 1981.
The complaint came from a parent at Hawks Rise Elementary School regarding LGBT content. The book includes a section describing how King fell in love with Ilana Kloss and married her.
“Eventually, Larry and I stopped being married and I fell in love with a wonderful woman named Ilana,” King’s cartoon depiction says in the book. “You can’t choose who you fall in love with. Your heart will tell you.”
The complaint was filed after King criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis and the “Don’t Say Gay” law, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
"I think it's sad," King said in Delray Beach. “I'm very big on inclusion, everybody being their authentic self. If you heard my personal journey, which I thought I was straight, I realized later in life I wasn't. I had to figure out who am I, who is my authentic self. Going through that journey just for me personally, the important thing is to be welcoming to everyone."
The author of the book condemned book bans on his Twitter.
“Fight for books. Fight for stories,” Meltzer wrote, along with a video post explaining the history of banned books in the United States.
“That’s what all book bans are always about, power and control and the people losing it,” he said in the video post.
The war began when DeSantis signed CS/HB 1467, which allows parents the ability to object to books they don’t like in school libraries and classrooms. The law created a chilling effect, and media specialists pulled books without review in fear of potentially breaking the law, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
DeSantis has called book banning a "hoax" and blamed the media, not the law, for the preemptive pulling of texts from school library shelves.
"They're lying to you," he said at a press conference in late February.
