Answers in the Pages

by David Levithan

there’s something important about going back to books you’ve already read. You will always find new things inside, or have new reactions to characters you thought you already knew well. You learn more about the story and you also learn more about yourself as a reader, and where you are in life.

If we’re going to defend this book—and I promise you, I plan on defending this book—the proper line of defense is not ‘But they’re not gay!’ Because that implies that there would be a legitimate problem if they were gay. The proper defense is ‘It doesn’t matter if they’re gay. The characters can be whoever they are.’ And I know some of you might think I’m saying that because I myself am gay. But I am not saying this as a gay man, or as a gay teacher. I’m saying this as a human being who believes that all human beings should be treated with respect.”

you can’t have freedom if you’re not willing to defend it from the people who want to take it away.”

The whole point of education is to dispel ignorance and teach children about the world they live in.

when you’re not ready to understand something, you become afraid of it.

I think some of the parents who are most afraid of this book are actually afraid that the world you’re growing up in isn’t the world they grew up in. And rather than adjust, they think they can keep it the same. That never works, not in a free society.”

There is nothing ‘inappropriate’ about being gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender or nonbinary or questioning or any other identity within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. There is nothing sinful about it. There is nothing to be ashamed of. There is nothing about being queer that deserves censorship rather than expression. Nothing. This should not be a matter of debate, because a person’s humanity should never be a matter of debate. Instead, it is a matter of the highest principle we can aspire to, which is equality.

telling someone who you really are is a gift you give to them, not something you owe them.

When people attack books, they think the books will not be able to defend themselves. Luckily, there are many, many people who step in to defend not just the books but the people in the community whom the books are about.