Uncle Bobby’s Wedding

Author/Illustrator

Sarah S. Brannen wrote and illustrated the first printing of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding in 2008 by G. P. Puttnam’s Sons

Illustrator

Lucia Soto illustrated the 2020 publication of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Little Bee Books

Synopsis

Chloe’s favorite uncle is getting married, and she’s not happy about it. But after a magical day with Uncle Bobby and his boyfriend, Jamie, Chloe realizes she’s not losing an uncle, but gaining one. Selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best picture books of 2020 and by the American Library Association as a 2021 Rainbow Book List title, celebrate family with this gorgeous picture book. — From Simon and Shuster

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding made the ALA’s top 100 most banned book list of 2020 coming in at #99.

Awards

• 2020 – Inclusive Storytime – Best of 2020, Future Classic
• 2020 – Kirkus Review – Best Books of the Year
• 2020 – New England Book Awards Finalist
• 2021 – American Library Association – Rainbow List
• 2021 – Book Trust – 100 best books for children from the past 100 years
• 2021 – Bank Street –  Best Books of the Year list

Challenges and Banns

2009 – Castle Rock, Colorado – A patron of the Douglas County Libraries challenged Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, requesting it be removed from circulation or placed in an area or labeled “some material may be inappropriate for younger children.”

2012 – Brentwood, Missouri – Challenged by a patron who objected to the book’s content at the Brentwood Public Library, stating that the book “contained illegal activity,” meaning gay marriage. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding was retained via a unanimous board decision. After the library board’s decision, they invited the complainant to address the decision, which he did:

“This book seeks to influence young children to accept an activity that is illegal (homosexual marriage), and a lifestyle that is well-documented to be harmful to one’s physical and emotional well-being.”

National Coalition Against Censorship, 2023

2021 – Omaha, Nebraska – The taxpayer group at Omaha Public Schools objected to the use of public funds to purchase books they felt were inappropriate for children. The book was picked out for its queer content while other books covering the topics of immigration, gender identity, race, social justice, military deployment, religion, foster care, and a myriad of other topics.

2021 – Victoria, Texas – Patrons of the Victoria County Library filed complaints against 44 LGBTQIA titles, including Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, requesting the removal of these books from library shelves. The group then took their complaints to the County Commissioner who rents the building to the library. The commissioner sided with the aggrieved patrons and set the stipulation that if the city and the patrons didn’t come to an agreement, the library would have to find a new building. Victoria Mayor Jeff Bauknight told TIME Magazine that he ordered the library to create new guidelines for acquiring materials that included no “pornography or obscene materials” for patrons under the age of 17 or the city council would freeze their budget. Mayor Bauknight later walked back his statement, citing that removing books would violate citizens’ First Amendment rights and they didn’t want to target or single out LGBTQIA materials. The 44 titles were kept on library shelves.

2021 – Bucks County, Pennsylvania – Pennridge School District sent out a memo to its schools requesting all books addressing gender identity be removed from the school library shelves. In December a memo sent out by the district told schools that materials would be reviewed for “sensitive topics involving foul language, intense violence, gender identity, and graphic sexual content.”Earlier that year, Pennridge removed its Inclusivity and Diversity Initiatives.

2022 – Centralia, Washington – Patrons at the Centralia Public Library requested four books displayed in the new book section be removed so that no children under the age of 13 could access them. The titles included Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, Jack (Not Jackie), by Erica Silverman; My Awesome Brother, by Lise’ Frances; and Pink is for Boys, by Robb Pearlman.

2022 –  Escambia County School District, Florida – In September, an Escambia County School District teacher filed a complaint against 100 titles in the district’s libraries. The complaint requested that the books be placed in a restricted area where students would first have to gain parental consent before checking them out. The district later voted to remove ten of the titles. Over the preceding year, nearly 200 titles total have been targeted for restriction or removal from the district’s schools. My Uncle Boby’s Wedding was one of the picture books targeted. A lawsuit brought by the author and publishers is ongoing.

2023 – Crawford County, Arkansas – A group calling itself River Valley City Elders complained at a city council meeting about an LGBTQIA display at Crawford County Library System Main Library in Van Bure. Tami Mahby, an outspoken opponent of the books in question won a seat on the library board. Several titles about gender, LGBTQIA, and sex, including Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, were placed in the adult section under age restriction.

2023 – Rockville, Maryland – Protesters for and against a revised Montgomery County Public School gathered outside the MCPS headquarters in Rockville. The revised opt-out rule removes the need for parental consent to read books containing LGBTQIA content:

“MCPS expects all classrooms to be inclusive and safe spaces for students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+ or have family members in the LGBTQ+ community. […] Therefore, as with all curriculum resources, there is an expectation that teachers utilize these inclusive lessons and texts with all students…..Students and families may not choose to opt out of engaging with any instructional materials, other than ‘Family Life and Human Sexuality Unit of Instruction,’ which is specifically permitted by Maryland law. As such, teachers will not send home letters to inform families when inclusive books are read in the future.”

MPCS Inclusivity Guidance, 2023

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is one of the books at the center of the debate.

References

Carlisle, Madeleine (2022). “Public Libraries Face Threats to Funding and Collections as Book Bans Surge.” TIME. https://time.com/6211350/public-libraries-book-bans/

Centralia Public Library. “Parents Concerned About Book Choices at Centralia Public Library.” September 2022 News Letter. https://kxeo.com/2022/09/15/parents-concerned-about-book-choices-at-centralia-public-library/

DeLaura, Cat (2021). “Victoria library board to address controversial books at public meeting.” Victoria Avdocate. https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/government/victoria-library-board-to-address-controversial-books-at-public-meeting/article_56af43da-4724-11ec-908a-cfdcf726daa5.html

Espeu, Em (2023). “Protesters converge on MCPS headquarters over LGBTQ+ book opt-out.” MoCo360. https://moco360.media/2023/06/06/protesters-converge-on-mcps-headquarters-over-lgbtq-book-opt-out/

Lenora, Josie, (2023). “Crawford County officials, residents debate LGBTQ books in library children’s section.” Little Rock Public Radio. https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-06-15/crawford-county-officials-residents-debate-lgbtq-books-in-library-childrens-section

Marshall Libraries. “Banned Books 2013 – ‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding’.” https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/uncle-bobbys-wedding/

Master, Brian (2021). “Nebraska taxpayer group says new books at OPS are ‘extremely objectionable’.” 6 News, WOWT. https://www.wowt.com/2021/11/01/nebraska-taxpayer-group-says-new-books-ops-are-extremely-objectionable/

O’Connor, Acacia (2012). “UNCLE BOBBY’S WEDDING” WILL STAY IN MISSOURI LIBRARY. National Coalition Against Censorship. https://ncac.org/news/blog/uncle-bobbys-wedding-will-stay-in-missouri-library

Pen America, (2023). Pen America v. Book Bans ‘PEN AMERICA V. ESCAMBIA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.’ https://pen.org/pen-america-v-escambia-county/

Rizzo, Emily (2021). “As a Bucks County school district removes LGBTQ books from libraries, families and faculty fear for civil rights.” Keystone Crossroads. https://whyy.org/articles/as-a-bucks-county-school-district-removes-lgbtq-books-from-libraries-families-and-faculty-fear-for-civil-rights/

Seibel, Adam (2022). “Mayor Jeff Bauknight says books in question at Victoria Public Library will not be removed.” 25 News Now. https://www.crossroadstoday.com/news/local-news/mayor-jeff-bauknight-says-books-in-question-at-victoria-public-library-will-not-be-removed/article_de06a79a-4ed4-5ddf-a4b2-fd42eab1bec8.html

Simon and Shuster. “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” book page. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Uncle-Bobbys-Wedding/Sarah-S-Brannen/Uncle-Bobby

Stores, Teresa (2009). “‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding’ by Sarah Brannen.” LAMBDALiterary. https://lambdaliterary.org/2009/06/uncle-bobbys-wedding-sarah-s-brannen/

Williams, Maren (2012). Challenge to “UNCLE BOBBY’S WEDDING Rejected in Missouri.” Comic Book League Defense Fund. https://cbldf.org/2012/11/challenge-to-uncle-bobbys-wedding-rejected-in-missouri/