The National Education Association (NEA) has sparked controversy by including the book "Gender Queer" on its recommended summer reading list for educators. This decision has drawn criticism due to the book's explicit content, including depictions of sexual acts and discussions of masturbation, which many parents find inappropriate for school libraries.

The NEA's "Great Summer Reads for Educators!" list features 11 books, including "Gender Queer" in the "banned books" section. Other books on the list include "White Fragility," which explores the concept of white fragility in the context of racial inequality. The list also includes sections such as "books to help you forget about work" and "books to celebrate or help you understand Juneteenth."

"Gender Queer," a memoir by Maia Kobabe, has faced significant backlash for its graphic content. Critics have raised concerns about the book's depictions, including what appears to be an older man with a younger boy. Kobabe has defended the explicit nature of the book, stating that it is "a lot less explicit than it could be" and emphasizing the importance of addressing sexuality when discussing gender identity.

The book also chronicles Kobabe's personal journey of self-discovery and exploration of gender identity outside the traditional binary. This recommendation from the NEA follows the organization's president, Becky Pringle, declaring racial and social justice as central to the NEA's mission. Pringle stated, "For us at the NEA, education justice must be about racial justice, it must be about social justice, it must be about climate justice."

She further emphasized the interconnectedness of education with broader societal issues, stating, "We can never think of education as an isolated system because everything connects to our students' ability to learn. So, we have to necessarily talk about housing justice, food inequality, and the reality that we all just went through a global pandemic together."