There's a controversy brewing in the town of Brookfield over the book, 'This Book is Gay' by Juno Dawson, available in the Brookfield High School library. According to Hearst Connecticut Media, some Brookfield residents say the book should be banned because of its "inappropriate" content and pulled from the BHS library.

This article has nothing to do with my opinion of the book but everything to do with presenting the views of Brookfield residents who are for and against banning this book in the high school library. Let's get started.

The following opinion appeared in the Brookfield Patch: "At the latest Board of Education (BoE) meeting, many outraged parents complained about the presence of sexually-explicit, pornographic books in the Brookfield school library. Regarding responsible oversight procedures, if school officials and librarians had performed even a cursory review, it would have revealed that the two books in question, "This Book Is Gay" and "Fun Home," contain sexually explicit, pornographic content and depictions that easily meet or exceed the statutory definition of obscenity."

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The American Library Association includes "This Book Is Gay" as one of the top 10 most challenged books of 2021. According to the ALA, "This Book Is Gay" has been targeted for its sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.

The book became the main topic of the April 5th Brookfield Board of Education meeting, where more than twelve residents voiced their opinions about the book, both pro and con. From the Hearst Connecticut Media article, an individual who will go unnamed stated, "This is about targeting LGBTQ books whether or not parents realize it, and that is an issue." However, she also said, "When this board, administration, and community's time is spent on the outrage that is manufactured and targeted, students pay the price — especially students whose needs don't fit neatly into a box," she said. "Public schools need to service all students equally."

Another gentleman who spoke at the meeting stated, "The push to hypersexualize children, as we are witnessing in real-time throughout society, is a dangerous path to take, and I see no moral standard or reason to move any further down this path than we already have." Others at the meeting described the book as "pornographic material."

Another individual who spoke at the Board Meeting stated, "Every student deserves access to books that reflect who they are, their experiences, their feelings. It's empowering, inspiring, and affirming to see characters going through what they are going through."

What do YOU think? Should it or should it not be banned from the high school library? The book in question is titled "This Book Is Gay" by Juno Dawson and is only available as an e-book to students through the Brookfield High School library. However, if you choose to understand the book better, you can read excerpts by clicking Amazon.com/lookinside. 

Exclusive Photos, Videos, and Interviews on the Set of New Milford Horror Movie

"Candlewood" is a horror film that just finished filming in New Milford, CT. This is how the filmmakers described the project on their Indiegogo: 
 
"Candlewood is the first movie of three in the psychological/horror feature film franchise. A blended family moves from the city to a small town in Connecticut, where a local urban legend adds chaos and terror to an already fragile family dynamic. The staunch patriarch, who desperately wants his family to not see him as a failure but as the father that did everything, he could to keep his family together through difficult times. Candlewood follows a family leaving New York City for a simpler life in the country town of New Milford, CT. The haunting and mysterious true stories of missing hikers near a popular state park, Lover's Leap, coupled with the town of Jerusalem sitting at the bottom of Candlewood Lake gives credibility to our narrative. We bring to life the struggle of good vs evil and what happens when lifelong, outdated traditions are challenged." 
 
A while back I got in touch with the folks behind the movie, invited them on the I-95 Morning Show with Ethan, Lou and Dave and talked about the film, and shooting in New Milford. We spoke with Director Myke Furhman and Writer/Executive Producer Victoria Flores-Argue. During that discussion, I demanded to be in the movie, telling the duo that I have some experience acting on TV shows that never actually made it onto TV. Against all odds, they did invite me to participate and I visited the set on October 20th to shoot a scene that is important. I was extremely nervous and I had zero idea of what I was in for. Below are some insider moments from my day on-set and from others.  

4 Things CT Residents Should Know if They Love to be Naked

According to World Population Review, the State of CT Defines it's clothing laws in the following way:

Public indecency (Class B misdemeanor): A person is guilty of public indecency when he performs any of the following in a public place: 1) An act of sexual intercourse as defined in subdivision (2) of section 53a-65; or (2) a lewd exposure of the body with the intent to arouse or to satisfy the sexual desire of the person; or (3) a lewd fondling or caress of the body of another person. "Public place" means any place where the conduct may be expected to be viewed by others.

But that is boring and difficult to understand so I came up with four more things CT residents should know if they love to be naked.

An Up Close Look at the Great Danbury State Fair Racearena

 

 

 

 

 

 

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