Reinstate Banned Graphic Novels: Alumni Group To Main Line School District

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — A group of passionate Radnor Township School District alumni have come together in support of reinstating three graphic novels at Radnor High School after they were banned recently.

Banned were "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic" by Alison Bechdel, and "Blankets" by Craig Thompson.

The bans came after a parent, who SAVVY Main Line identified as Michael Lake, in the district submitted a challenge to these graphic novels. The district said the parent filed a Citizen's Request for Re-evaluation of Material's form, pursuant to Policy 144.1.

An anonymous ad hoc committee voted 5-1 to ban the materials, deeming them not age-appropriate for students, in late February.

The move had led to pushback by not just the district community, but also from a large contingent of the Main Line community.

The school board will consider reinstating these graphic novels at a meeting Tuesday.

"When we heard, we were all kind of shocked," Abbe M. Longman, Esq., Radnor High School class of 1986 told Patch.

Longman is referring to a group of alumni who call themselves "The Finkelites:" Radnor grads who have a shared history of spending time in former district counselor Fran Finkel's office when they were in school.

Longman and the Finkelites started to gather signatures for a joint letter that urges the district to walk back the banning of the three graphic novels.

The parent who recommended the books be reviewed for removal said the district should dispose of the graphic novels and "mandate training of child abuse laws for Radnor librarians" after claiming they all depicted child pornography.

Longman takes issue with the use of "child pornography" when discussing the materials.

In "Fun Home," the complainant parent called out underage girls performing oral sex, sexual abuse of a child by an adult and child pornography in "Blankets," and child pornography, sex toys, and prohibited sex acts in "Gender Queer."

"It has a specific definition" she said of child pornography.

She said while the graphic novels are explicit, they do not denote child pornography.

"Are there depictions of nudity? Yes. Sexual situations? Yes," she said of the graphic novels. "But that's true in a biology textbook. You can have pornography without nudity, and can have nudity without pornography."

Longman and her fellow Finkelites are arguing that libraries are, and always have been, safe spaces.

"They are places where you can go for knowledge and find it independently," she said. "Libraries offer anonymity and community, and the duality of that is very important. Whether it's kids looking up dirty words in an unabridged dictionary or someone looking up information they may be scared to ask, [a library is] a way of finding what you're looking for, and for some it's a retreat."

She said she wished the librarians in the district were more involved in the decision-making process regarding the graphic novels' removal.

"The school board should have left more of this up to the librarians, or it should have been discussed more before saying, 'one parents has a problem with the book, we see where the problem is, so we will get rid of them,'" she said. "It was pushed through too rapidly without discussion and without talking to the people who make these decisions. Librarians are not there to just hush ppl and talk about the card catalog. I trust the people who went to school for this, are devoted to educating students in general, and decided these books have some value at this time and in this age."

And, Longman said most high schoolers are not unfamiliar with the nude human body, as many are beginning to have their first sexual experiences in high school, even if that's just a first kiss.

"They're explicit," she said of the graphic novels. "They're not doctor Seuss. They're not for elementary school, they're for high schoolers. Many kids are having sexual experiences of their own."

Longman does acknowledge the points of contention within these materials, but says overall the graphic novels have value for certain people.

"I can't imagine thinking, 'no one else should read this,'" she said.

She is confident the district will again allow the three graphic novels into the Radnor High School Library after Tuesday's meeting.

The board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Radnor Township Municipal Building, 301 Iven. Ave. in Wayne.

Below is the full letter to the Radnor Township School District Board of Education from The Finkelites:

TO: Radnor Township School Board
FROM: The Finkelites and friends (former Radnor students)
RE: The impropriety of book banning
DATE: April 22, 2025

We, the undersigned, are all beneficiaries of a superior Radnor education mostly during the years of big shoulder pads and bigger hair in the 80’s. During our tenure here we received education in a multitude of ways. In the classroom, of course, but also through:

• Field trips
• Speakers
• Performances
• Trips to Drama Guild
• Courses at the Barnes Foundation
• AP classes
• Dual enrollment at local colleges and universities
• Participation in the Close Up program in Washington, DC
• Teacher-chaperoned trips to foreign countries
• Sports
• Hi-Q competitions
• And so many more…..

As Radnor students, we were challenged to do more, learn more and expose our minds to more. We were encouraged to embrace our ever evolving maturity by negotiating an open campus. Even at Radnor Middle School, we had classes in two buildings and were expected to transfer quickly and efficiently between buildings as necessary and could choose which cafeteria to dine in. Our teachers didn’t avoid “adult topics” and we were expected to identify sexual imagery in the poetry of Shakespeare and Donne, understand the horrors of the Vietnam War and handle potentially dangerous substances and equipment in Physics and Chemistry classes. In the Explorers Club, students organized weekend to week-long camping trips around the state and to Assateague Island during which we were expected to pack, unload, organize and set up the campsite and then to prepare, serve and clean up after meals.

In high school, I met many of the signers of this letter. Most of us met in the lobby area of Ms. Fran Finkel’s office in the Library. As we became closer friends, we took on the name “The Finkelites” in homage to our ever-encouraging and infinitely patient host. To this day, we all keep in regular touch. It’s really no wonder that we all met in the Library. Libraries are places where we could be ourselves, seek out information, challenge each other and find a deep fountain of creativity.

I think it’s fair to say that most, if not all, of the Finkelites (and other students, too, of course) struggled in some way during high school. Our issues were varied: family dynamics, social expectations, scholastic pressure, bullying, financial need, sexuality, anxiety, depression, special needs, etc… In fact, I believe that most high schoolers both then and now struggle with something during their adolescent and teen years. Which is one of the reasons we are so concerned about the three graphic novels that were recently banned by the School Board: Gender Queer by Maia Kababe, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, and Blankets by Craig Thompson

In each of these books, a young protagonist struggles in a way relatable to most teens. In Gender Queer, the main character doesn’t fit in with societal expectations and strives for years to find and accept who they are. In Fun Home, a girl confronts her sexuality in a family where her dad hides his own sexuality. In Blankets, an awkward teen falls in love for the first time and discovers the highs and lows that can come with first love. The overarching themes of these books are all enhanced by the fact that they are graphic novels and the artwork emphasizes the emotions of the characters. Because it is a visual medium, there are portrayals of naked bodies in each of these books, but to call them “pornographic” is inaccurate and unfair. There are many books in the Radnor High School Library system that portray situations equally or more sexual in nature.

All three of these coming of age stories reflect situations that are currently being lived by Radnor students and their families. Even those few students who cannot directly relate to the dilemmas faced by the characters in these books will benefit from learning about the experiences of others. The effects of bullying, low self-esteem, family misunderstanding and misinformation, and the government’s efforts to reduce young people’s access to general social support for their sense of belonging can and has all added to an increase in the likelihood of behavioral health issues including depression, self-harm, and ultimately suicidal ideation and actions. The argument that these books could cause "childhood trauma, willingness to be sexually exploited, enabling sexual groomers and acceptance of pedophilia," as alleged by the original parent complainant is ridiculous. In fact, teens who read these books and understand that they are not alone and are experiencing normal feelings and emotions would be LESS likely to fall prey to the feared harms.

The Finkelites were fortunate to find each other in the Library, so we had each other to support us as we navigated the tumultuous waters of our teen years. Some are not so lucky and their support network comes in the form of friends found in the pages of fiction. We believe that today’s students deserve the right to access library materials that require maturity, critical thinking and an open mind. The School District has done a great disservice to all students by removing these three books from the Library catalog and should rectify that error immediately.

s former students and library users ourselves, we believe any honest review of contested materials could only result in a determination that it is in the best interests of the students of Radnor High School that thoughtful, respected, and highly awarded literature like these three graphic novels always be available to the high school students in their library. The presence of such literature undoubtedly will help some students successfully navigate the complicated period of young adulthood and will not, in our view, be remotely detrimental to any student that actually elects to pick any of them up and read them. We hope, for the sake of the students, that the administration realizes the error of this ban and reverses it immediately.

“Libraries are innately subversive institutions born of the radical notion that every single member of society deserves free, high quality access to knowledge and culture.” Dr. Matt Finch, American Library Association Access to Library Resources and Services | ALA

The Finkelites
Abbe M. Longman, Esq. (RHS class of ‘86)
736 Caley Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406 610.724.5178
David Surbeck, Esq. (RHS class of ‘85)
Sheri (Shira) Goldman, MS Library & Information Sci, MA Elementary Ed (RHS class of ‘82)
Corene Lemaitre (RHS class of ‘84)
Chris Davis (Radnor 1980-82)
James “Toby” Tanis (RHS class of ‘85)
Elizabeth Davis Rice, MA Counseling Psychology (RHS class of ‘85)
Annamarie Hessman (Rosemont Elem. ‘80, Radnor Middle ‘83)
Gordon Howell (RHS class of ‘84)
David Berkof (RHS class of ‘84)
Richard Clelland, PhD (RHS class of ‘86)
Jennifer Farquhar (RHS class of ‘88)
Eric Meany (RHS class of ‘86)
Juliette Hartel (RHS Class of ‘82)
Richard Kargher (RHS Class of ‘83)
Elizabeth Herman (RHS Class of ‘83)
Lisa Lassek (RHS Class of ‘87)
Dayton Joline (RHS Class of ‘83)
and others