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Video recorded by Alicia Farrant — a member of the Orange County chapter of the parent group Moms for Liberty — depicts Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs having police officers remove Jacob Engels, a speaker during the public comment portion of the meeting, after Engels began reading from a book titled “Gender Queer: A Memoir.”
The book, which was found in an Orange County Public Schools high school library, is a graphic novel that contains detailed and graphic depictions of sex acts.
“I’m going to read a passage of a book that’s floating around in your schools that has been banned from many other schools,” Engels said. “As a member of the LGBT community, the fact that this is floating around for children as young as ninth grade is concerning.”
A few seconds after Engels began reading from the book, Jacobs interrupted and pressed further when other members of the audience protested her order for Engels to stop reading.
“Sir,” she said. “Mr. Engels, you’re out of order. … Remove him from the chambers.”
Jacobs continued: “I understand that book is in the classroom, and the language he just read is inappropriate for this forum. … I understand the contradiction here. This is the first time I’ve heard of this and the board has heard of this. We will look into it, and I do hope the book is removed. OK? And if not, we’ll be back here having this conversation again, but I can guarantee you, I did not know that book was in the library.”