Darrell Ehrlick writes: “The Billings Public School Board, the largest in the state of Montana, decided unanimously on January 24 to keep two controversial titles found in high school libraries: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. The move came as somewhat of a surprise as a subcommittee of the board had recommended keeping Evison’s book but removing Gender Queer. However, after nearly two hours of discussion, public comment, and a review of the books, a trustee changed her recommendation, setting off a series of votes that would ultimately lead to keeping both titles. ‘The greater harm would have been in banning books,’ said Board Member Mike Leo. During the meeting, more than 40 people submitted comments or spoke in person. A tally of speakers showed that those who supported keeping both books outnumbered those who voiced objections by a roughly 2-to-1 ratio.”