Interest
Texas Republican Rep Cites Goblin Slayer As "Obscene" Book To Ban From Schools
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Matt Shaheen, Republican representative of Texas's 66th district, cited Goblin Slayer as an example of an "obscene" book to ban from schools. He described the content to the Houston Chronicle as "graphic images of women being raped by demons" and stated: "Anyone who believes this is acceptable is mentally ill. We will be going after the vendors that sold this trash to Texas children."
He did not say which Texas schools had Goblin Slayer in their book collection. He also did not specify whether he was referring to Kumo Kagyu's Goblin Slayer novel series or Kōsuke Kurose's manga adaptation. Yen Press has licensed both the novels and manga.
Republican debates around book banning have largely centered around race and LGBTQ+ education, with Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir graphic novel attracting particular controversy due to its depiction of boys engaging in sexual activity as part of its coming-of-age narrative.
Shaheen described Gender Queer's content as "little boys performing sexual acts on each other," arguing that neither Gender Queer nor Goblin Slayer should be in schools. He argued that both titles fall under the Texas Penal Code's definition of obscene: "Patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, including sexual intercourse, sodomy, and sexual bestiality."
The Goblin Slayer television anime attracted its own share of controversy when it debuted in 2018. The Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization (BPO) watchdog group in Japan discussed the sexual violence depicted in the anime's first episode. A viewer had expressed that the graphic sexual violence was a bad influence on young people but the committee responded that they felt adequate consideration went into how the scene was depicted and that they believe it falls within an acceptable range for what is aired in a late night time slot.
Approximately a week after the anime's debut, Crunchyroll added a content warning to Goblin Slayer after listening to viewer concerns.
Source: Houston Chronicle (Ariana Garcia)
