ABSTRACT
Gay and lesbian books have been returned to shelves of a New York City public school by order of Board of Education. The books were removed in response to an anti-gay campaign that coincided with City Council hearings on the gay rights. The sudden burst of publicity created a certain amount of tension at Brandeis High. "My principal was getting phone calls and letters and was rattled by all the attention, even though most of the response was pro," Bloom recalled. The Board of Education subsequently established a committee to set criteria for library books. Cohen is reported to have claimed to the committee that gay books in question had never actually been on the shelves. Bloom approached the New York Civil Liberties Union about legal proceedings to challenge the de facto book banning but she was turned down. The tide did change, however, when librarian Alice Ward informed the committee that the books had actually been on the shelves.
