Book-banner claims a book with a kiss in it turned her into a porn addict at school board meeting

Two weeks ago, a young woman told the school board in Conroe, Texas, near Houston, that she suffered from a severe porn addiction as a tween, and considered suicide as the only way out.

She blamed it on the book publisher Scholastic.

Related: Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints anti-LGBTQ+ Christian nationalist to oversee state libraries

Jason Rapert recently called LGBTQ+ people a cult and a “devil of Hell.”

According to Lanah Burkhardt, now 20, the “single kiss” responsible for her “porn addiction journey” was depicted in a book called Drama, published by Scholastic, a target of the right-wing outrage machine that claims the respected academic publisher is a progressive wasp’s nest indoctrinating children into transgenderism, homosexuality, and other left-leaning agendas.

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What Burkhardt didn’t share with the school board, according to Popular Information, is that she’s the “public relations coordinator” for the far-right “faith-based children’s book” publisher Brave Books, a Scholastic competitor. Brave Books clients include outspoken anti-LGBTQ+ actor Kirk Cameron, far-right Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Trump press secretary Sean Spicer, and the 45th president’s national security adviser Michael Flynn. 

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Powerful message that needs to be heard! Because of this young lady's story (and others), one of the largest school districts in Texas passed in favor of stricter book regulation in the school and moved "Drama" to the high school section. https://t.co/nWLwfLOSyy

— BRAVE BOOKS (@BraveBooksUS) November 21, 2023

Another Brave Books client is hate influencer Chaya Raichik (aka LibsofTikTok), whose book No More Secrets: The Candy Cavern, published earlier this year, is an anti-trans screed masquerading as a Hansel and Gretel-adjacent fairy tale. The Brave Books website exclaims, “Donald Trump Posted in Support of the Book!” 

According to Burkhardt, after seeing the kiss depicted in Drama, she “looked for other books that gave me pleasure,” a slippery slope that “led to internet searches” that she will “never forget.”  

Based on her debilitating addiction, Burkhardt told the board that Conroe should remove all Scholastic books from schools and stop hosting their popular book fairs to protect children from “sexual obscenity.” According to Burkhardt, “getting rid of Scholastic books and their book fairs will inevitably protect kids.”

Along with Brave Books, a new book fair sponsor called SkyTree Book Fairs promoted Burkhart’s cringe-inducing appearance. The new company, staffed by Brave Books employees, markets itself as “an alternative to the sexually explicit content distributed in Scholastic’s book fairs.” 

Aware of Burkhardt’s direct ties to Scholastic’s far-right competitors or not, the Conroe ISD board moved to restrict access to Drama from all students in the eighth grade and below. One school board member suggested replacing Scholastic with SkyTree Book Fairs.

“All glory to God,” Burkhardt posted on X after hearing the news.

For anyone reading this tweet or following this story, these are the images this woman- who incidentally works for Brave books- claims led to her p0rn addiction. pic.twitter.com/i1raLj1jqX

— Laney Hawes (@LaneyHawes) November 26, 2023 Don't forget to share: