MORNING MIX

An author was set to read his unicorn book to students. The school forbade it.

By Jaclyn Peiser
Today at 7:41 a.m. EDT

Jason Tharp wants to write books for weird kids — because he was one. ... Growing up in Ohio, the 45-year-old children’s author, illustrator and inspirational speaker sometimes felt invisible. But as he battled feelings of loneliness, he found comfort in books.

Now, Tharp is on a mission to reach that “one kid” who needs to feel seen. So in 2017, he developed a character to remind his readers that it’s okay to be different. ... “I sat down and tried to figure out what kind of character would be nonthreatening, that they will be instantly lovable and I would be able to kind of get them … to be invested in the story,” Tharp said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I was like, ‘Kids like unicorns.’ ”

But for one Ohio school district, Tharp’s book — featuring a blue and purple unicorn underneath a rainbow-colored title — was too controversial. ... On April 6, as Tharp prepared to read “It’s Okay to Be a Unicorn!” to students the next day at an elementary school in the Buckeye Valley Local School District, north of Columbus, he got a call from the principal saying higher-ups didn’t want him reading the book.

“I just straight up asked him, ‘Does somebody think I made a gay book?’ ” Tharp said. “And he said, ‘Yes. … The concern is that you’re coming with an agenda to recruit kids to become gay.’ ” ... Jeremy Froehlich, the interim superintendent, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment. In an interview with WBNS, Froehlich said one parent visited his office on April 6, expressing concern about the book. ... “They just wanted to make sure that we vetted the book and our staff thought that they had vetted it,” he said.

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By Jaclyn Peiser
Jaclyn Peiser is a reporter on the Morning Mix team. She previously covered the media industry for the New York Times. Twitter https://twitter.com/jackiepeiser