''Asha's Mums'' is a children's book written in 1990 by Michele Paulse and Rosamund Elwin and illustrated by Dawn Lee focusing on the topic of same-sex parents.Esposito, Jennifer. “We’re Here, We’re Queer, But We’re Just Like Heterosexuals: A Cultural Studies Analysis of Lesbian Themed Children’s Books.” Educational Foundations, vol. 23, no. 3/4, Summer/Fall2009 2009, pp. 61–78. EBSCOhost Due to the subject matter, the book has been extremely controversial with a mixed critical reception, leading to a legal case in British Columbia over an attempt to ban the book.

Plot summary

This story is based on the protagonist, Asha, and her struggle explaining to her teacher and friends that she has two mothers, as part of the process of gaining permission to go on a school trip. The book begins when Asha's teacher, Ms. Samuels, sees Asha's mothers' names on the permission form and assumes it has been filled out incorrectly. Ms. Samuels wonders which one is Asha's mother, and she struggles to understand the possibility of Asha having two moms. In one scene, a worried Asha confides in her mothers who agree to talk to the teacher face to face to sort matters out. In the meantime, Asha informs her classmates about different types of families. The story concludes with Asha being granted permission to go on the school trip, and her classmates and teachers having learned about different family structures.

Reception

''Asha's Mums'' has been received by the public in a variety of ways, as some see it as being poorly written while others appreciate the content. In a piece written by Elizabeth MacCallum, she explains that "Elwin and Paulse teach sexual politics and don't even know how to concoct a believable plot." Lian Beveridge introduces the term "moral panic" to describe the response of the people who dislike the book and disagree with the publishing of LGBTQ+. "Moral panic" is an anxious feeling that comes about when people see someone or something as a risk to an already established norm.Beveridge, Lian. "'Advocating and Celebrating the Abomination of Sodomy': The Cultural Reception of Lesbian and Gay Picturebooks." Children's Literature Review, edited by Tom Burns, vol. 142, Gale, 2009. Gale Literature Resource Center To him, this term acts as a reasoning for those who disagree with the publishing of LGBTQ+ children's books. However, in a different article, Tracy Scott states, "That Asha is black and working-class is a reminder that gay people and families cross all economic and racial lines. We deserve to be in the school curriculum, and our children - all of them - deserve education, not prejudice and ignorance."

Controversy

A notable controversy occurred in 1997, a legal case referred to as Chamberlain vs. Surrey School District.“Culture, religion and curriculum: lessons from the ‘three books’ controversy in Surrey, BC”. '' Canadian Geographer'', Autumn 2006. It all began when a school teacher by the name of James Chamberlain, who identifies as gay and who taught in the Surrey School District, attempted to have three books approved by the school board. The list consisted of Asha's Mums; ''

One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads ''One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads'' is a children's book written by Johnny Valentine and Melody Sarecky.Johnny Valentine and Melody Sarecky ''One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads'' (1st edition: Alyson Books, 1994 1-55583-253-9) The int ...

'' by Johnny Valentine; and ''Belinda's Bouquet'' by

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.Sin, Lena. "B.C. Board Upholds Ban on Gay-Themed Books". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

'', Jun 14, 2003, pp. A8. ProQuest These children's books all included the topic of same-sex parents, depicting them in a positive way. The school board decided on April 24, 1997, with a vote of 4-2, that the books would not be approved. More specifically, ''Asha's Mums'' was denied by the board by a vote of 5-2. The school board explained that the books were banned due to religious reasons, avoiding any conflict with families. The decision made by the board was backed by a Protestant and Catholic group that held very conservative beliefs. The more progressive organizations did not support the ruling. In December of 1998, the case was taken to the

British Columbia Supreme Court British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

where the book ban was overturned as Chamberlain argued that the school board used religion in an ill-suited fashion and that it disregarded the B.C. School Act. This decision was urged by Justice Saunders. The British Columbia Court of Appeal ruling in September 2000 overturned Saunders' ruling that the ban had been religiously motivated, but substituted its own narrower finding that the books could not be banned from use because they met the school board's criteria for inclusion in school libraries, thus leaving both sides of the case technically able to claim victory. On the day following the decision, the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' republished the entire text of the book in its print edition. Because of the ambiguity of the decision, the case was taken up by the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

. In ''

Chamberlain v Surrey School District No 36 ''Chamberlain v Surrey School District No 36'', 0024 S.C.R. 710, 2002 SCC 86, was a case in which the Supreme Court of Canada held that a local school board could not impose its religious values by refusing to permit the use of books that sought t ...

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the Supreme Court of Canada found that the ban was

unreasonable Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lan ...

, contradicting the secular and non-sectarian principles of the BC ''School Act''. Under this ruling, a ban on books about same-sex parents could not be legally justified. Within months of the Supreme Court decision, the Surrey school board again banned the three books, this time citing reasons including "poor grammar and spelling" in ''Asha's Mums'', the inclusion of the "age-inappropriate" subject of

dieting Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated way to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight, or to prevent and treat diseases such as diabetes and obesity. As weight loss depends on calorie intake, different kinds of calorie-redu ...

in ''Belinda's Bouquet'' and purported mockery of "different skin colours" in ''One Dad, Two Dads''. At the same time, however, the board approved two other books, ''ABC: A Family Alphabet Book'' and ''Who's In a Family'', which also included depictions of same-sex parents."Ratified books not error-free: Surrey school committee OK's two new same-sex books". ''

'', June 28, 2003.

Analysis of Controversy

In her analysis of controversies over LGBTQ+ literature like ''Asha's Mums'', Jennifer Espositio explains the prevalence of such debates during the 1990s. The idea of the "Rainbow Curriculum" was suggested in 1992 by Joseph Fernandez, which included a list of books highlighting gay and lesbian topics. This action caused an uproar from religious groups and individuals, causing the curriculum to be shot down. Additionally, conservative parents began revolting and protesting by

burning books Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politi ...

that included LGBTQ+ themes. In the Chamberlain vs. Surrey School District case, one of the more pressing issues that involved the public was whether or not religious beliefs should play a role in situations such as this. Typically a more private matter, religion played a large role in many of the court rulings. It brought to light the opposing perspectives of more progressive groups, arguing that religion should be kept separate from public matters, and the conservative groups stating that that view is inherently anti-religious.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asha's Mums 1990 children's books Children's books with LGBT themes LGBT literature in Canada Canadian children's books Canadian picture books 1990s LGBT literature LGBT-related controversies in literature