This Book is Gay

Booklist's Michael Cart offered This Book is Gay a starred review, calling it "witty and wise and so packed with information it’s hard to imagine a reader who won’t learn something new."[6] Cart highlighted how the book is "often breezy in tone but always informative."[6]

Publishers Weekly called it "irreverent" and "informative," with "a humorous tone that should help set anxious readers at ease."[7] They also commented on the illustrations, saying, "Gerrell’s playful b&w cartoons help maintain an encouraging atmosphere, even when Dawson turns to homophobia/transphobia, anti-gay legislation, and STDs."[7]

In a mixed review, Kirkus Reviews noted that This Book is Gay is "important for its frank sex talk but far less inclusive than it aims to be."[8] They explained by stating that many chapters "are helpfully matter-of-fact" and readers hear from a variety of perspectives.[8] However, "the book’s efforts to support transgender readers are undermined by persistent, thoughtless affirmations that biology really is destiny—for instance, when the author debunks the myth that 'gay men are ‘girls’ ” with a jokey 'Penis? Check! Yup, gay men are, in fact, male.'"[8]

Booklist included This Book is Gay on their 2015 "Top 10 LGBTQ for Youth" list,[9] and it was a 2015 Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth selection.[10]

This Book is Gay has faced controversy since its publication in the United States.

In November of 2015, residents of Wasilla, Alaska petitioned to remove the book from a public library, with a number of residents objecting to profanity and sexually explicit content.[11] The following year, all nonfiction books in the young adult section of the Wasilla library were moved to the adult section due to parents' complaints about the book, and "the library director was branded as a pedophile in the highly controversial public debates ... for defending the sex education book for teens."[12] Dawson responded by saying the event highlighted how "there is still such small-mindedness and hatred left to contend with."[13]

In 2022, it tied for the tenth-most banned and challenged books in the United States that year, according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom,[4] with challenges coming from numerous school districts. Vanderbilt University named it the ninth-most banned book in the country.[14]

In June, after a librarian in Campbell County, Wyoming shared books with LGBT+ themes for Pride Month, local residents "voiced their objections led by County Commissioner Del Shelstad who stated 'This is exactly the type of thing that I think is harmful in our community. I’m not asking you to have a straight Pride Month, I’m just asking you not to have a gay Pride month.'"[12] The librarian's decision led to conversations in the community that included suggestions to remove all books with LGBT themes from the library--even books intended for adult readers.[12] When library board members were asked about whether the book was appropriate for local youth, most refused to answer the question, stating they had not reviewed the book.[12] This Book is Gay was the first book to be challenged in the community in several years but led to the library reconsidering the shelving of twelve books, including This Book is Gay, as well as The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams and Heartstopper by Alice Oserman.[12]

In August, This Book is Gay was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, "Sensitive Materials In Schools."[15]

Additionally, along with Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker, the book was specifically targeted for review in the Elmbrook School District.[12] Further, a parent at the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District read sections of This Book is Gay, as well as five other LGBT+ books, and "called for audits, and threatened criminal charges for those responsible for providing 'evil, wicked' content in the school. The school board voted to retain all five challenged LGBTQIA+ titles."[12]

The following year, parents in Hilliard, Ohio met to discuss whether This Book is Gay should be removed from the school library, claiming "it goes too far when discussing intimacy."[3] However, some parents noted the school "the district needs to make LGBTQ students feel safe."[3] Ultimately, parents were reminded that if they were "uncomfortable with their child reading [specific books]," they should "inform the library, where their student can be prohibited from checking the book out."[3] Shortly after, the Hillsborough County, Florida school district banned the book from middle school libraries,[14] and the Sioux City Community School District removed it from their high school after Libs of TikTok referred to the book as pornographic.[16] This Book is Gay was also named as the sole reason for a bomb threat to Hilton Central School District,[17] though the threat was later confirmed to be a hoax.[18] The school's superintendent stated, "Students of the district that belong to that community that they are welcome here at Hilton Central School District as students within our public schools ... We love them as we love our other students. We are absolutely sorry that a debate around a piece of literature is making them feel as if they are not included or welcome.”[17]

Dawson has commented responding to the book's ongoing censorship. In an interview with Rolling Stone in April 2023, she explained that it's "not surprising" her book has frequently been targeted, though it is "disappointing."[5] She further stated, "The complaints about this book are not about keeping kids safe. Because if we really wanted to keep kids in the United States safe, we wouldn’t be talking about books. We would be talking about guns."[5]