School removes new 'Captain Underpants' book over gay character

A US elementary school has removed the latest Captain Underpants books from the shelves of its annual book fair after the author revealed that one of the main characters is gay.

Arborwood Elementary School in Monroe, Michigan, have decided to make the twelfth installment in the popular children’s series – Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot – available only online, so students can’t purchase the “controversial” book unattended.

“Scholastic [the book’s publisher and also the book fair’s sponsor] notified us and the school that there was a book that may be a little controversial,” Monroe Public Schools superintendent Barry Martin told local news station WXYZ. “The school decided we’ll make it available online, but we won’t make it available in the actual book fair itself.”

He explained: “Most of the kids come in and they buy books and the parents aren’t part of the selection. In this case, we felt it was necessary that if this book was going to be purchased, the parent needed to be involved in that.”

Captain Underpants author Dav Pilkey quietly revealed last month that one of the series’ main protagonists, Harold, is gay, after the character visits the future and finds he has a husband.

The passage reads simply: “Soon, everyone had gathered together in Old George’s studio: Old George, his wife, and their kids, Meena and Nik, sat on the couch, while Old Harold, his husband, and their twins, Owen and Kei, plopped down in the giant giant beanbag chair.”

Speaking about the ‘controversial’ plot twist at the time, Pilkey said: “When it comes to books, we may not all agree on what makes for a good read – but I hope we can agree that letting children choose their own books is crucial to helping them learn to love reading.”

Arborwood Elementary School says it will continue to sell other books in the series.

School removes new ‘Captain Underpants’ book over gay character

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