The Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion seem to be coming for redheads with freckles. According to The Guardian, a memo sent out to parents of kids attending the 161 schools run by the Department of Defense said that government officials were examining library books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics.” This, apparently, includes actress Julianne Moore’s children’s book, Freckleface Strawberry.
Freckleface Strawberry, which Moore published in 2007, is the story of a young girl who feels embarrassed about her red hair and freckles but eventually comes to terms with the fact that everyone is different. Moore, who graduated from the DOD-run Frankfurt American High School, reacted to the news on Instagram, explaining that she wrote the children’s book “for my children and for other kids to remind them that we all struggle, but are united by our humanity and our community. It’s hard to believe that schools run by the Pentagon are being threatened by that.”
According to a spokesperson from the Department of Defense, Freckleface Strawberry has been temporarily pulled from the shelves along with an unknown number of books currently under review as part of the DOD’s compliance with two new executive orders from Trump targeting “gender ideology” and “racial indoctrination” in schools. Among them are reportedly No Truth Without Ruth, a children’s book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, written by Kathleen Krull, and Becoming Nicole, a biography of transgender actor Nicole Maines, written by Amy Ellis Nutt.
“I can’t help but wonder what is so controversial about this picture book,” Moore added in her post. “I am truly saddened and never thought I would see this in a country where freedom of speech and expression is a constitutional right.”