Children's Book Mistakenly Flagged as "Sexually Explicit" Due to Author's Last Name Being "Gay"

A children's picture book called "Read Me a Story, Stella" was wrongly included on an Alabama library's list of potentially inappropriate titles.
The book was flagged because the author's last name, Marie-Louise Gay, triggered a "gay" keyword search.
The library acknowledged the error and halted its review process amid public criticism of censorship and targeting LGBTQ authors.
The lighthearted book features a girl reading to her younger brother and was mistakenly identified due to the author's name.
The incident highlights issues around censorship and banning books based on limited criteria rather than content.