 | |
| Author | Susanne Bösche |
|---|---|
| Original title | Mette bor hos Morten og Erik |
| Language | Danish (1981) English (1983) |
| Genre | Children'spicture book |
| Publication place | Denmark |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 0-907040-22-5 |
Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin, originallyMette bor hos Morten og Erik, is a black-and-whitepicture book by the Danish authorSusanne Bösche, published in 1981 inDanish and in 1983 byGay Men's Press. It was perhaps the first English-languagechildren's book to discuss malehomosexuality. Jane Severance'sWhen Megan Went Away (1979) precededJenny Lives with Eric and Martin.
The story describes a few days in the life of a five-year-old named Jenny, her father, Martin, and his boyfriend Eric who lives with them. Jenny's mother Karen lives nearby and often visits the household.
The book covers such small adventures as
Bösche has spoken of her motivation in writing the book:
I wroteJenny Lives with Eric and Martin back in 1981 because I became aware of the problems which some children face when meetingfamily groupings different from the ones they are familiar with, i.e. mum and dad, possibly mum and daddivorced, maybe a step-parent.[1]
Bosche asserts that she had no idea her book would stir up such controversy.[2] She said that "I didn't know people would have that negative reaction. It was very sad what happened at that time."[2] Also, the book was originally published in Denmark and there was no backlash against it there.[2] Despite these intentions, the book has been categorized as "homosexual propaganda" by the tabloid press in the UK,[3] which has led to much of its influence and even notoriety.[3]
In 1986 various newspapers reported that a copy of the book was provided in the library of a school run by theLabour-controlledInner London Education Authority (ILEA). A complaint was made to thePress Council regarding the press coverage as the book had not actually been made available to children, but only one copy had been purchased and made available to teachers through the Isledon Teachers Centre. The Education Authority had not approved it for younger children, and it was only supposed to be shown to older children "in exceptional circumstances" and following consultation with parents.[4]
The availability of the book was condemned byKenneth Baker, the Secretary of State for Education. In response to Baker's intervention,Frances Morrell, the leader of ILEA, said that the very limited use of the book in local authority schools was consistent with the government's requirements on sex education.[4]
The resulting controversy made a major contribution towards the thenConservative administration's subsequent passing of the controversialSection 28 of the Local Government Act 1988,[5] which forbade the promotion of homosexuality by local government (an article about Section 28 inThe Times of May 29, 1988,[6] notes the then-current notoriety of the book). This conservative backlash was partially motivated by a wave of homophobia in Britain that had been spurred on by the public's growing fear ofHIV/AIDS.[7] Much of the conservative outrage against the book stemmed from issues that conservatives had with the photos used to illustrate the book.[2] These were photos of Bosche's daughter with two of her friends who lived in the same building.[2]
In the United States in the 1990s,Heather Has Two Mommies became a similarly politicised book.
