All Boys Aren't Blue

All Boys Aren't Blue is a 2020 Young adult non-fiction "memoir-manifesto" by journalist and activist George M. (Matthew) Johnson.[1] about growing up as a queer Black man in Plainfield, N.J.,[2] and Virginia. It is Johnson's first book, written for an adolescent audience, and consists of a series of essays.[3] All Boys Aren't Blue was published on April 28, 2020, by Macmillan imprint Farrar, Straus and Giroux. In addition to describing Johnson's own experience, it directly addresses Black queer boys who may not have someone in their life with similar experiences.[4] Johnson was motivated to write the book by Toni Morrison, whose maxim "If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it" is tattooed on his right arm.[5] The book discusses consent, agency and sexual abuse. It describes a sexual encounter and statutory rape.[6] It has been censored School boards in ten states, including Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas, have removed the book from their libraries.[6][7][3] A Flagler County School Board member and retired teacher filed a criminal complaint, objecting to mentions of masturbation and oral sex.[8][7][9] Flagler County Sheriff's Department found that the content of the book was not a violation of law and did not warrant further investigation.[7] The removal of the book prompted student protests.[7] The "Blue" in the title refers to growing up in a "blue" household (Johnson's father was a police officer), the blue used to indicate the male gender, as used in a gender reveal, the character Blue (Bordelon) from the television series Queen Sugar and the blue appearance of black skin in the movie Moonlight (2016 film) and the play it is based on, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.[5] The book was optioned to be developed as a TV series by actress Gabrielle Union.[10]