By Raya Kuzyk

The Freedom To Read Foundation’s (FTRF) fifth annual author event, to be held in conjunction with the American Library Association’s (ALA) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table (GLBTRT) Midwinter Social, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 17, at Harvard Medical School's Countway Library of Medicine as part of this year's ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston.

Headlining the event will be Lesléa Newman and Michael Willhoite (pictured), authors of the groundbreaking children’s books Heather Has Two Mommies (Alyson Bks., 1989) and Daddy’s Roommate (Alyson Bks., 1991), respectively. 

Both books have been the subject of much controversy and debate owing to their focus on and positive portrayal of gay and lesbian parents. The ALA ranked Heather Has Two Mommies 11th on its list of America’s 100 most challenged books in the 1990s and Daddy’s Roommate second for the period 1990–2000.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., GLBTRT’s Stonewall Book Award Ceremony will commence at 7 p.m., and the authors will discuss and sign copies of their books beginning at 7:30 p.m.