Pastor who called queer book series ‘health risk’ to kids charged with child sexual abuse

Warning: This article contains discussion of child sexual abuse which some readers may find distressing.

An Ohio pastor who claimed that a queer book series was a 'health risk' to kids has been charged with child sexual abuse.

Silas Shelton, the 48-year-old pastor of Blanchester Community Church who said he became 'sick' from reading the graphic novel Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, which was later made into a TV series for Netflix, has been arrested on four felony charges. These charges include rape, sexual battery, unlawful sexual contact with a minor, and gross sexual imposition.

The Wilmington Police Department announced the news on Facebook last week (16 October).

Authorities said no identifying details would be released out of 'respect for the privacy and the safety of the victim and family'.

Silas Shelton, the 48-year-old pastor of Blanchester Community Church, who called Heartstopper a 'health risk' to kids, has been charged with child sexual abuse (Police)

Shelton was being held in a Clinton County jail on a $2 million (£1.5 million) bond, police said.

In August 2023, Shelton spoke about Heartstopper in front of the Little Miami Local School District Board of Education, calling out the novel's inclusion in a book fair at his 12-year-old daughter's school, saying 'it isn’t a religion matter ... It’s a health risk. It’s mental health'.

"I don’t think kids should ever question their sexuality. I don’t think kids should ever explore their sexuality. I don’t think any of that stuff ever ought to be in our school," he declared. "But [my daughter] come home asking me why certain books were in that book fair, which were pertaining to books of gay.

"One of them was Heartstopper, which is where a gay boy pressures a straight kid into kissing him."

The Heartstopper TV series hit our screens back in 2022, adapted from a 2016 graphic novel by Alice Oseman (Netflix)

The book in question follows the romance between two British teenagers, Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, and has been widely praised for its positive and age-appropriate representation of queer youth.

He added: "I don’t understand why we have this kind of stuff in our libraries, in our book fairs. ... I’ll tell you, I got sick reading that stuff today."

According to court documents obtained by The Cincinnati Enquirer, Shelton has denied all charges.

Shelton was held on a $2 million bond in a Clinton County jail (Wilmington Police Department)

The Heartstopper series recently announced its sixth and final volume, set for release in 2026, with the Netflix show slated to conclude in the same year.

Tyla has reached out to the Wilmington Police Department for further comment.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.