A reminder of why children’s book author Robin Stevenson has spent nearly a decade traveling to schools and meeting young people came after a keynote speech she gave at a conference on the history of Pride celebrations.

Afterward, one teen approached her, looking kind of angry.

"She said, ‘She hadn’t known any of this,’" Stevenson remembered. "’Why didn’t we hear this in schools?’"

It’s a question being asked again after Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 abruptly canceled Stevenson’s visit over concerns with LGBTQ content in her new book, "Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change."

More than a month after the district called off her appearance, Stevenson got another chance to talk about her work as a writer and her advocacy. She addressed roughly 100 people Wednesday night at District 87’s Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn. State Rep. Terra Costa Howard, a Glen Ellyn Democrat, invited Stevenson to return to DuPage County "to show the world that our communities embrace the values of honesty, respect and inclusiveness."

"When I heard about this situation, I thought that the people of our communities, both the adults and the children, deserved to hear from this award-winning author and what she has to say," Costa Howard said in introducing Stevenson.

In Wheaton, Stevenson didn’t intend to talk about LGBTQ representation in children’s books and school curriculum. But she addressed those issues extensively Wednesday in front of an audience included District 200 Superintendent Jeff Schuler and five school board members.

"Schools have always been a place where the struggle for LGBTQ rights has been at times an uphill battle," Stevenson said.

Her new book is a collection of stories about the early lives and role models of 16 activists through history, "a timely topic," Stevenson said.

"The people in this book are black, white, Hispanic, South Asian, and indigenous," Stevenson said. "They’re Jewish, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Quaker and Muslim. About half are women, one is disabled. One’s gay. One’s bisexual. One’s transgender."

That representation matters for kids who are LGBTQ+ themselves or whose families are, Stevenson said, because those stories reduce any sense of isolation they might feel, provide positive affirming messages about their identity and can counter negative stereotypes.

"Research shows that LGBTQ students who attend schools with inclusive curriculum have a better climate in the school and are more successful academically," she said.

Stevenson wants the book to inspire "some important conversations," but she originally imagined those conversations would take place in classrooms and not through the media.

The Canadian writer was supposed to talk with about 175 third- through fifth-graders at Longfellow Elementary School in Wheaton last month, an event planned since late July. But the night before her Oct. 2 appearance, the district rescinded the invite.

Stevenson wrote a widely circulated letter citing a parent’s complaint over a chapter on pioneering gay rights activist Harvey Milk as the reason for the cancellation. Longfellow’s librarian also told an Anderson’s Bookshops employee that the administration had her ask specifically if Stevenson would include Harvey Milk in her presentation after a parent raised a concern.

At the school’s request, Stevenson provided a list of activists featured in her talk. She didn’t plan to discuss Milk and instead was going to focus on civil rights activism and racism. But the district still canceled.

The district initially blamed the decision on the "lack of appropriate notification of the author’s visit." Schuler later confirmed that stories about gender identity in the book caused concerns. He also pointed to a chapter about Janet Mock, a transgender rights activist.

"The topic itself is not inherently controversial," Schuler said last week. "But for us, I think it’s a question of at what age is that topic introduced. It’s not currently in our curriculum, and it’s not currently a topic that’s discussed across the system with students starting in third grade."

Before her talk at Glenbard West, Schuler was tight-lipped about why he decided to attend, but he said he will meet directly with Stevenson Thursday.

"I’m just here to be a part of the event this evening," Schuler said. "So kind of where we go as a district, in terms of steps that we take to move forward from this, we’re working on that."

Since the district canceled her visit, Stevenson said she’s been overwhelmed by the support she’s received. Equality Illinois also helped pay for her airfare to bring her to Glen Ellyn.

"It’s wonderful to know that there are so many people out there who are valuing diversity, who want to see inclusive schools and who are willing to speak up for LGBTQ students, LGBTQ equality," she said.