Senior English elective English 12: Neil Gaiman’s American Gods will not run during the 2025-26 school year in light of charges against Neil Gaiman. In January of 2025, the best-selling author, known for writing “Coraline” and DC’s “The Sandman” comics, faced multiple charges of sexual assault, including allegations of human trafficking.

With English being the only subject required for all four years, many rising seniors look forward to the range of semester-long, unconventional English elective options to fulfill their requirement. Unlike previous grades’ English courses, these courses explore abstract topics, like the meaning of life and the intersection of science-fiction and social justice. One such class is English 12: Neil Gaiman’s American Gods—known informally as American Gods—named after the class’s central text.

Upper School English teacher Molly Lemieux, who created and taught the class, said, “As a department, we decided that running a class focused on a book written by Neil Gaiman—who currently faces serious allegations of sexual assault—would not send a message that is in line with our departmental goals, specifically in terms of ensuring that we are creating environments that are supporting all identities in our classrooms.”

She continued, “The voices we choose to bring into a classroom are vital.”

Members of the Latin faculty weren’t the only ones to respond to the allegations. Season three of Prime Video’s “Good Omens,” adapted from Gaiman’s novel of the same name, will end prematurely, and Gaiman is no longer involved in production. Disney also paused production of a screen adaptation of his young adult novel “The Graveyard Book.”

For students who spent a semester studying Gaiman’s work, the allegations against him are particularly striking. “I think [the class’s cancellation] is really sad,” said senior Wyatt Parr, who took American Gods in the fall. “It was one of my favorite classes I’ve taken at Latin because I think the book was really interesting to analyze, but I completely understand why they wouldn’t want to run it after all the allegations.”

For their final project, students in American Gods shift from analytical to creative writing and write their own myths, designed to comment on or critique aspects of modern American society and inspired by characters or stories from the novel.

This project allows students to creatively explore the class’s central themes. Senior Reilly Henderson, who also took the class this year, said, “I learned a lot about the influence of faith and belief in our modern world and what it means to believe in something.” She continued, “[American Gods] was one of my favorite classes because the book and final project were super engaging, but [the English Department’s] choice makes sense.”

Some students who had hoped to take American Gods were also disappointed, including junior Luca Noventa. He said, “I’ve read many of Gaiman’s works and I definitely enjoyed them, namely ‘Neverwhere’ and ‘Good Omens.’”

In response to Gaiman’s sexual assault allegations and the discontinuation of American Gods, Luca said, “I feel mixed emotions. It is a very valid reason, maybe the most valid reason for [a class] not to be running. But I would have had a great time analyzing ‘American Gods.’”

The controversy surrounding Gaiman and American Gods raises the recurring question of whether an artist can truly be separated from their art.

Students considered this classic dilemma in light of the class’s cancellation. Wyatt said, “I view him differently, but I don’t really view his work differently.”

Ms. Lemieux considered the dilemma as well, offering some final questions for students processing the disappearance of American Gods from Latin’s course catalog.

She said, “It raises some interesting philosophical questions: Once a piece of art has been created, to whom does it belong? Its creator? The world? If an artist does something that society—or an individual—deems morally reprehensible, does that condemn their work, too?”

This story was originally published on The Forum on February 18, 2025.