OKLAHOMA CITY -- A potential battle over books in Oklahoma City Public Schools was brewing Monday, and the theme was familiar to city residents.

Members of the Oklahoma City gay community prepared to offer two books at a scheduled school board meeting Monday night, but a planned public forum on the matter was canceled. The books are intended for high school libraries and focus on major events in American history.

"Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked The Gay Revolution" -- a book by David Carter -- focuses on a series of riots at a New York bar that are widely seen as pivotal events in the civil rights movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. The second book, "Lost Prophet: The Life And Times of Bayard Rustin" by John D'emilio, is a biography of a gay man who was an important leader in the black civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The proposal comes just weeks after a major controversy at the Oklahoma City Library Commission meeting, where hundreds recently debated the placement of homosexual-themed children's books in the city's libraries. In addition, a recent resolution passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives asks state libraries to move the books to an adult section.

One of the books' supporters, Joe Quigley, said he doesn't think the focus should be on the sexual orientation of the subjects. Instead, he said, the books should be considered for their educational value.

"If somebody's in a relationship, whether it's a heterosexual or a homosexual relationship, it's mentioned -- but that's not what (the books) are about," Quigley said. "It's about the people who are involved in these historic events."

Members of Oklahoma City's gay community purchased the books on their own and bought enough to distribute to all Oklahoma City high school libraries. Board members were expected to consider the proposal with public input on Monday night, but the forum was postponed because a quorum was not reached.

Supporters of the books said they hope to gain approval at the board's June 20 meeting. They said they hope to get the books placed in libraries by summer so that students will have access to them in the fall.