P!nk Fighting Right-Wing Bans By Giving Away Books About Race, Sexuality on Florida Dates
P!nk has teamed up with non-profit PEN America to fight censorship and book bans in Florida. The organization announced on Monday (Nov. 13) that the “Trustfall” singer will be giving away thousands of banned books at upcoming shows in the state where conservative authorities have taken aim at books that include themes of racial and sexual identity.
“The following are some titles of books that have been banned from schools in Florida…. Lmk which book is pornography…. To Kill A Mockingbird, The Hate You Give, Forrest Gump, A Catcher In The Rye, The Hill We Climb, Girls Who Code, Atlas Shrugged, 1984, The Kite Runner, The Bluest Eye, A Wrinkle In Time, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Fault In Our Stars, etc etc.,” P!nk tweeted about a number of literary classics after announcing the effort.
The plan is for P!nk to give away 2,000 banned books at her TRUSTFALL tour shows in Miami on Tuesday (Nov. 14) and Wednesday (Nov. 15) in Sunrise. The mother of two and fierce advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ community and marginalized voices said in a statement that, “Books have held a special joy for me from the time I was a child, and that’s why I am unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools. It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color. We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no one should want to see this progress reversed. This is why I am supporting PEN America in its work and why I agree with them: no more banned books.”
Among the books P!nk will give away are four that have appeared in PEN America’s Index of Banned Books: The Family Book, by Todd Parr, The Hill We Climb, by Biden inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, Beloved, by Toni Morrison and a book from Girls Who Code, founded by Reshma Saujani. The effort was announced in an Instagram Live with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel and Gorman; click here for more information on the giveaway and how to fight book bans.
According to PEN, Florida — whose Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is running for president — has overtaken Texas over the past school year as the leader in banning books in public schools and libraries. The organization said that in the midst of a 33% rise in book bans nationally, Florida ranks first, accounting for more than 40% of all documented bans, predominantly affecting books by Black and LGBTQ+ authors.
The singer was happy to mix it up with haters on Twitter following the announcement, explaining of her Instagram announcement, “I think I talk about reading. Books. Classics. Not porn. Porn isn’t my thing. Supporting freedom of speech is. Allowing hateful, narrow minded bigots to decide what all children can read is not my thing either. FREEDOM! MERICA!” DeSantis signed legislation publicly dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill last year, which puts strict limits on the discussion of LGBTQ+ topics and bans instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K-3, while banning instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in grades 4-12 that is deemed “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”
In addition, P!nk responded to a commenter who claimed that the effort might be against the “very strict” laws passed by the DeSantis administration regarding the content of books — including the July 2022 Individual Freedom Act limiting how systemic racism and discrimination can be taught in schools — that could land her in jail. “You know where I’ll be!” she answered.
Check out P!nk’s tweets about her anti-book banning effort below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
