Singer Pink has promised to give away 2,000 copies of “banned” books to fans at her concerts in Miami.
The books have been “banned” by some schools in Florida for sexual content or themes of sexuality, gender identity, and race.
"It's confusing, it's infuriating, it is censorship," she said.
"Books have held a special joy for me since I was a child, and that's why I am unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools," Pink said in a statement released by the group.
"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."
Pink has partnered with Pen America, a group that aims to defend freedom of expression for authors. Pen America says that Florida has banned more books than any other state.
Pink is planning on giving away copies of four of the banned titles, including:
- Beloved by Toni Morrison - Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel about the horrors and legacy of slavery
- The Family Book by Todd Parr - young children's picture book about different families, including same-sex parents
- The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman - the poem written for President Joe Biden's inauguration
- Girls Who Code by Reshma Saujani
“Beloved” is banned in nine Florida school districts, while the children’s picture book, “The Family Book,” is banned in three school districts.
Amanda Gorman’s book was moved from the elementary library to the middle school library in a Miami school, and “Girls Who Code” was a title that had been temporarily removed from a school district in Pennsylvania.
Florida's Department of Education has said it "does not ban books,” and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says banning is a “hoax” but that public school libraries should not include “harmful materials.”
"In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards,” he said.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen Democrat state attorneys have joined with the Montgomery County School District in Maryland to push for a federal court to uphold a decision that rejected the request of some parents to opt out of lessons that use LGBT-related books.
“The County’s decision not to allow opt-outs does not amount to indoctrination running counter to any religious beliefs. In integrating LGBTQ+-inclusive books into its language arts curriculum, the County is not telling students to embrace any specific judgment regarding the identities or relationships they depict. It also is not telling students that their (or their families) religious beliefs are wrong,” a brief submitted by the Democrat state attorneys said.
The parents said in their initial lawsuit that the books and lessons “promote one-sided transgender ideology, encourage gender transitioning, and focus excessively on romantic infatuation.”
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Christian Petersen / Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.