Pink to give away 2,000 ‘banned’ books at Florida concerts
"I can’t imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can and cannot read," she said
Singer Pink will be handing out 2,000 free books that have been “banned” by some schools in Florida at upcoming concerts.
The three-time Grammy winner, who is currently on her Trustfall tour, will hand out titles that have been removed from some classrooms and libraries.
She has joined up with Pen America, who are a campaign group defending authors’ freedom of expression.
This in in protest of censorship laws currently are rapidly spreading across the US, with Florida particularly suffering.
“I can’t imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can and cannot read” – Pink
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been one of the most outspoken anti-LGBTQ+ voices, with his ‘Don’t Say Gay, Don’t Say Trans’ bill, which was signed off in 2022.
Four titles will be given away at the gigs. These are: Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Todd Parr’s The Family Book, Stacia Deutsch’s Girls Who Code and poem The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman.
The above was written for Joe Biden’s inauguration and recited by Gorman herself at the 2021 event.
During a recent Instagram livestream, Pink explained: “I can’t imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can and cannot read.
“Let alone someone else’s parents, let alone someone else that doesn’t even have children that are deciding what my children can read.”
In a statement with Pen America, she said: “It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of colour.
“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.”
Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, praised Pink for her support in an Instagram live, and said: “This is a wave that is taking over our country, our schools, our libraries.
“We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no one should want to see this progress reversed”
“[They] are going after books about children of colour, stories of LGBTQ families, books about babies, about animals. This is censorship in its purest form.
“It is meant to suppress narratives that we need here as a pluralistic society and so we have to push back.”
Pink also addressed the move on X, (formerly Twitter), where she highlighted local schools and libraries pulling copies of titles from their shelves.
“I wish I could continue cause y’all, I’m just getting started,” she wrote today (15 November), “But I gotta read my kids a bedtime story about how it’s OKAY THAT SOME FAMILIES HAVE TWO DADS,” she wrote.