Pink during her show at Rock in Rio 2019 in the city of Rio de Janeiro – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by A.PAES
At her concerts in Miami this week, singer Pink will give away 2,000 complimentary copies of books that have been “banned” by some Florida schools to her fans.
The celebrity has entered the debate about certain libraries and schools banning books that discuss sexuality, gender identity, or race, or those that have explicit sexual material.
“It’s confusing, it’s infuriating, it is censorship,” she said.
“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,” 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.”
At her performances in Miami on Tuesday and the adjacent Sunrise on Wednesday, copies of four books—which Pen America claims have been included on its Index of Banned Books—will be distributed. These are:
- Beloved by Toni Morrison – Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel about the horrors and legacy of slavery is “banned” from nine Florida school districts, Pen America says.
- The Family Book by Todd Parr – A young children’s picture book about different families including same-sex parents is on the list in three districts.
- The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman – the poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration was moved from the elementary library to the middle school section in a Miami school.
- Girls Who Code by Reshma Saujani – was reportedly temporarily removed by a district in Pennsylvania last year but doesn’t appear on Pen America’s current list.
Pen America reports that “instances of book bans” have occurred in nearly half of Florida’s school districts. According to the report, school book removals in the US increased by 33% in the previous year.
Governor Ron DeSantis has referred to the suggestion of a book ban as a “hoax,” while the Florida Department of Education has stated that it “does not ban books.” “Free from sexualization and harmful materials that are not age appropriate” is what he has stated he wants to see in the educational system.
He said earlier this year: “Exposing the ‘book ban’ hoax is important because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination.
“In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards.”
In March, Florida’s Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr tweeted: “Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology.”
School districts that have eliminated books have done so in response to new state legislation, such as the Don’t Say Gay Law, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to minors.
Another bill stating that school textbooks must be “suited to student needs,” age-appropriate, and free of pornography was introduced last year. Parents have more authority to request their removal, and they must be approved by a professional who has received training from the Department of Education.
According to DeSantis, another law introduced back in 2022 does not allow the “far-left woke agenda” to “take over our schools and workplaces” when teaching race issues.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
