SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥� In an increasingly divisive political sphere, Becka Robbins focuses on what she knows best 鈥� books.
Operating out of a tiny room in Fabulosa Books in San Francisco鈥檚 Castro District, one of the oldest gay neighborhoods in the United States, Robbins uses donations from customers to ship boxes of books across the country to groups that want them.
In an effort she calls 鈥淏ooks Not Bans," she sends titles about queer history, sexuality, romance and more 鈥� many of which are increasingly hard to come by in the face of a rapidly growing movement by conservative advocacy groups and lawmakers to ban them from public schools and libraries.
鈥淭he book bans are awful, the attempt at erasure,鈥� Robbins said. She asked herself how she could get these books into the hands of the people who need them the most.
Beginning last May, she started raising money and looking for recipients. Her books have gone to places like a pride center in west Texas and an LGBTQ-friendly high school in Alabama.
Customers are especially enthusiastic about helping Robbins send books to places in states like Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, often writing notes of support to include in the packages. Over 40% of all book bans from July 2022 to June 2023 were in Florida, more than any other state. Behind Florida are Texas and Missouri, according to a report by PEN America, a nonprofit literature advocacy group.
Book bans and attempted bans , according to the . And the efforts now extend as much to public libraries as school libraries. Because the totals are based on media accounts and reports submitted by librarians, the association regards its numbers as snapshots, with many bans left unrecorded.
PEN America's report said 30% of the bans include characters of color or discuss race and racism, and 30% have LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
The most sweeping challenges often originate with conservative organizations, such as , which has organized banning efforts nationwide and called for more parental control over books available to children.
Moms for Liberty is not anti-LGBTQ+, co-founder Tiffany Justice . But about 38% of book challenges that 鈥渄irectly originated鈥� from the group have LGBTQ+ themes, according to the library association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. Justice said Moms for Liberty challenges books that are sexually explicit, not because they cover LGBTQ+ topics.
Among those topping banned lists have been Maia Kobabe鈥檚 鈥淕ender Queer,鈥� George Johnson鈥檚 鈥淎ll Boys Aren鈥檛 Blue鈥� and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淭he Bluest Eye.鈥�
Robbins said it's more important than ever to makes these kinds of books available to everyone.
鈥淔iction teaches us how to dream,鈥� Robbins said. 鈥淚t teaches us how to connect with people who are not like ourselves, it teaches us how to listen and emphasize.鈥�
She鈥檚 sent 740 books so far, with each box worth $300 to $400, depending on the titles.
At the new Rose Dynasty Center in Lakeland, Florida, the books donated by Fabulosa are already on the shelves, said Jason DeShazo, a drag queen known as Momma Ashley Rose who runs the LGBTQ+ community center.
DeShazo is a family-friendly drag performer and has long hosted drag story times to promote literacy. He uses puppets to address themes of being kind, dealing with bullies and giving back to the community.
DeShazo hopes to provide a safe space for events, support groups and health clinics, and to build a library of banned books.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think a person of color should have to search so hard for an amazing book about history of what our Black community has gone through,鈥� DeShazo said. 鈥淥r for someone who is queer to find a book that represents them.鈥�
Robbins鈥� favorite books to send are youth adult queer romances, a rapidly growing genre as conversations about LGBTQ+ issues have become much more mainstream than a decade ago.
鈥淭he characters are just like regular kids 鈥� regular people who are also queer, but they also get to fall in love and be happy,鈥� Robbins said.
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Ding reported from Los Angeles.
Jaimie Ding And Haven Daley, The Associated Press
