A San Francisco store is shipping LGBTQ+ books to states where they are banned
SAN FRANCISCO — In an increasingly divisive political climate, Becka Robbins focuses on what she knows best: books.
Operating out of a small room in Fabulosa Books in San Francisco’s Castro District, one of the oldest gay neighborhoods in the United States, Robbins uses customer donations to ship boxes of books across the country to groups that want them.
In an effort she calls “Books Not Bans,” she’s sending out titles on queer history, sexuality, romance and more — many of which are becoming increasingly difficult to find due to a burgeoning movement by conservative advocacy groups and lawmakers to ban them from public schools and libraries.
“The book bans are horrible, the attempted erasure,” Robbins said, wondering how to get these books into the hands of the people who need them most.
Starting in May of last year, she began raising money and finding 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 excited about helping Robbins ship books to states like Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, often writing letters of support that can be included in the packages. More than 40% of all book bans between July 2022 and June 2023 occurred in Florida, more than in any other state. Behind Florida are Texas and Missouri, according to a report from PEN America, a nonprofit literary advocacy group.
Book bans and attempts at bans have reached record highsaccording to the American Library Association. And the efforts now extend to public libraries as much as to school libraries. Because the totals are based on media reports and librarian reports, the association considers the figures as snapshots, with many bans not recorded.
PEN America’s report shows that 30% of bans involve characters of color or topics like race and racism, and 30% involve LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
The most profound challenges often originate in conservative organizations, such as Mothers for Freedomwhich has initiated nationwide bans and called for greater parental controls on books available for children.
Moms for Liberty is not anti-LGBTQ+, according to co-founder Tiffany Justice told The Associated Press. But according to the library association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, about 38% of book challenges “directly” from the group have LGBTQ+ themes. Justice said Moms for Liberty challenges books because they are sexually explicit, not because they address LGBTQ+ topics.
Topping the banned lists were Maia Kobabe’s ‘Gender Queer’, George Johnson’s ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’.
Robbins said it’s more important than ever to make these types of books available to everyone.
“Fiction teaches us how to dream,” Robbins said. “It teaches us how to connect with people who are not like ourselves, it teaches us how to listen and to emphasize.”
She has shipped 740 books so far, with each box valued at $300 to $400 depending on the title.
At the new Rose Dynasty Center in Lakeland, Florida, books donated by Fabulosa are already on the shelves, said Jason DeShazo, a drag queen who goes by Momma Ashley Rose and 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 tackle themes of being kind, dealing with bullies and giving back to the community.
DeShazo hopes to create a safe space for events, support groups and health centers, and set up a library of banned books.
“I don’t think a person of color has to look that hard to find a great book about the history of what our black community has gone through,” DeShazo said. “Or for someone who is queer to find a book that represents them.”
Robbins’ favorite books to send are queer young adult novels, a rapidly growing genre as conversations about LGBTQ+ issues have become much more mainstream than they were a decade ago.
“The characters are just like regular kids — regular people who are also gay, but who also fall in love and are happy,” Robbins said.
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Ding reported from Los Angeles.