Pink has teamed up with Pen America – a free speech advocacy group – to give away 2,000 banned books at their concerts in South Florida.
The So What singer has thrown her hat in the ring when it comes to the controversy surrounding the removal of certain books from Florida’s libraries and classrooms.
According to the BBC, literature containing mentions of sexuality, gender identity and race will be removed from classrooms across the state.
Florida authorities claim they are not banning books, but rather blocking inappropriate and harmful material.
In a video with Pen America, the singer called the move “confusing,” “angry” and “censorship.”
Bookworms: The star described the alleged book ban as “confusing”, “angry” and “censorship”, adding that she couldn’t imagine anyone without children being able to decide what their young, voracious readers could read (pictured: Pink and their children Willow and Jameson in 2017)
Passionate: The So What singer has teamed up with Pen America to distribute 2,000 copies of banned literature at her concerts in South Florida tonight and tomorrow
“I’m a voracious reader and mother of two children who are also voracious readers,” the rock star revealed.
“And I can’t imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can and can’t read, let alone other people’s parents.”
“Not to mention that someone else who doesn’t even have kids is deciding what my kids can read.”
PEN America claims that Florida has banned more books than any other state in the US, accounting for 40% of documented banned works.
In a joint statement with Pen America, the starlet wrote: “Books have brought me special joy since I was a child, and that’s why I’m not prepared to watch books being banned from schools.”
“It is particularly abhorrent to see authorities targeting books about race and racism, as well as those targeting LGBTQ authors and authors of color.”
She continued: “We have made so much progress toward equality in this country, and no one should want to see that progress reversed.”
Attendees of the musician’s Trustfall tour in Miami and Sunrise, Florida will be given books published in Pen America’s Index of Banned Books.
‘It’s hateful’: Pink is not happy with the restrictions in literature – she believes that the authorities are targeting LGBTQ authors and authors of color
Fully booked: The Florida Department of Education has claimed that it is “not banning books,” but Gov. Ron DeSantis has branded the claim a “hoax.” DeSantis said Florida students should receive an education that is “free from sexualization and harmful materials that are not age-appropriate.”
Tomorrow and Wednesday, Pink concertgoers will receive copies of “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “The Family Book” by Todd Parr and “Girls Who Code” by Reshma Saujani.
According to the literary advocacy group Pen America, book bans in the U.S. have increased by a third, with nearly half of Florida school districts removing books.
While the Florida Department of Education claims that it “does not ban books,” Gov. Ron DeSantis calls the claim a “hoax.”
In a written statement earlier this year, he said, “Florida is the education state and that means providing students with a high-quality education that is free of sexualization and harmful, age-inappropriate materials.”
“It is important to expose the ‘book ban’ hoax because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination.”
He added: “In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been smuggled into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards.”
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. shared the following in March: X – formerly known as Twitter.
“Students should spend their time in school learning core academic subjects and not allow radical gender and sexual ideologies to be forced upon them.”
According to the BBC, educational sectors have used a Florida state law, referred to by some as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, to ban the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Law and Order: Numerous statues recently introduced in the state have resulted in the banning of numerous titles, reports the BBC
In 2022, another law was introduced stating that school textbooks should be free of pornography and age-appropriate.
The law also required that literature be “adapted to the needs of students” and approved by a trained person from the Ministry of Education.
The law gives parents more power to request the removal of literature.
In 2022, an additional law was passed that excludes the “far left woke agenda” from “tak”.[ing] about our schools and workplaces,” Mr. DeSantis said, referring to racial education.
PINK BOOKS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED
Loved by Toni Morrison
The Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel describes the terror and long-standing legacy of slavery. It has been “banned” in nine Florida school districts.
The Family Book by Todd Parr
The picture book for children shows children how a family can look different. It also features a same-sex couple. It has been banned in three Florida school districts.
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
The poem, written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration, was taken from an elementary library at a Miami school and placed in a section for older students.
Girls Who Code by Reshma Saujani
This novel was reportedly temporarily banned by a school district in Pennsylvania in 2022.
However, the book does not currently appear in Pen America’s Index of Banned Books