Pink to distribute 2,000 banned books at Florida Concerts

Culture
14 Nov 23

P!NK @The RDS 18/6/19

The American singer songwriter is going to give away 2,000 books that have been banned by state schools in Florida at her concerts in Miami next week.

Pink, known for her distinctive raspy vocals and her acrobatic stage presence, has pledged to give away 2,000 free copies of books that have been banned by schools in Florida at her upcoming Miami headliners.

Pink has joined the debate on the banning of "pornographic" books by schools in Florida. The books banned have mainly centred around themes of sexuality, gender identity and race.

While authorities in Florida say they restrict inappropriate and harmful material but that they don't ban books.

Pink has joined forces with Pen America, a non profit designed to promote free speech through the advancement of literature.

Pen America says that Florida has had more books banned than any other US state, accounting for more than 40% of all documented examples.

The singer song writer will give away books at two concerts, one on November 14th, and one on November 15th.

In a statement released by Pen America it read: "As part of her 2023 Trustfall Tour, P!nk will give away four books that have appeared in PEN America’s Index of Banned Books: “The Family Book,” by Todd Parr, “The Hill We Climb,” by Amanda Gorman, “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison, and a book from “Girls Who Code,” founded by Reshma Saujani."

Speaking on her involvement with the campaign, the 'So What?' star 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,”

“It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color".

Florida's Department of Education has said it "does not ban books", while governor Ron DeSantis has called the idea of banning a "hoax". He has said he wants an education system that is "free from sexualization and harmful materials that are not age appropriate".

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."

However, critics of the removal of these materials have cited that the literature being removed is not pornographic or inappropriate. One such critic is musician Pink herself who took to X to highlight the issue:

The following are some titles of books that have been banned from schools in Florida…. Lmk which book is pornography…. To Kill A Mockingbird, The Hate You Give, Forrest Gump, A Catcher In The Rye, The Hill We Climb, Girls Who Code, Atlas Shrugged, 1984, The Kite Runner, The…

— P!nk (@Pink) November 14, 2023

Last year, a law was introduced saying school books should be age-appropriate, free from pornography and "suited to student needs". They must be approved by a specialist who has had training by the Department of Education, with parents given more power to request a removal.

School districts that have removed books have cited new state laws including one dubbed the Don't Say Gay bill, which says children should not be taught about sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to Pen America from July 1, 2022, to June 31, 2023, there were a recorded 3,362 instances of book bans in US public school classrooms and libraries. Removing access to 1,557 unique book titles.

The leaders in book banning in the United States according to Pen America's records are Florida, with a recorded 1,406 book ban cases, followed by 625 bans in Texas, 333 bans in Missouri, 281 bans in Utah, and 186 bans in Pennsylvania.