In recent years, numerous books have been banned in a multitude of states, and not many celebrities have been vocal about fighting back and opposing the law; but P!nk decided that during her tours in Florida, the epicenter of book banning, she would light up the Amway Center with her voice, while simultaneously giving away thousands of banned books to fans.
Many districts and libraries around Florida have been pulling books off the shelves that include mentions of gender identity, race, and sexuality. In PEN America’s Index of Banned Books, many popular books like A Court of Mist and Fury and The Handmaid’s Tale are mentioned to be banned. In their attempts to spotlight this ban and bring public awareness to it, PEN Index teamed up with P!nk to give away thousands of banned books at her Trustfall Tour in protest of Floridian laws and to “show that books aren’t scary.” In a statement discussing why she gave out these books, she states, “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…This is why I am supporting PEN America in its work and why I agree with them: no more banned books.”
Due to Floridian Governor Ron DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill raising discussions about books related to gender identity and sexual orientation, many teens have become less outspoken about themselves. In contrast to DeSantis’s view on the book ban, expressing it’s a “hoax”, P!nk’s advocacy against the law has helped teens be able to be more comfortable with themselves.
P!nk’s efforts to stop the book censorship that is taking the country by storm is leaving an impressionable impact for others to follow. While her decision to give out those books is controversial, the unprecedented step she took is only the start of fighting back against the ban and taking back the right for all to have freedom of speech.