#VelshiBannedBookClub: The Importance of Access to LGBTQ+ Literature

According to PEN America, a non-profit dedicated to the freedom to read and write, 26% of all of the literature removed from public school libraries last year features LGBTQ+ characters or themes. Why does this direct and unmitigated attack on the LGBTQ+ community matter? The Trevor Project, the leading crisis intervention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ people, says an LGBTQ+ young person between the ages of 13 and 24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds. The world can be isolating and cruel – especially when you’re going through adolescence and the only gay kid in your class. “We need to see ourselves,” says PFLAG’s Brian Bond. Literature can help that vulnerable young person feel like they’re not the only person in the universe. “This is about saving lives.”Nov. 25, 2023