Pink To Give Away 2,000 Banned Books During Florida Concerts

Pink has announced an initiative to give away 2,000 banned books during the Florida leg of her tour, saying that she is “unwilling” to support the state ban on books.

Pink is partnering with PEN America, a national free speech organization, along with Florida bookseller Books & Books in a campaign to deliver banned books to her audiences in Florida.

“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,” the singer said in a statement.

“It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color,” she continued. “We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no one should want to see this progress reversed. This is why I am supporting PEN America in its work and why I agree with them: no more banned books.”

During her Miami and Sunrise, Florida, stops on her 2023 Trustfall Tour, Pink 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 the Girls Who Code series, which was published in partnership with an organization of the same name that works to encourage girls to become computer scientists.

Books have been removed from Florida schools and libraries after the Parental Rights in Education Law — better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law – was expanded last year. It now prohibits “classroom discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner.”

According to PEN America, there have been 1,406 book-ban cases in the state of Florida, which accounts for 40% of book restrictions across the country.

“It’s confusing. It’s infuriating. It is censorship,” said Pink during an Instagram Live. “It’s interesting that a lot of these people that defend their Constitution so wholeheartedly are forgetting the [First Amendment]… Forty percent of all book bans are happening in Florida, and that’s why I’m giving out books to anybody that wants them — banned books to everyone that’s coming to my shows in the Miami area.”

Last month, Pink had to cancel several shows due to a medical emergency.