By LightFieldStudios at Envato Elements.
For example, some teens are putting together banned book clubs:
- How to beat a book ban: students, parents and librarians fight back
- Meet the Teens Fighting Book Bans with Banned Book Clubs
- Teens fight book banning with their own banned book clubs
Other actions being taken by young people:
Private property seems like a safer bet than being on school grounds, where you could be asked to leave. Please note: i'm not a lawyer and have no legal training. When in doubt, consult someone local who can advise you about local laws and regulations that might be relevant.
Little free libraries could be great for this. But how to keep them from being raided by censor-prone adults? I don't have the answer to that one.
Other super-local efforts that aren't focused on queer or trans young people, per se, but could be fodder for good ideas:
- Ben & Jerry's has Book Nooks in Florida, as mentioned in this story by NPR. (The story also discusses other responses to book bans.)
- Read about Bookleggers Library in South Florida.
Additional responses:
- Banned books exhibit at city libraries provide access to important literature
- Book Sanctuary Cities Like Chicago Are a Response to Book Bans, Censorship
- California State Library New Virtual Bookshelf (PDF) (The link explains how to get access to over 300,000 free ebooks.)
- Plot twist: Activists skirt book bans with guerrilla giveaways and pop-up libraries
- To local libraries
- Find a local librarian who’s either Family or an ally/accomplice.
- Work with them on the best way to do this in your local context.
- To programs specifically set up for this
- To local queer or trans youth-serving organizations.
- Contact them to see what they might accept before you just show up with a box of books they may not need or have room for.
However, if there are students doing this work already, check in with them first on how you might best help.
- Resources focused on banned books:
- The Brooklyn Public Library's Books Unbanned project will loan ebooks to any teen in the US and has other anti-censorship activities for youth.
- The other libraries below have joined suit.
- Band Together For Banned Books (especially the Banned Books Book Fund). This organization describes itself as "A monthly book club, library and fund dedicated to reading and protecting the most important books for our generation."
- Resources that likely include banned books as part of a larger book offering
