Daniel Radcliffe, Billie Jean King, Neil Patrick Harris Donate Items and Experiences to Banned Books Auction
The nonprofit organization Pride and Less Prejudice is holding its third annual Banned Together virtual auction to send LGBTQ-inclusive books to elementary schools. Bidding options include items and experiences donated from over 30 celebrities including Daniel Radcliffe, Billie Jean King, Neil Patrick Harris and more.
The auction aims to raise $15,000 to send 1,200 LGBTQ-inclusive books to elementary schools across the United States.
This year’s auction items include a pair of concert tickets with a postshow meet and greet from Rufus Wainwright; a pair of tickets to see Melissa Etheridge in her Broadway show “My Window”; a pair of tickets to see Frankie James Grande in the off-Broadway show “Titanique”; a pair of tickets to Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme’s Holiday Tour, as well as a photo opportunity; signed and personalized merch from Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, and Elvira; a signed original sketch from Christian Siriano; personalized video messages from Nicole Maines, Frankie James Grande, Ilana Glazer, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Latrice Royale, Harvey Guillén, Chris Colfer, Lance Bass, Leo Sheng, and Desmond is Amazing; signed books from Neil Patrick Harris, Billie Jean King, Melissa Etheridge, Sally Field, Idina Menzel, Adam Rippon, Alan Cumming, Tim Gunn, Hayley Kiyoko, Lisa Ann Walter, and Chris Colfer; signed photo from Daniel Radcliffe; signed “Wynonna Earp” collectibles from Kat Barrell; a signed ukulele from Ingrid Michaelson; and a Zoom hangout with Jess Darrow.
“In 2022, the American Library Association saw book bans reach a high point, almost doubling from 2021, and LGBTQ+ books were the most targeted,” said PLP founder Lisa Forman. “Young kids deserve to see themselves and their families represented in schools, and that’s why PLP’s work to send LGBTQ-inclusive books to teachers is more important than ever.”
Founded in November 2019, PLP provides LGBTQ-inclusive books to Pre-K through 3rd-grade classrooms in order to foster LGBTQ+ acceptance. Since its launch, PLP has raised more than $175,000 and donated over 10,000 books to classrooms in 50 states across the U.S. Various donors described their reasoning for supporting this case to The Advocate.
“I am excited to donate an original sketch to the Pride and Less Prejudice virtual auction and support their work to send LGBTQ+ books to elementary schools,” said Christian Siriano. “Spotlighting the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in the classroom is important and there’s no better time to do so than during Banned Books Week.”
PLP’s virtual auction coincides with Banned Books Week, an annual event that draws attention to challenged book titles and brings people together in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas. According to the American Library Association, over half of 2022’s most banned books had LGBTQ+ themes.
“As a child growing up in Compton, I had little to no resources or access to materials that reflected the life I was living, or the life that I couldn’t even imagine I would be living today,” Latrice Royale said. “Making sure that students everywhere can have access to reading materials that show not only what is possible, but what is already happening in society, must remain at the top of our priority list.”
She added, “I sincerely wish I had been able to see diversity of all kinds represented in the books I had in school, so that I could have known I was ok, loveable, and not alone, as every child deserves to feel.”
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