Stepping Up to Fight Book Bans

I came out as gay when I was in high school back in the 90s. Because of that, no one wanted me on their team in gym class. I was always the last one picked; that is, if I was picked at all. Sometimes the gym coach had to assign me to a team because no one wanted me on theirs. People would groan and protest as I awkwardly walked over with my head down, and I heard sighs of relief (sometimes even cheers) from the team that didn’t get stuck with me. The surprising thing is that I was actually pretty athletic. I was fast and could outrun most of the other kids in school. I even remember tying the record for the most pull-ups at our school, but none of this mattered. I stopped applying myself in sports because it was an environment I wasn’t welcomed in. 

Fast forward to 2020 when I saw an article about Rob Kearney, an openly gay strongman competitor who had just broken an American weightlifting record. I remember bursting out crying. For the first time in my life, I saw someone like me, celebrated in a place where I was never welcomed. Rob didn’t just smash records, he also smashed stereotypes. People assume gay men are weak and bad at sports, but here was Rob proving them wrong. I wondered what my life would have been like if I had seen someone like Rob when I was in school. Would I have applied myself more? Would I have stood up for myself? Would I have been proud of who I was? 

That’s why I reached out to Rob on social media and asked if I could write a picture book about his story to help inspire young people around the world. I believe books can give us role models and allow us to see ourselves in stories. They help us dream big, offer motivation, and let us know that anything is possible, especially when we don’t have those opportunities in our day-to-day lives. Sally Ride once said, “You can’t be what you can’t see,” and I couldn’t agree more. Luckily, Rob said yes and together we published a picture book called STRONG. 

Unfortunately, we’re seeing an unprecedented number of book bans, and the opportunity for minority groups to see themselves in stories is slowly being taken away. PEN America stated that more than 10,000 books were removed from public schools during the 2023-2024 school year, and in case you’re wondering, this isn’t just happening in red states. Even New York had books banned in 21 of their school districts, and those are just the successful attempts. ACLU reported that between 2020 and 2022, more than 200 book complaints were filed in one New York district alone! Most of the challenged books in the United States are about race and/or LGBTQ+ topics and themes. 

These numbers are scary, and I wanted to do something to fight back against book bans. That’s why I joined Authors Against Book Bans, a coalition of writers, illustrators, and other book creators that stand against the movement to limit the freedom to read. Through them, I heard about a Right to Read Advocacy Day in Albany New York taking place on May 20. They were looking for members to go to the event and speak to State Senators and Assembly Members about the importance of putting in place proactive protections for the right to read, specifically, the following legislation:

• A. 5995: Prohibits book removals based on “partisan or doctrinal disapproval” – a key First Amendment protection. 
• A. 7353: Provides a liability shield for educators and librarians making determinations in line with their professional standards, giving them confidence that they won’t be criminalized. 
• S.1100/A.3119 (Open Shelves Act) and S.1099 (Freedom to Read Act): Tasks the Department of Education with creating guidelines for processing objections to books. 

I decided to drive up to Albany and I took our six-year-old daughter with me, figuring it would be a great opportunity for her to see how laws are made and how to stand up for issues that are important to our family. 

The event was organized by Penguin Random House and included representatives from The Authors Guild, NYCLU, Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill, American Library Association, Authors Against Book Bans, Freedom to Learn Advocates, American Booksellers Association, PEN America, EveryLibrary, and the National Council of Teachers of English. 

When we arrived, we had breakfast and sat through a short advocacy training that went over our schedule for the day and best practices for advocacy with elected officials. We then broke into teams and practiced what we would say when we met with our state leaders. Our team met with representatives from Senator Serrano’s office and representatives from Senator Stavisky’s office, all of whom seemed very receptive of our stories on why the freedom to read was important to us. When our legislative meetings were over, the Senate went in to vote and both the Open Shelves Act and the Freedom to Read Act were passed! They have now been referred to their respective committees in the Assembly. You can follow the bills here:

Senate Bill S1099 (Freedom to Read Act)

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1099

Senate Bill S1100 (Open Shelves Act)

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1100

I know this is just the beginning, and there’s a lot more work to do, but this is how we win: one step at time. If you would like to help support the freedom to read, I highly recommend joining Authors Against Book Bans. They keep track of local legislation and activities relating to book bans. It’s important to remember that we’re stronger together. This successful event would not have been possible if it weren’t for all of the groups that came together to support each other. Our strength is community, and as long as we keep working together, we’re going to win.