Support

This Wednesday, March 2nd, let's #ReadWithLove on #ReadAcrossAmerica Day

When you lead with love, you take actions that lead with the heart to support those you love. After all, we all want to live in a place where all people--no matter how much they have, where they’re from, or how they show their fabulous self--can be free to live fully and authentically. But there is a faction of people trying to grab power by falsely claiming that accurate, honest, and inclusive education is bad.

Let’s empower kids to do more critical thinking and to ask questions that help them make decisions for themselves. Let’s include MORE books about all kinds of topics and people in our schools and libraries. 

Join us: Let’s #ReadWithLove together on #ReadAcrossAmerica Day.

Education

Three Steps to Being a Better Ally to People with Developmental Disabilities

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! Here are some ways to be a better ally to people with developmental disabilities.

1. Learn: Visit the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities website to learn about Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Check out research about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people living with a disability in the US from the Movement Advancement Project and this extensive list of resources from Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
2. Watch: Check out this episode of Something to Talk About Live! focused on the experiences of people who are LGBTQ+ and also living with a disability throughout history. Look for media that includes LGBTQ+ people with disabilities, such as the Netflix show Special or Amazon Prime's As We See It.
3. Share: Use social media to elevate the voices and stories of LGBTQ+ and disability rights advocates in their own words. Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) and Autistic Self Advocacy Network are just a few great groups to follow and learn more about.  

Advocacy

How to Fight Book Bans: Student Strategies

Join our friends at the National Coalition Against Censorship tonight, Monday, February 28th at 8pm ET/5pm PT for an interactive strategy session to discuss the current attacks on books in schools and learn how you can defend the right to read in your community and beyond. Meet student activists, authors, librarians, free expression experts, and others to share strategies for fighting censorship in schools and libraries. 

Check out the list of speakers and register now to attend!

Something to Talk About...Live!

The Impact of Banning Queer Books

Those attempting to ban books in schools and public libraries are specifically targeting books that include LGBTQ+ themes and characters. Many believe this is an attempt to prevent young people from forming queer identity in the first place and/or forcing them to stay in the closest.

Join us this Thursday, March 3rd at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT for Something To Talk About Live, where we will be discussing Samantha Riedel’s article in them. “Queer Book Bans Aren't About Books At All” with author and trans trailblazer Kate Bornstein. 

You can watch live on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

For more information--and to check out our discussion questions in advance--visit pflagnation.al/STTALive-030322.