Kristin Chenoweth, Jinkx Monsoon and More Donate Items for ‘Pride and Less’ Prejudice Virtual Auction

From September 26 to 29, 2024, national nonprofit Pride and Less Prejudice (PLP) will host its fourth annual #BannedTogether virtual auction. Since 2019, PLP has raised more than $250,000 to donate more than 16,000 LGBTQ-inclusive books to preschool classrooms in all 50 states. The goal of this year’s auction is to raise $20,000 to send 1,600 free LGBTQ-inclusive books to elementary schools across the U.S.

This year’s auction features items and experiences donated by a group of diverse celebrities, including singer Janelle Monáe, chef Ina Garten, actor Daniel Radcliffe, interior designer Bobby Berk, author Alice Oseman, drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, tennis legend Billie Jean King, author Chris Colfer, singer Jason Mraz, actress Elvira, rapper Big Freedia, influencer Cody Rigsby, singer Lance Bass, actress Kristin Chenoweth, drag queen BenDeLaCreme, drag queen Latrice Royale, indie supergroup boygenius, actress Lily Tomlin and writer Jane Wagner, activist Mercury Stardust , musician Sara Bareilles, actor Alan Cumming, comedian Hannah Gadsby, comedian Cameron Esposito, actress Nicole Maines, actress Kat Barrell, comedian Margaret Cho, author Casey McQuiston, actress Miss Benny, singer Rufus Wainwright, actress Lisa Ann Walter, actress Jess Darrow, playwright Shaina Taub and actor Maulik Pancholy.

With exciting items such as a signed and personalized book by singer Janelle Monáe; a signed and personalized photo of recent Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe; a pair of tickets for the Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme holiday show, including a photo opportunity; a virtual meet and greet with Nicole Maines; and signed vinyl from Big Freedia. You can view the full auction catalog here.

PLP’s virtual auction coincides with Banned Books Week, an annual event that spotlights challenged book titles and brings people together in shared support for the freedom to seek and express ideas. In the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America recorded 3,362 cases of book bans in U.S. public school classrooms and libraries. These bans deprived students of access to more than 1,500 unique book titles from more than 1,400 authors, illustrators, and translators, with female authors, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+ being the most common targets.

“In 2023, the American Library Association saw a 65 percent increase in the number of titles targeted for censorship compared to 2022, with a focus on books by and about LGBTQ+ people and people of color,” said Lisa Forman, founder of Pride and Less Prejudice. “Pride and Less Prejudice wants to ensure that students have access to LGBTQ-inclusive books at school and in their libraries so they can see themselves and their families represented.”

Pride and Less Prejudice was founded in 2019 to help meet the need for LGBTQ+ representation in the books offered to elementary-level students. Since its founding, PLP has delivered more than 16,000 LGBTQ-inclusive books in response to requests from teachers in more than 8,000 third-grade PreK classrooms across the United States. PLP depends on donor support and teacher requests to fulfill its important mission. Read more HERE and be part of our story.

Photo credit: Bruce Glikas