As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, books are absolutely essential to our community. Censoring books that include queer people and their stories is a form of erasure and gatekeeping that our community is too often familiar with. When books are policed because of “queer” content, what would a queer child think? What would stop them from further alienating themselves because of queer censoring?

As a child growing up with no one to relate to, we found refuge in countless books. My nose would always be buried between the pages of several different types of books. It became my safe sanctuary, a safe space that allowed me to see the world differently and realize that there was a better place for myself out there because I was reading about characters who were just like me.

People often forget the meaningful role that books play in the lives of other people. I am here today because books saved my life, and we owe it to our future generation of queer youths to preserve full access to books that reflect their own stories while giving them hope that they too can live unapologetically outside the contents of any book. Fania Sipili, Tacoma

Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…