Gus Kenworthy and Dylan Mulvaney have launched their own queer book clubs. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Trans star Dylan Mulvaney and former professional skier Gus Kenworthy have launched their own LGBTQ+ book clubs to fight for the right to read banned titles.
The actress and out former Olympian are the latest stars to unite with Allstora, a club from the online bookshop which was co-founded by RuPaul in 2022 in a bid to achieve economic justice for LGBTQ+ authors, and community for their readers.
Their clubs will help support the distribution of 2,500 banned titles to LGBTQ+ organisations across the US, with the help of affiliated charity The Rainbow Book Bus.
The Dylan Mulvaney Book Club is currently taking members and promises to focus on “pop culture, empowerment and creativity,” while Kenworthy’s club will specialise in coffee table books.
Mulvaney’s first book, Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, is due to be published in March and focuses on her first year of transitioning. “Having a book club was on my vision board for 2024 and I’m so excited to be able to fulfil this dream with a company like Allstora, which champions all voices,” she said.
Gus Kenworthy’s Coffee-Table Book Club will offer “visually stunning books, offering a unique lens into the worlds of art, fashion and design”.
Those who sign-up to his club “will explore creative works that inspire and challenge conventional thinking about beauty and culture”.
Kenworthy said: “I love what The Rainbow Book Bus is doing and would have loved to have these books when I was growing up. Everyone should have access to books that make them feel seen, loved and supported.”
‘Fighting for the right to read’ LGBTQ+ books
Allstora chief executive Eric Cervini said: “We’re not just connecting readers to books, we’re fighting for the right to read them. With the help of these incredible hosts, we’re shining a spotlight on vital stories while standing up to censorship.”
According to the American Library Association’s annual report, the State of America’s Libraries, seven of the 10 most-challenged books in 2023 contained LGBTQ+ themes. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe, topped the list for the third time since it was first published in 2019.
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