Story at a glance
- Penguin Random House erected billboards during Pride month featuring quotes from books written by LGBTQ+ authors.
- The billboards were placed in Austin, Texas; Orlando, Fla; New York City; Chicago; Dallas and Miami.
- The billboards were specifically placed in some states that have both issued book bans and introduced a wealth of anti-LGBTQ legislation.
Publishing giant Penguin Random House posted billboards in half a dozen cities featuring quotes from books written by LGBTQ+ authors.
The billboards, illustrated by lettering artist Kyle Letendre, were launched during Pride month and were on display in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Miami and Austin.
The publishing goliath chose to erect the billboards in the Texas and Florida cities in response to a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation introduced or passed in both state legislatures this year.
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Most of the bills are affecting education, such as Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, otherwise known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. They also target health care, with a number of bills targeting gender-affirming treatment for trans youth in Texas.
“We wanted people in these places to have the chance to see — and truly understand— the power in these words to inspire conversation and move us toward a better future,” a Penguin Random House spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, billboards were posted in New York and Chicago since both cities have a means of giving the campaign a broader reach, the spokesperson added.
The billboards were up for most of June and taken down early this month but could possibly come back in the future.
“PRH is currently in the process of working with its LGBTQ+ Network on creating a roadmap for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023, so it’s likely they’ll be activating in these places again, we just don’t know exactly how yet,” the spokesperson said in an email to Changing America.
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