#BannedTogether: Help us send LGBTQ-inclusive books to classrooms 📚🤓

It’s an Auction, ya’ll! This one is for an extra special cause, if I do say so myself – and a set of TNS candles is open for bids. 😀

Pride and Less Prejudice is a non-profit organization that sends LGBTQ-inclusive books to classrooms from Pre-K to 3rd grade to foster LGBTQ acceptance. When they reached out to us about donating candles to their #BannedTogether auction, the answer was an enthusiastic yes.

As a kid who grew up in Indiana in the 90s, I didn’t have access to books that represented the LGBTQ community at work, in sports, in home life or even going to school. It wasn't until my mid-20s that I accessed this kind of literature for the first time. My life changed and I was able to fully step into myself, without shame, to become the fullest, healthiest version of me. I want that for others, too, and media representation plays a key role in that process.  

Since Pride Less Prejudice started in 2019, they’ve raised more than $175,000 and donated more than 10,000 LGBTQ-inclusive books to preK-third classrooms. 

Let’s help them raise even more, by bidding on auction items. The auction runs from Thursday, October 5 - Sunday, October 8. 

While you consider making a bid on The New Savant’s set of 6 candles, check out other items like a pair of signed copies of Hayley Kiyoko’s book, Girls Like Girls, and a ticket to Melissa Etheridge’s new Broadway show.

Last but not least: if you're a teacher, you can request books here. Each one comes with a Teaching Guide, with prompts that can help you guide your students in discussion –– such as “what does it mean to say all are welcome?” or “what do you notice about the illustrations in this book?".

OK, without further ado, go make a bid!

Erica