Aesop is bringing back Queer Library for Pride Month — this time, with a mission to combat book bans and classroom censorship bills.
The initiative will take over three Aesop outposts in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto from June 20 to 25, allowing visitors to to browse and take home books by LGBTQ authors, which have been banned or challenged across North America, free of charge.
“It’s important that people have access to representation — not just so they can see themselves in these stories, but also because education ultimately creates empathy and understanding,” said Catherine O’Dea, general manager of global sustainability and growth at Aesop.
According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, 2022 saw a 38 percent increase in titles targeted for censorship from school curriculums and libraries, many of which were written by or about the LGBTQ community.
This year, Aesop purchased more than 1,200 banned or challenged books from independent, queer-owned bookstores for Queer Library, which will also offer visitors a selection of titles donated by Penguin Random House.
“We want to amplify storytelling and create meaningful moments that can transcend what you’d expect a beauty or skin care brand to do; it’s a meeting of the moment,” O’Dea said.
To further this mission, The Aesop Foundation has pledged $100,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation to support the fight for freedom of speech.
“Person by person and story by story, we hope to create a powerful and meaningful movement,” O’Dea said.
In previous years, Queer Library has focused on works by Black, indigenous and people of color authors and transgender authors, who are also facing mounting legislation that could impact access to health care, student athletics, the military and more.
Last April, Aesop was acquired by L’Oréal in a deal that valued the Australian luxury personal care brand at more than $2.5 billion.
Source: WWD