San Francisco has long been a haven for queer people of all stripes. So it's no surprise that the city has an LGBTQ bookstore in the middle of the city's official "gayborhood," the Castro. Perusing the shelves of Fabulosa Books treats the consumer to a delightful mix of queer biographies and autobiographies, books for gay men, lesbians, trans people, and more. The store also has regular in-person appearances by queer authors reading from their work.
There are parts of America where books like these are being banned from schools and libraries, leaving LGBTQ people with no way to access reading materials which speak to their lives. States like Alabama, Idaho, Texas, Florida, and others have made it a crime for schools and libraries to carry books which pertain to the LGBTQ experience.
That's where Becka Robbins comes in. Robbins is the events' manager for Fabulosa Books, and she has made it her mission to send queer-themed books to conservative states. The books are sent at no cost to the organizations receiving them, but rather are paid for via donations from Fabulosa's diverse customer base. The program is called Books Not Bans and was launched in May 2023. According to the Fabulosa website, Books Not Bans has sent books to a Gay/Straight Alliance in South Carolina, a trans support group in North Dakota, an LGBT affirming charter school in Alabama, and LGBT Centers in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, and South Carolina.
"The reason we think that this is important is because while it is technically possible to order any book online, a lot of people who come in here tell us that they had no idea that there were this many queer books," Robbins said. "We hear this over and over again. We at Fabulosa believe that it's vitally important that these books be made available to any and everybody, and that they be part of the normal landscape, along with other great works."
Robbins added that she was unaware of any legal issues that might arise because the store is sending books that have been banned.
"We only send them books if they tell us that they want them. We do have a constitution that guarantees freedom of speech, none of these books are contraband, there is no inciting of violence. There is only access to a range of literature and other books that generate ideas that are expansive and lead to greater inclusion."
Robbins said that people who need books can email her at
"If people are connected with some kind of organization, and they want a box of gay books, get in touch with me. Start a conversation, I'm really receptive. I would be so excited to hear from more folks."
Books have been sent to Florida, according to Robbins. One box of books has been sent to a Quaker woman in the Sunshine State who has a book giveaway program. There's also a drag queen who started an LGBT youth center in Lakewood.
"We send them at our customer base's expense," Robbins said. "Our customers pay for the books. So it's driven by the San Francisco LGBT community. We do have fiscal sponsors, donations are now tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law and you can go to the Fabulosa Books website or the Books Not Bans website and click on the donate button."
When Robbins sends out a box of books, she sends what she calls "the queer lit starter kit," a mix of classics such as a book by famed gay author James Baldwin, something by lesbian poet Audre Lorde, a book about introduction to trans identities, a book that's an introduction to non-binary identities, and some modern LGBT romances in which the characters lead healthy, full lives and be happy at the end.
"I try to hit as much diversity as I can," Robbins said. "Across identities, across racial, ethnic and across gender metrics in 20 books. So I do the best I can. My goal is for everyone to find something that resonates for them in that selection of 20 books."
As Robbins and I spoke, a store customer stopped to say hello. He gave his name as John Foertsch. Foertsch is a donor to the Books Not Bans program.
"Having been raised in the state of Oklahoma, then living in Texas before I came to California, I had a pretty good taste of what it's like to be gay in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s in those states," Foertsch said. "I think the idea of sending gay books, not only novels but also information books to red states where gay is a word you don't say, is an excellent thing to do. People, especially younger people, may not have access to this stuff. At least this way, they get a chance to find out there's more to the world that they haven't known yet. I back Fabulosa completely in this."
Foertsch has given several hundred dollars to Books Not Bans, and intends to give more.
"Because I thoroughly believe in this," he said. "It's giving the people, especially the kids, who may be afraid to come out and admit they're gay, especially in the deeply religious states like Oklahoma and Texas, at least get a taste of what the outside world is if they can't get to it. So that's what these books mean to me."
"I feel I am making a meaningful difference in this one thing," added Robbins. "There's no more effective thing I can do. Everyone has one thing that they can do to most effectively make a difference and solve one problem. There is a sense of helplessness and fear that sets in for a lot of people, and they get paralyzed and overwhelmed and very scared. If everyone did the one thing they can do, we'd be fine."
To request books or to donate to the Books Not Bans program, please visit https://www.fabulosabooks.com/ or email Becka Robbins at
