Judy Blume, Mark Ruffalo, Ariana Grande Among Celebs Who Denounce Book Bans in Open Letter
Judy Blume, Mark Ruffalo, Ariana Grande, Roxane Gay, Gabrielle Union, Amanda Gorman and many more celebrities have signed an open letter denouncing book bans.
The letter, published Tuesday via the advocacy organization MoveOn Political Action, was sparked by “Reading Rainbow” host LeVar Burton. Signatories “recognize and are horrified by the threat of censorship in the form of book bans.”
Celebrities and authors alike support the missive, which emphasizes how the “restrictive behavior” of book bans could very well stretch into Hollywood and other forms of art and entertainment.
“It’s only a matter of time before regressive, suppressive ideologues will shift their focus toward other forms of art and entertainment, to further their attacks and efforts to scapegoat marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks,” the letter reads. “We refuse to remain silent as one creative field is subjected to oppressive bans. As artists, we must band together, because a threat to one form of art is a threat to us all.”
In addition to those named above, signatures from Adina Porter, Aisha Tyler, Ava Max, AnnaSophia Robb, Ann Patchet, Ava Philippe, Bellamy Young, Busy Phillips, Chelsea Handler, Clark Gregg, Constance Wu, Emma Roberts, Guillermo del Toro, Idina Menzel, Jason Ritter, Jodi Picoult, Judd Apatow, Leigh Bardugo, Lexi Underwood, Margaret Atwood, Natasha Lyonne, Padma Lakshmi, Patton Oswalt, Ron Perlman, Sandra Cisneros, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Stone, Zoe Lister-Jones and Zooey Deschanel end the document.
“We are calling on everyone to join us in pushing back against these book bans, support free and open creative industries—regardless of personal or ideological disagreements—and use their voice at the local level to stop these bans in their school districts,” the letter concludes: “There is power in artistic freedom, and we refuse to allow draconian politicians to take that from us.”
Over 175 authors, actors, directors, musicians, influencers, models and more have signed the statement.
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