Fabulosa Books Believes in the Power of Fiction

San Francisco store, Fabulosa Books, located in one of the oldest gay neighborhoods in the United States, is sending LGBTQ+ books to communities facing bans on queer literature.

The bookstore owner, Alvin Orloff, purchased Fabulosa Books in 2021 on his 60 birthday. However, the idea to ship LGBTQ+ books came from the store’s event coordinator, Bex Hexagon. “We have a lot of customers who really care and were worried kids wouldn’t have access to books,” Orloff states. “Bex proposed the idea to me and we immediately loved it and it’s been going great.”

Hexagon expresses, “As a bookstore we have access to community and access to books and this is a thing we can do. It’s concrete and it’s meaningful and every single person should be able to find themes in stories that are affirming.”

Fabulosa bookstore in San Francisco has a program called “Books not Bans” where they mail boxes of queer books for free to LGBT+ organizations in states where books are being pulled from libraries & schools. They have mailed 35 boxes so far @nbcbayarea https://t.co/GrPNqTVfVM

— Alyssa Goard (@AlyssaMGoard) June 30, 2024

While Hexagon had the idea, this is not a one-person operation. The bookstore’s event manager, Becka Robbins, founded the Books Not Bans Program last May, where customers buy and send books to LGBTQ+ organizations in conservative areas.

Robbins sends 20 books, usually worth $400, and reaches out to groups that might need it. She works with organizations and selects books that best suit what they are looking for. Fabulosa Books has sent books to Alabama, South Carolina, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Florida, among many more states.

I am proud to see our small businesses, like Fabulosa Books, leading the way in promoting inclusivity and fighting censorship. Their grassroots effort to send LGBTQ+ books to places where they're most needed is a testament to the spirit of our city. By supporting initiatives like… pic.twitter.com/ROw2h3Wylx

— London Breed (@LondonBreed) June 22, 2024

Unfortunately, according to the American Library Association, book bans and censorship have hit record highs. These books have been banned in schools and libraries and often include topics of race and LGBTQ+ people.

Many bans are not recorded because the American Library Association gets its information from media accounts and reports submitted by librarians, which are considered snapshots. News like this makes it more important that these books are available to everyone.

Robbins agrees and states, “Fiction teaches us how to dream. It teaches us how to connect with people who are not like ourselves, it teaches us how to listen and emphasize.”

Visited Fabulosa Books in San Francisco yesterday and they have an asexuality shelf! Look at all those fine tomes.

It’s a nice reminder that our visibility is increasing. All of these folks represented on this shelf making work to help others see us and to help us see ourselves pic.twitter.com/S7JWNgLBI9

— Cody Daigle-Orians (they/them)(@acedadadvice) February 4, 2024

The initiative operates ironically out of a closet in the bookstore. Robbins states, “I really believe in the power of fiction as a driving force for connection, resilience and empathy. It gives you the capacity, in a way that nothing else does, to connect with people who are different than you. There’s been times in my life where fiction has really kept me going.”

The program has had a profound impact on the LGBTQ+ youth. “At the store, I’ve seen young people who don’t have access to these books, and it’s definitely a cinematic moment, where they are like: ‘Oh my god!’… This should be ordinary. They should see this queer lit in their own libraries, in their classrooms, on their parents’ bookshelves. But they’re not,” Robbins explains.

Spent the day in the city and signed copies of SHARK PRINCESS at Fabulosa Books (castro), @FolioSF and Bookshop West Portal! Three bookstore day =@penguinkids @penguinrandom pic.twitter.com/t4C6KdJB1a

— Nidhi SURFIN SHARKS (@nidhiart) September 23, 2022

Books Not Bans has positively affected the San Francisco community. “It’s been a community effort. Customers come in and pay for entire boxes and say: ‘Send this to Florida.’ They leave a note that says: ‘Hang in there, you’re going to get out of that place.’ It’s encouraging and also a little heartbreaking. People shouldn’t have to leave to find safety and comfort,” Robbins expresses.

If you want to learn more about the Books Not Bans program or donate to this worthy cause, please click the link here.