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From: Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net>
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Subject: "All-Inclusive" Bookstore Co-Founded By RuPaul Yanks Conservative Titles Following Backlash
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 04:26:29 -0400
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Summary: https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-inclusive-bookstore-co-founded-by-rupaul-yanks-conservative-titles-following-backlash
Keywords: https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-inclusive-bookstore-co-founded-by-rupaul-yanks-conservative-titles-following-backlash
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An online bookstore that advertised itself as being committed to sharing 
ideas, even those which are deemed controversial, has removed titles from 
conservative authors amid backlash.

Television host and activist RuPaul is a co-founder of the “all-inclusive” 
online bookstore Allstora, according to National Review. He started the 
online store with LGBTQ advocate and author Eric Cervini and drag performer 
Adam Powell.

The site advertised that they would carry titles from authors of all points 
of view, and books for sale on the site initially ranged from Adolf Hitler’s 
“Mein Kampf” to the graphic, controversial coming-of-age book “Gender Queer.”

“We’re a marketplace for all books and all stories, with a focus on elevating 
marginalized voices,” the site originally touted, according to NR. “You may 
find books you disagree with,” a pop up ad warned, while the FAQ page said, 
“Allstora has made the decision to carry all books” and “censorship of any 
book, perspective, or story is incompatible with the survival of democracy.”

“Banning books is never the answer,” the site’s messaging, which has since 
been deleted, said, according to The Mary Sue. “We cannot fight the 
ideologies of hate if we lack the ability to study, understand, and react to 
them. We do that by reading books.”

However, left-wing activists were outraged that Allstora offered titles by 
Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Matt Walsh, Riley Gaines, and Libs of TikTok founder 
Chaya Raichik, among others. At first, the website’s founders attempted to 
diffuse tension by promising to create “a community-led flagging system for 
titles that are contrary to our core values” and subsequently “donating all 
proceeds from these titles to fight book bans,” National Review noted.

But that wasn’t enough. After three days of critics railing against Allstora 
for selling “homophobic,” “transphobic,” “anti-woke,” and “Nazi” books, the 
founders relented and removed all free speech messaging from the page, 
according to National Review. Many works by conservative authors were removed 
from the page, while some other titles remained available.

The drama comes on the heels of RuPaul announcing a “Rainbow Book Bus” that 
seeks to distribute “diverse books to communities facing book bans and 
censorship, especially in LGBTQ+ communities.” The bus will embark on a cross 
country tour later this year, the “Drag Race” host told People during an 
interview this month.

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“I started reading books at a very early age, and they were a lifeline to the 
rest of the world for me,” RuPaul told the outlet. “I loved the idea of 
knowledge is power, and knowledge is a way to transport yourself to wherever 
you wanna be.”

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Let's go Brandon!