Gus Kenworthy and Dylan Mulvaney launch book clubs to help charity fighting anti-queer censorship
They join an existing roster of LGBTQ+ stars who host book clubs on queer book platform Allstora including RuPaul, Jordan Moblo and Rob Anderson
By Gary Grimes
Gus Kenworthy and Dylan Mulvaney are the latest stars to follow the growing trend of launching virtual book clubs — but their clubs come with an important difference as they will support a charity fighting anti-queer censorship.
Hosted by Allstora, the queer book marketplace co-founded by RuPaul, Mulvaney and Kenworthy’s subscription based clubs will support the distribution of 2,500 banned books to LGBTQ+ organisations across the US through the company’s affiliated charity, The Rainbow Book Bus.
They join an existing roster of queer stars who host book clubs on the platform including RuPaul himself, gay book influencer Jordan Moblo and comedian Rob Anderson.
“Having a book club was on my vision board for 2024, and I’m so excited to be able to fulfil this dream with a company like Allstora, which champions all voices,” said Mulvaney of the project. Her club will highlight books about pop culture, empowerment, and creativity.
The launch of her book club comes ahead of the release of Mulvaney’s first authored book in March next year, a memoir about her life pre and post-transition entitled Paper Doll: Notes From A Late Bloomer.
Meanwhile, Kenworthy’s club is set to centre “visually stunning coffee table books”, with a focus on art, fashion, and design. “I love what The Rainbow Book Bus is doing, and would have loved to have these books when I was going up,” the Olympian said. “Everyone should have access to books that make them feel seen, loved, and supported.”
“We’re shining a spotlight on vital stories while standing up to censorship”
As part of the company’s committment to fighting censorship, every subscription to either club will pay for another book to be distributed to a young person in an area affected by book bans.
“We’re not just connecting readers to books; we’re fighting for the right to read them,” said Allstora CEO Eric Cervini. “With the help of these incredible hosts, we’re shining a spotlight on vital stories while standing up to censorship.”
For more information on how to sign up to Kenworthy and Mulvaney’s book clubs, see here.