Despite winning the Stonewall Book Award, the book has landed on banned lists across the nation. "It is terrifying to think that a story about a kid who is loved by his parents for being exactly himself could be painted as menacing."
Kelsey Smoot
Kelsey (they/them/he/his) is a PhD candidate in American Studies. Their work and writings explore the process of identity formation at the nexus of race, gender, and sexuality. He is a cultural and gender theorist, a writer, an advocate, and a poet. Having grown up bicoastal and spending the majority of their adult life in a state of transience, they draw from their eclectic life experiences both deep fear and great optimism regarding what people are capable of. Kels seeks to illuminate the experiences of Black queer folks, navigating the contemporary U.S. sociopolitical landscape.
