Half Price Books stands against book bans

A Half Price Books contingent marched in the Dallas Pride Parade this year

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com

Senate Bill 13, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, takes the final say over what books and other materials are available in school libraries out of the hands of the librarians trained and educated for the job and puts it in the hands of school boards.

In most cases, it takes just 50 parents to challenge a book under consideration to be added to a school library or one already included in the library as being harmful or indecent before the local school board has to decide, within 90 days, whether to add that new book or keep or remove existing material.

Even the most innocuous LGBTQ content is often all it takes to trigger a challenge from parents soured on by right-wing groups.

But the advisory councils would only be required to meet twice per school year. So most challenged books would be kept from library shelves for most of a school year.
Abbott signed SB 13 into law on June 20, and it goes into effect on Sept. 1.

But the new law does not sit well with many people.

Kathy Thomas is a vocal advocate for the freedom to read. As president of Half Price Books, a chain of 120 bookstores in 19 states, she said, book bans make her angry and frustrated. So she’s made it her mission to make sure her stores are a safe place, especially for the transgender community and that displays of LGBTQ-related books are prominent throughout the chain during Pride month as well as other times during the year.

Half Price Books opened its first store in 1972 in a former laundromat on Lovers Lane in Dallas. The second store was located on Cedar Springs Road, a few doors down from what’s now Hunky’s. The chain’s flagship store is on Northwest Highway in a former Service Merchandise outlet.

Despite attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, Thomas said, “Half-Price Books remains unwavering in its commitment to the well-being of its LGBTQ+ employees.”

And, the chain’s president added, her stores are a safe place for the transgender community: Trans employees have access to healthcare the company makes available by partnering with inclusive insurance carriers; Half Price Books stores ensure access to gender-neutral restrooms and, as a matter of policy, honor preferred pronouns.

In Iowa, a state that recently removed gender identity protections, the company expressed its beliefs through store signage. Thomas said she was proud of her employees who went to the Iowa capital to picket on the capitol’s steps.

Thomas said her belief in the right to read what you want to read is so unshakeable that the store’s mantra is, “We buy everything printed.”

“We didn’t want employees to censor” books they purchase for sale in their stores, she said. “We’ve been outspoken on banning books since 1972. Strong on the First Amendment. Strong advocates of the ACLU.”

Thomas said she’s been giving speeches about her support of the written word.
“School districts were censoring books under the guise of budget cuts,” she said. “So, we’ve been fighting this for decades. The difference now is the laws are changing. Now it’s all LGBT-centered. We have to stop and say, ‘This is not okay.’”

While other companies have been giving in to political pressure and eliminating DEI policies, Thomas said tossing out DEI would be all wrong for her company. She believes other companies that benefit from DEI initiatives should stick with what works best for them and reinforce that by marching in Pride parades and hanging Pride flags in their stores.

Eliminating diversity initiatives, Thomas stressed, tells employees and patrons alike, “We don’t value you. We don’t think you deserve the lifestyle you’re comfortable in.”

Of course, her support of diversity and inclusion means special displays of books by Black authors during Black History Month and by women during Women’s History Month. And any other group — including conservative authors — will be highlighted to expose readers to the widest possible array of ideas.

“Companies — just do the right thing,” she said. “If a customer doesn’t want to shop with us, we’re okay with that.”

But even those customers who boycott Half Price Books because of its inclusive policies and practices are as likely to find books of interest to them at Half Price Books as anyone because of the company’s policy not to censor what people can read.

“We don’t censor the other way,” Thomas said, noting that she’s seen books in her stores on how to make a bomb and books on the KKK. “We have to carry it all.”

She encourages people to pick up books written from different perspectives and “Learn different points of view.”

As bad as SB 13 is, Thomas mentioned another proposed piece of legislation — House Bill 1373, which would make the seller liable if the book was deemed inappropriate.

“We give books to schools,” she said. “We would have been liable.”

Fortunately, that bill died in committee.

There is one week that Half Price Books gears up for all year long: Banned Book Week is at the end of September, and Thomas knows that this year there will be more books than ever on multiple displays in every one of her stores, encouraging readers to support banned authors.

“No, you’re not going to tell me what my child can read,” Thomas said.