Idina Menzel takes her role as an ally seriously. The Frozen star recently spoke with SiriusXM’s Fierce: Women in Music about her commitment to fighting for a more diverse world for her son, Walker, to enjoy.
“They’re taking children’s books that speak to gender and non-binary kids, and taking them out of schools,” Menzel shared. “I mean, it’s just so upsetting, honestly. And so what we have to do is keep fighting,” the actress declared.
Book bans have reached extreme levels in the United States with some regions moving to shutter entire libraries in efforts to silence authors. In particular, books about race and gender idenity are disproportionately targeted by the bans.
Penguin Random House filed a lawsuit last month in an attempt to stop the state of Florida from continuing its efforts to silence certain voices. “In the 1970s, schools sought to bar Slaughterhouse-Five and books edited by Langston Hughes,” attorneys representing the publisher wrote in the lawsuit.
“Tomorrow, it could be books about Christianity, the country’s founders, or war heroes. All of these removals run afoul of the First Amendment, which is rightly disinterested in the cause du jour.”
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees citizens the right to free speech. The amendment makes censorship by the government illegal. Many who speak out against book bans accuse lawmakers of violating the precedent and, thus, breaking the law.
Idina Menzel is committed to doing her part as an artist and parent. “I have a mixed-race son,” the celebrity mom shared with SiriusXM’s Fierce: Women in Music. “I think it’s with a lot of my Black friends, too,” Menzel added.
“It’s not their job,” she continued. “The onus isn’t on them to change the world and educate people. It’s on us, you know?”
Walker is Idina Menzel’s son with actor Taye Diggs. The Frozen star was married to The Best Man star for more than a decade before the two ended their union in 2014. Walker celebrates his fourteenth birthday later this year.
Photo: Idina Menzel/Instagram
