"All-Inclusive" Bookstore Co-Founded By RuPaul Yanks Conservative Titles Following Backlash

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!