Aesop is bringing back Queer Library for Pride Month — this time, with a mission to combat book bans and classroom censorship bills.

The initiative will take over three Aesop outposts in Recent York, Los Angeles and Toronto from June 20 to 25, allowing visitors to to browse and take home books by LGBTQ authors, which have been banned or challenged across North America, freed from charge.

“It’s necessary that folks have access to representation — not only so that they can see themselves in these stories, but in addition because education ultimately creates empathy and understanding,” said Catherine O’Dea, general manager of worldwide sustainability and growth at Aesop.

In accordance with the American Library Association’s Office for Mental Freedom, 2022 saw a 38 percent increase in titles targeted for censorship from school curriculums and libraries, a lot of which were written by or concerning the LGBTQ community.

This yr, Aesop purchased greater than 1,200 banned or challenged books from independent, queer-owned bookstores for Queer Library, which can even offer visitors a choice of titles donated by Penguin Random House.

“We would like to amplify storytelling and create meaningful moments that may transcend what you’d expect a beauty or skincare brand to do; it’s a gathering of the moment,” O’Dea said.

To further this mission, The Aesop Foundation has pledged $100,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation to support the fight for freedom of speech.

“Person by person and story by story, we hope to create a robust and meaningful movement,” O’Dea said.

In previous years, Queer Library has focused on works by Black, indigenous and folks of color authors and transgender authors, who’re also facing mounting laws that might impact access to health care, student athletics, the military and more.

Last April, Aesop was acquired by L’Oréal in a deal that valued the Australian luxury personal care brand at greater than $2.5 billion.