Yes, The Black Flamingo Is Banned!

Dean Atta’s The Black Flamingo is a coming-of-age novel told entirely in verse, following Michael from childhood in London through university, where he finally finds himself through drag performance. Michael is mixed-race (Greek Cypriot and Jamaican) and gay, and the book traces his search for an identity that holds all of those things at once. Atta’s poetry is accessible and rhythmic, building momentum toward the triumphant moment when Michael steps onto a stage in a black flamingo costume and becomes, fully, himself. The flamingo metaphor runs throughout: a creature that’s born gray and has to grow into its color.

The Black Flamingo has been challenged 7 times across Florida, South Carolina, Utah, Tennessee, and Texas, targeted for LGBTQ+ themes and race-related content. It won the Stonewall Award in 2020. The book is joyful, not explicit; the drag scenes are about self-expression, not sexuality. But in districts conducting mass removals of LGBTQ+ titles, nuance doesn’t matter. A book about a gay teen finding confidence through drag is enough to trigger a challenge. What the challengers miss is that The Black Flamingo is ultimately a book about belonging, which is the one thing every teenager is looking for.