Help These Out Celebs Get LGBTQ-Inclusive Books Into Schools

From left: Darryl Stephens, Nicole Maines, Adam Rippon, and Theo Germaine

Pride and Less Prejudice, an organization that donates age-appropriate LGBTQ+-inclusive books to pre-kindergarten through third-grade classrooms, has released its first celebrity fundraising video, featuring a variety of out luminaries.

"When children see people like themselves in books, they get a glimpse of who they might become, and they feel validated," Grammy-nominated singer Rufus Wainwright says in the #ReadOutProud video.

"When children see books with LGBTQ characters and themes in their classrooms, it creates a more inclusive school culture," adds actor Darryl Stephens of Noah's Arc fame.

"When we foster an environment where all students know that being LGBTQ is not out of the ordinary, we create acceptance," says comedian Tig Notaro.

Others appearing in the video are actors Stephanie Allynne, Nicole Maines (Supergirl), Natasha Negovanlis (Carmilla), Theo Germaine (The Politician, Work in Progress), Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows), Lauren Patten (Jagged Little Pill), and Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, writer-director Patrik-Ian Polk (Noah's Arc), and SiriusXM host and Stars in the House cohost Seth Rudestky.

Pride and Less Prejudice, launched in November, has raised $2,000 and donated more than 175 books to date. The goal of the video is to raise $10,000 to be used to donate 800 books in the U.S. and Canada.

"Our organization's mission is to foster the acceptance and support of LGBTQ and questioning youth by making them feel more at home in educational spaces," said Pride and Less Prejudice founder Lisa Forman. "We also believe that LGBTQ-inclusive books benefit other children by introducing them to perspectives different from their own, thereby encouraging empathy and compassion."

Find out more about Pride and Less Prejudice here.