DelawareScene: An Evening with Representative DeShanna Neal @ Huxley & Hiro Booksellers

An Evening with Representative DeShanna Neal

Banned, Edited, Deleted: Delaware Representative DeShanna Neal on the Power of Literature in the Age of Digital Rewriting

Join us for an author talk with DeShanna Neal as they share insights about their latest book, My Rainbow, co-written with their daughter Trinity, followed by an audience Q&A!

Huxley & Hiro is thrilled to host Delaware District 13 Representative DeShanna Neal, for a conversation about censorship, book banning, and the importance of amplifying marginalized voices in literature.

Book Description:

A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter, based on the real-life experience of mother-daughter advocate duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal.

Warm morning sunlight and love fill the Neal home. And on one quiet day, playtime leads to an important realization:Trinity wants long hair like her dolls. She needs it to express who she truly is.

So her family decides to take a trip to the beauty supply store, but none of the wigs is the perfect fit. Determined, Mom leaves with bundles of hair in hand, ready to craft a wig as colorful and vibrant as her daughter is.

With powerful text by Trinity and DeShanna Neal and radiant art by Art Twink, My Rainbow is a celebration of showing up as our full selves with the people who have seen us fully all along.

Author Bio:

DeShanna Neal (she/they) is a mother of four, a youth and family life coach, an activist, a banned book author, and a Delaware State Representative. She is the state’s first non-binary elected official and a figure of history. DeShanna and her oldest child, Trinity, became public figures back in 2016 after news about their battle with Medicaid to cover Trinity’s gender affirming care, got around. She helped shape the pediatric gender affirming care landscape and ultimately, changed how the state cared for transgender youth. Her and her daughter’s fight created the foundation for the creation of Nemours pediatric gender clinic, she brought the state its first New Castle County’s LGBTQ Youth Pride festival, along with introducing the first ever Drag Queen Story Hour.

She founded Intersections of Pride Foundation, received her Masters in Applied Family Science from Wilmington University, and became a Certified Family Life Educator, all while raising her children on her own. As a representative, she sits on three committees. Health and Human Social Services (Vice chair), Education, and Corrections. She has also sat on several Red Clay Consolidated School District task forces as the only parent voice (non staff or admin) fighting for students and their families. Her goal is to bridge gaps, create a village of support, and bring a better society for those that need it the most.

Looking to pick up DeShanna's book? Stop by our Wilmington, Delaware store, or support us online by ordering through Bookshop.org or Libro.fm. Just be sure to select Huxley & Hiro as your bookstore!