The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals chose to preserve basic standards of moral decency when it recently <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawsuit-tennessee-law-puts-limits-drag-shows-dismissed-federal-court-win-republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled in favor</a> of a new Tennessee law increasing protections for children against exposure to sexually provocative live performances in our state.
Like many of the people I represent in the Tennessee House of Representatives, I was shocked in 2022 when a city leader in Jackson, TN, approved a &#8220;family-friendly&#8221; drag show in a public park. We raised legitimate concerns about the adult nature of the event, based on past shows in 2019 and 2021, and that it would be performed openly in front of children. 
I&#8217;m not sure why any parent would choose to take their child to see a grown man in a dress pretending to be a woman while performing a sexually explicit show or reading a book. But make no mistake, the goal is to normalize certain sexual behaviors by sacrificing the innocence of children and manipulating young minds. 
I filed a <a href="https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/2022/10/06/legislators-halt-jackson-pride-drag-show-first-amendment/69543094007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, and the drag show organizers conceded to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/lawmaker-complaint-forces-tennessee-pride-festival-indoors-rcna51295" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move the show indoors</a> and only admit adults 18 years old. The battle was temporarily won, but I knew something had to be done legislatively to prevent this from happening again. 
I filed <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Bill 9</a> to ensure these explicit adult shows are not performed where children are present. Predictably, this legislation passed in the House and Senate with overwhelming support from our Republican supermajority. No Democrat in the Tennessee General Assembly <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> in favor.
To be clear, this law only applies to performances that include material harmful to minors as defined by existing state law. This includes forms of sexual content, excessive violence or sadomasochistic abuse that appeal predominately to prurient interests and lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
Establishments that host sexually explicit shows must verify that those in attendance are at least 18 years of age or older, according to the law. Failing to do so will result in a Class A misdemeanor for first-time offenders and a Class E felony for subsequent violations.
Shielding children from adult entertainment should not be controversial. However, Tennessee&#8217;s new law was challenged in court by a Memphis-based theatre company that organizes drag shows. The case ultimately revealed, among other things, that we had legitimate cause for concern in 2022 about the content these types of performances can include. 
While a board member from the theatre company testified its shows &#8220;are definitely appropriate&#8221; for a 15-year-old, videos from past shows included performers &#8220;talking about masturbation, simulating sex acts behind a curtain, and engaging in phallic humor.&#8221;
We should never be complicit in the sexualization of children. The ruling recognizes that children are an involuntary captive audience and that &#8220;there is no constitutional interest in exhibiting indecent material to minors.&#8221; I applaud the court&#8217;s decision to uphold the protections included in this new law.
This is how representative democracy works. When members of my community complained that their concerns were being ignored at the local level, I found a solution that strengthened existing state law and increased protections for the public while not infringing on anyone&#8217;s constitutional rights. 
Some will be unhappy with the court&#8217;s decision, but I am incredibly proud of our efforts. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-review-tennessee-ban-puberty-blockers-transgender-surgery-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee has been on the frontlines</a> of fighting back against the radical left&#8217;s morally misguided agenda. We are fully prepared to continue our fight to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to protect our children.
* * *
State Rep. Chris Todd represents House District 73 in the Tennessee General Assembly. He is the Chair of the Agriculture &amp; Natural Resources Committee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Tennessee State Capitol Building

Appeals Court Ruling On Drag Shows Is A Win For Decency In Tennessee

Children

Courts

Drag Queen story hour

Drag Shows

Opinion

Readers Pass

Tennessee

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-air-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air Force</a> spent hundreds of taxpayer dollars to hire a drag queen for “drag bingo” and a “glow party,” according to internal documents obtained by Judicial Watch. 
Drag queen “Miss Lexi Andrews” was hired by the 423rd Support Squadron at the RAF Alconbury Air Base in England for a “drag bingo” event on June 23, 2022, and a “glow party” on June 24, 2022, an <a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/dod-drag-shows-may-2024-pg-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invoice</a> obtained by Judicial Watch through a freedom of information request shows. The cost for the “bingo” event was $150 while the “glow party” ran the Air Force $250. 
The invoice was obtained as part of an investigation by CatholicVote Civil Action and Judicial Watch into the Air Force’s promotion of drag queens, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/air-force-base-cancels-drag-queen-story-hour-event-after-public-outcry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made headlines</a> two years ago after a drag queen story hour for children — scheduled to be held at an American air base in Germany — was canceled following public outcry. 
“How on Earth is it appropriate to spend our limited defense dollars on promoting these sexually themed events for children and adults rather than on advancing the military’s mission,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “As we see in these troubling Air Force records, our nation’s military is being ruined by woke ideology.”
<div id="attachment_745773" style="width: 492px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-745773" class="wp-image-745773 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screen-Shot-2024-06-03-at-2.46.06-PM-482x576.png" alt="" width="482" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screen-Shot-2024-06-03-at-2.46.06-PM-482x576.png 482w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screen-Shot-2024-06-03-at-2.46.06-PM-251x300.png 251w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screen-Shot-2024-06-03-at-2.46.06-PM-768x918.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screen-Shot-2024-06-03-at-2.46.06-PM.png 1186w" sizes="(max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px" />Invoice: Judicial Watch.</div>
“Miss Lexi Andrews” is a Washington, D.C., based “internationally performing” drag queen and author, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lexi__andrews/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to his social media pages, The Daily Caller first reported. 
Other <a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/dod-drag-shows-may-2024-pgs-3-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documents</a> sent by the Defense Department to Judicial Watch include promotions of drag events at U.S. Military bases, including a story hour in Ramstein, Germany by “our local Drag King, Sauvage.”
According to promotional materials, one of the books to be read was called “The HIPS on the DRAG QUEEN Go Swish, Swish, Swish.”
Another event advertised by the 86th Force Support Squadron in Germany for those 18 and up was “<a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/dod-drag-shows-may-2024-pg-6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drag Karaoke</a>” at “Club E” with a “special guest from Monarchy of RoyalTEA.&#8221;
The promotion of the drag events drew <a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/air-force-drag-story-time/">sharp criticism</a> from CatholicVote Senior Advisor Tim Huelskamp.
“The Department of Defense has once again proven that radical leftist ideology is more important than military preparedness and protecting Americans from tangible threats at home and abroad,” Huelskamp said. “After an entire year of stonewalling, the DOD finally returned materials from just one command in one branch, which confirmed what we feared – that taxpayer funds were being used to promote drag shows and radical gender ideology on military bases, with full approval from Air Force leadership.”

MixCollage-03-Jun-2024-04-43-PM-2159

Air Force Hired Drag Queen For Bingo, Glow Party, Invoice Reveals

Air Force

Drag Queens

England

Germany

Judicial Watch

U.S. Military

Wokeness

One of the country&#8217;s largest Catholic advocacy groups is launching an effort led by parents to root out progressive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LGBT</a> books aimed at children from libraries ahead of Pride Month, which begins Saturday.
CatholicVote, a nonprofit focused on promoting Catholic values in public life, will debut its third annual &#8220;Hide The Pride&#8221; campaign on June 1. The campaign urges parents to rid their local taxpayer-funded library&#8217;s children&#8217;s section of sexualized and gender-related books, especially those that are prominently displayed.
&#8220;Public libraries have long been a summer destination hangout where children and parents can go for free resources, books, computer access, and community. And as public spaces, they should stay that way,&#8221; CatholicVote wrote in a <a href="https://catholicvote.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cv-hide-the-pride-printable.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toolkit</a> for parents.
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&#8220;But during &#8216;Pride Month,&#8217; many libraries fill their children’s sections with gay and trans books, images, and symbols – not to mention drag- queen story hours,&#8221; the group continued. &#8220;So we are equipping you to fight back and reclaim your library for your kids. We are going to &#8216;Hide the Pride.'&#8221;
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The group is urging families to plan a library visit in early June where they go to the children&#8217;s section, take all the &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; books off the display shelves, check them out at the front desk, and go home and place the books on a shelf out of reach of children. The library books should be returned on time later, the group says.
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One person should also be designated to film during the library visit in case library staff gives the group trouble, CatholicVote recommended.
CatholicVote also provides a letter template for families to sign and send to their local library to protest the &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; displays in the children&#8217;s section. The group recommended gathering at least five or six people to sign the letter and delivering it to the library through either email or snail mail.
&#8220;We plan to keep these books checked out until the library agrees to remove the inappropriate content from the shelves,&#8221; the letter template reads. &#8220;Flags, signs, and book displays based on how adults experience sexual attraction and gender identity have no place in an open and public space for children.&#8221;
Catholic Vote also urged parents to share their videos, photos, and stories to encourage others.
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&#8220;It is always powerful to know you are not alone in this fight for the soul of our children,&#8221; the group said.
<div>“Our campaign is designed to empower communities to take back public spaces from the radical LGBT movement that seeks to destroy the innocence of our children, while coercing parents and citizens into endorsing the latest forms of sexual perversion,&#8221; Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote said in a statement.</div>
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<div>&#8220;No child needs to see a graphic how-to manual on gay sex. Yet today we are told that this pornography must be proudly displayed in taxpayer-funded public libraries and foisted on our children,&#8221; Burch said. &#8220;Americans are fed up with being told that they must surrender their children and public spaces to an aggressive LGBT agenda. Parents have every right to demand that libraries shield this gross content from their children and that basic standards of decency be respected.&#8221;</div>
Over the last few years, parents across the country have vocally opposed a slew of children&#8217;s books dealing with gender ideology and sexuality — some containing pornographic content. Such books have popped up in libraries, particularly school libraries where children have access to them.
Some of the books that have raised concerns among parents are “Gender Queer,” a graphic novel with explicit sexual content, “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which includes descriptions of anal sex and masturbation, “I Love My Colorful Nails,” about a boy whose classmates laugh at him when he paints his nails, “Ho’onani: Hula Warrior” about a Hawaiian girl who wants to lead the all-boys hula troupe at her school, and “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” by Lil Miss Hot Mess, a founder of Drag Queen Story Hour, which is a nursery rhyme book about drag shows.

Reading Is Fundamental

Catholic Group Launches Parent-Led Effort To Root Out Children’s LGBT Books From Libraries Ahead Of Pride Month

Catholic Group Launches Parent-Led Effort To Root Out Children's LGBT Books From Libraries Ahead Of Pride Month

Catholic

Children's Books

Gender

LGBTQ

Library

Social Issues

Transgender

U.S.

When cable news channels announced the results of the 2016 election, for the most part, they <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/2016-election-results-trump-projected-win-georgia-43406399" target="_blank" rel="noopener">displayed</a> the vote totals for the two major party candidates side-by-side: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. They simply left out the Libertarian Party ticket, which was led by Gary Johnson. It was as if Gary Johnson didn&#8217;t exist.
In a normal election year, that wouldn&#8217;t be a very notable omission. Outside of Ross Perot&#8217;s run in 1992, third-party candidates don&#8217;t exactly put up very big numbers on Election Night, so they&#8217;re not worth talking about. That&#8217;s been especially true for Libertarian Party candidates, who are mostly known for taking off their shirts at conventions and debating the merits of driver&#8217;s licenses.
But in 2016, it was a very different story. Libertarians had their best-ever showing in a presidential race, racking up nearly four-and-a-half million votes. In eleven states, the Libertarian Party vote total exceeded the margin of victory — meaning, you can make a case that Libertarians affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential election by siphoning votes from Hillary Clinton. You don&#8217;t hear that discussed very often — it&#8217;s a lot easier for Democrats to blame Russia. But it&#8217;s true.
Eight years later, once again, there are signs that libertarians might have a relatively strong showing in the upcoming election. Polls show that most Americans are ambivalent about this presidential race — in part because both candidates have already served as president, so there&#8217;s not as much enthusiasm as there normally is. That gives an opening to third-party candidates to attract new support.
Both the Trump campaign and the Biden campaign understand this dynamic very well. They&#8217;re looking at the same poll numbers. But only Trump has decided to appeal to these Libertarian voters directly. On Saturday night, Trump spoke at the Libertarian Party&#8217;s national nominating convention in the nation&#8217;s capital — becoming the first former president to ever do so.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1376-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
The speech marked another moment of stark contrast between Trump and Joe Biden, who would never walk into a venue where he knew that a large portion of the audience would oppose him. We&#8217;re at the point where Joe Biden isn&#8217;t even allowed to give press conferences anymore, much less deliver speeches before a hostile crowd. But Trump had no problem facing his detractors at the convention, who (as predicted) heckled him at various points during his address.
That was the side of the story the media ran with. There were dozens of headlines about how Trump was booed and jeered at the convention. But there were quite a few Trump supporters in attendance as well, and there were several moments where the Libertarians in attendance were clearly on Trump&#8217;s side.
That makes sense, because Trump didn&#8217;t deliver his typical stump speech. Instead, he tailored his remarks for a libertarian audience — hitting topics like lower taxes, cryptocurrency, reducing the size of the federal government, keeping America out of foreign wars, and so on. Trump even promised to commute the sentence of libertarian hero Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the defunct dark web marketplace &#8220;Silk Road.&#8221; Ulbricht is serving a life sentence for facilitating the sale of narcotics, but Trump said he&#8217;d let him out of prison on day one of his second term. Trump made a host of other promises, as well, including a vow to appoint libertarians to his Cabinet. Watch:
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As you could hear during some of those clips, the crowd reaction was mixed at some points and very positive at other points. It was a lot more interesting than the traditional stump speech, and the response was unpredictable at points.
But for their part, the media pretended it was an unmitigated disaster. NBC News <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/trial-is-taking-its-toll-trump-booed-and-heckled-at-libertarian-national-convention-211700293677" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran</a> this headline: &#8220;Trial taking its toll: Trump booed and heckled at Libertarian National Convention. &#8220;The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/25/trump-loudly-heckled-libertarian-national-convention/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, &#8220;Trump loudly heckled at Libertarian National Convention.&#8221; Politico reported that Trump had been &#8220;jeered,&#8221; and CNN said he was &#8220;loudly booed.&#8221; And on and on.
As you just saw from the clips I played, this is obviously a total misrepresentation of what happened. The media desperately does not want the Trump campaign bringing in new voters from the Libertarian side, so they&#8217;re lying. The so-called &#8220;defenders of democracy&#8221; want to shame a presidential candidate for reaching out to people who disagree with him.
But the truth is that, even when there was booing during Trump&#8217;s speech, it didn&#8217;t always relate to what Trump was saying. There was, as others have pointed out, the equivalent of a &#8220;Jerry Springer&#8221; episode occurring in the crowd at one point as Trump spoke. Apparently a Libertarian delegate by the name of &#8220;Starchild&#8221; was holding up a sign calling Trump a dictator. And then security dragged him away for some reason, and Starchild&#8217;s associates weren&#8217;t pleased by this development. Watch:
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&#8220;These fascists don&#8217;t get to kick out Starchild! Free Starchild!&#8221; Presumably that&#8217;s Starchild&#8217;s father, Star, but it&#8217;s hard to say. Meanwhile Starchild&#8217;s wig falls off as he&#8217;s dragged away, while a very confused Secret Service agent looks on.
Is this what Ludwig Von Mises had in mind back in the day? Probably not. But it&#8217;s the state of the Libertarian Party in America right now. And if nothing else, it&#8217;s entertaining. 
During his speech, Trump apparently recognized that, and he had some fun at the party&#8217;s expense. Watch:
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Again, this is something Joe Biden wouldn&#8217;t have the balls (or the brainpower) to do. It certainly wasn&#8217;t written in the teleprompter to taunt libertarians to their faces, at their own convention, about the fact that pretty much no one votes for them. That&#8217;s not the kind of outreach that any campaign advisor would have come up with. But it was both honest and hilarious, which is why it works.
Libertarians (except for Starchild, maybe) are under no illusions that they&#8217;re going to win the White House. What Trump is doing is something the Left normally excels at, which is transactional politics. He&#8217;s basically saying, &#8220;Vote for me, even though you don&#8217;t like me, and I&#8217;ll give you more than the other party will.&#8221; We can assume Trump isn&#8217;t passionate about Ross Ulbricht, for example. But he knows the crowd is, so he says he&#8217;ll get him out of prison.
In that context, it makes sense for Trump to embrace the adversarial relationship he has with the crowd. Trump knew going into the convention that he wasn&#8217;t going to win the Libertarian Party&#8217;s nomination. Instead, his plan was simply to present a viable alternative to the Libertarian Party&#8217;s eventual nominee.
And in that respect, Trump&#8217;s speech succeeded more than he probably even thought possible. It now appears very likely that Trump will indeed win a very large share of the Libertarian Party vote. That&#8217;s because on Sunday — after Trump was determined to be ineligible for their party&#8217;s nomination — Libertarians nominated an HR <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/11/georgia-senate-race-chase-oliver-profile" target="_blank" rel="noopener">representative</a> named Chase Oliver to be their presidential nominee.
Already, right away, this is a win for Trump, because no one in their right mind would ever want an HR representative in the White House. It&#8217;s probably the least sympathetic and appealing profession for a politician that you can imagine. But it gets even worse once you start looking at what Chase Oliver believes. For example, earlier this year, Oliver shot a video at the southern border. Watch:
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According to Oliver, the United States has no right to enforce its borders against anyone. We have to be open to illegal migrants as well as hostile invading armies, presumably, because otherwise we&#8217;re basically erecting another Berlin Wall. Never mind that the Berlin Wall was intended to lock people inside and prevent them from escaping, while the southern border wall is intended to keep foreigners from entering the country. That&#8217;s not important to Chase Oliver. The point, in his mind, is that walls are always bad. Except, presumably, the walls that form his own home, and keep intruders out.
In that video, Oliver also lies and claims that illegals don&#8217;t use more welfare benefits than American citizens, which is just completely made up. As the Center for Immigration Studies has <a href="https://cis.org/Camarota/NPR-Falsely-Claims-High-Immigrant-Welfare-Use-Myth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a>, &#8220;In 2018, 49 percent of households headed by all immigrants — naturalized citizens, legal residents, and illegal immigrants — used at least one major welfare program, compared to 32 percent of households headed by the native-born.&#8221;
So this guy doesn&#8217;t understand the impact of open borders on the economy, but he wants open borders anyway. This is one of the least-popular positions a politician can have right now, but the Libertarian Party just picked a candidate who firmly believes in unrestricted illegal migration.
As it happens, Chase is also a big supporter of pretty much every other Left-wing agenda item. He doesn&#8217;t want the government to prevent adults from getting naked in front of kids, for instance. Watch:
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Oliver goes on to say that he doesn&#8217;t prefer to see nudity at Pride parades, where children are attending — but only because it&#8217;s not &#8220;helpful&#8221; to the message of the parade, in his view. He doesn&#8217;t think it should be prohibited. 
Then the interviewer asks a few follow-up questions about drag shows for children. And once again, Oliver pretends that there&#8217;s nothing sexual about these shows. We&#8217;ve all seen the footage of these shows, and what kids are forced to watch. But apparently Chase Oliver hasn&#8217;t. Watch:
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As the joke goes, the Libertarians wanted Ron Paul but they got RuPaul instead. 
But it&#8217;s actually disturbing to listen to his reasoning. He compares the Wiggles — the kids&#8217; music group — to grown men with a fetish for wearing women&#8217;s clothing. And he says he has no problem leaving children alone with these grown men. Parents, he says, always know best — and if parents want to leave their children with these people, then who are we to disagree? His only defense is that these drag performers are engaging in &#8220;performance art.&#8221; Therefore, we have to accept it.
Once again, it just so happens that Chase&#8217;s position comports perfectly with mainstream Democratic Party orthodoxy. And there&#8217;s plenty more where that came from. Chase Oliver has also voiced his support for banning Donald Trump from social media, as well as for vaccine mandates (as long as they&#8217;re implemented by private companies and not the government). He also supports legislation that would overrule the Supreme Court on abortion.
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So to recap: The Libertarians nominated a Leftist, essentially. They&#8217;ve picked a Pride-flag waving progressive who supports open borders, has no problem with nudity at Pride parades, loves seeing kids alone at drag queen story hours, supports vaccine mandates for millions of Americans, and also supports abortion on the grounds of &#8220;bodily autonomy.&#8221; This is pretty much the DNC&#8217;s platform, word for word.
It&#8217;s yet more evidence that libertarians are just pot-scented Democrats. They fundamentally agree with Democrats on most things because libertarians and leftists both subscribe to a consent-based morality where anything is okay as long as the people involved choose to do it. And they both make exceptions even to that flimsy moral framework when it comes to children — who are often exposed to drag queens and public nudity without their consent, especially in cities controlled by Democrats. Chase Oliver wouldn&#8217;t be remotely out of place as a Democrat on San Francisco&#8217;s city council.
Then again, Republicans are also just Democrats driving the speed limit, to use Michael Malice&#8217;s phrase. Both parties agree on major issues like funding foreign wars, and they both tolerate open borders. What this means is that there really is no true political alternative to Leftism, at least not right now. Even the &#8220;third party&#8221; doesn&#8217;t really provide it, as Chase Oliver demonstrates.
During his appearance on Saturday night at the Libertarian&#8217;s convention, to the dismay of Starchild, Donald Trump didn&#8217;t promise his audience everything they wanted. But Trump did demonstrate that he&#8217;s willing to break with the Republican Party establishment to win over voters who have been ignored for decades. He made it clear that he&#8217;s willing to make promises that Mitch McConnell won&#8217;t be happy about, in order to secure more votes and political power. Is that a tactic we normally see from the Right? Absolutely not. But ultimately, especially in this election year, it&#8217;s what building a viable alternative to Leftism will require.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump’s Showdown At The Libertarian Convention

Trump's Showdown At The Libertarian Convention

Donald Trump

Libertarian Party

Libertarianism

Matt Walsh

A local chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is apologizing after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-member-arrested-for-masturbating-in-public" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire reported</a> that a former member of its community was arrested last month for masturbating at a beachfront park in California.
Clinton Monroe Ellis-Gilmore, the alleged public masturbator, had been active in the local Eureka, California, chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for years, even attending a drag reading at the public school with the group back in 2018. Ellis-Gilmore appeared to go by several names in the group, including “Novice Sister Bethe Cockhim,” and “Novice Sister Man Romeo,” according to social media posts. 
The Eureka House of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence told The Daily Wire on Wednesday that Ellis-Gilmore’s arrest “is an embarrassment and a blight on our name.”
“The Eureka House of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence unreservedly condemns the behavior alleged in police reports,” the group said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire from Sister Marymagnalaid. “To have anyone associated with us accused of such behavior is an embarrassment and a blight on our name.”
The group came under the spotlight earlier this year when it was honored by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The decision caused an uproar in the community, given the Sisters are known for mocking the Catholic faith.
Police records show Ellis-Gilmore was arrested after multiple witnesses said he was sitting with no pants on and truck door open at Table Bluff County Park, with one leg out the vehicle and the other up on the dashboard while masturbating. One witness told The Daily Wire it was clear Ellis-Gilmore wanted “everyone to see what he’s doing.”
The local chapter says that although Ellis-Gilmore was involved, he was never a full-fledged member of the group. 
“The person arrested was in a probationary process to become a full member at one time but this process ended in October of 2020,” the statement said. “We have a long and complex process for admitting new members to our order and we take every step to be as certain as possible that anyone admitted as a fully-professed member will not bring dishonor to our order.”
The statement added that the group had a disciplinary by which they could kick out members and that full members were mandatory reporters. 
“We offer our most profound apologies to the community for what happened and specifically to any individuals impacted by this inexcusable behavior. It is not representative of our Order, our values, or the hundreds of individuals who serve as Sisters,” the statement said.
Pictures on social media place Ellis-Gilmore at numerous events with the group alongside his husband, Bill Gilmore, who goes by “Saint Gives More.” According to the group, “Saints,” though not members of the “Abby,” <a href="https://www.eurekasisters.org/the-abbey/saints-angels">are</a> “very special people in our community who deserve recognition for their contributions to the community or the Sisters.”
The group said it was “frustrating” that Ellis-Gilmore’s masturbation arrest came as the group was in the national spotlight.
“It is particularly frustrating for us to have to address this accusation of inexcusable behavior at a time when we know many are seeking any way to marginalize and minimize us,” it said. “We would ask our critics to consider whether all the current and former members of their own organizations are without sin before hurling stones at our entire organization based on the alleged behavior of a former member.”
If convicted, Ellis-Gilmore faces six months of prison time, a $1,000 fine, and a requirement to register as a sex offender.

Collage Maker-07-Sep-2023-02-44-PM-1411-2

Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence Go To Confession, Apologize For Public Masturbator

Catholic Church

Crime

An active member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of predominantly gay men who openly mock Catholics, was arrested in California last month for indecent exposure after witnesses say he masturbated in public for an hour, according to a sheriff’s office report obtained by The Daily Wire. 
The man, 53-year-old Clinton Monroe Ellis-Gilmore, was arrested by police at a beachside park after they received a report of a male “exposing himself in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle,” the Humboldt County Sheriff’s department said. 
“According to numerous witnesses, Ellis-Gilmore had been at that location for approximately one hour, sitting in his truck with the door open, masturbating,” according to a sheriff&#8217;s <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/Police-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on the incident, which took place on August 12 at around 6:41 p.m. “The conduct does not appear to have been directed at anyone in particular.” 
The arrest took place at Table Bluff County Park in Loleta, California, with over an hour of daylight still left. Google lists the park as “good for kids” and home to “kid-friendly hikes.”
A mugshot obtained by The Daily Wire from Ellis-Gilmore’s <a href="https://humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/119781/20230813_BookingSheet">booking</a> indicates that he was at least shirtless at the time of the arrest. The Eureka Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence did not respond to a request for comment on Ellis-Gilmore.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/l-a-dodgers-will-honor-drag-group-mocking-catholics-sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made headlines</a> earlier this year after the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to honor the group at a “Pride” event. The group makes fun of Christianity and its members are men in traditional nun clothing that frequently use sexually suggestive names. It won the support, however, of many in the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/meet-drag-nuns-caught-culture-war-pride-events-rcna89540">media</a>, which defended the group from critics who said it was a <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1661402810112516099?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perverted hate group</a> and celebrated it for its “dedication to community service.”
Ellis-Gilmore&#8217;s initial arrest was only reported by a local Humboldt County website, The Lost Coast Populist, which <a href="https://lostcoastpopulist.com/sisters-man-arrested-4-indecent-exposure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">located</a> many of his old social media posts and first linked Ellis-Gilmore to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Randy Fleek, a witness who spoke with the arresting deputies, told The Daily Wire that Ellis-Gilmore made no attempt to hide what was going on. He said that Ellis-Gilmore parked two spots away from his trailer and had his left leg out the open door of the truck and right leg up on the dashboard with no pants on, which gave him full side view of Ellis-Gilmore &#8220;playing with himself.&#8221;
&#8220;Well this is f***ed up,&#8221; Fleek said of what he saw. &#8220;It’s obvious. You cannot help but see this guy, he’s not hiding it. He wants everyone to see what he’s doing.&#8221;
He added that cars came and went throughout the hour, including some with young women. He also said that Ellis-Gilmore had his shirt on at the beginning but was naked by the end. He said he was happy when the sheriff deputies arrived, took him out of the truck, and got him dressed.
&#8220;There’s something wrong with that man. He’s got a weird f***ing desire to show off to the public, to anybody that wants to look at him,&#8221; Fleek said. &#8220;He puts himself in a position and in a spot that you can’t help but look at the son of a b***.&#8221;
He described the location as &#8220;popular&#8221; and one where a lot of vehicles come through to look at the ocean which he said made what he witnessed more disturbing. &#8220;People pull in to see the ocean, they don’t pull in to see this. But you can’t help but see,&#8221; he said of Ellis-Gilmore&#8217;s alleged actions. 
Ellis-Gilmore, the alleged public masturbater, has been active in the local Eureka, California, chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for years. Ellis-Gilmore appears to go by several names in the group, including “Novice Sister Bethe Cockhim,” and “Novice Sister Man Romeo,” according to social media posts. 
Pictures on social media place him at numerous events with his husband, Bill Gilmore, who goes by “Saint Gives More” — “Sainthood” in the group is bestowed on only the most dedicated community members. 
Among the Eureka Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence events that Ellis-Gilmore participated in was a book reading at an elementary school where a man wearing a mock-nun outfit and Ellis-Gilmore, wearing fake blond braids, a dress, and fishnet tights, read to children.
<div id="attachment_616939" style="width: 193px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-616939" class="size-medium wp-image-616939" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-07-at-3.44.50-PM-183x300.png" alt="" width="183" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-07-at-3.44.50-PM-183x300.png 183w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-07-at-3.44.50-PM-351x576.png 351w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-07-at-3.44.50-PM.png 622w" sizes="(max-width: 183px) 100vw, 183px" />Facebook Screen shot.</div>
“Yesterday sisters had the most magical time reading story books to the Peninsula elementary school kids in recognition of them Studying LGBT awareness month! Thanks for the honor!” a post from October 31, 2018 said. 
The post tagged the Facebook account for “Novice Sister Bethe Cockhim,” an account that appears to be run by Ellis-Gilmore. 
Prior to the event at the school, Ellis-Gilmore and his group had a history of sexually charged posts on social media. One post from the Sisters exhibited two members holding a plastic penis while posts from Ellis-Gilmore showed off his nipple piercing and a cartoon “gay” Smurf illustration that featured erections and pubic hair. 
The event took place at Peninsula Union, a public elementary school in Humboldt County nearby where Ellis-Gilmore was arrested. The school did not respond to a request for comment on the Sisters, and whether it has hosted the group since.
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Ellis-Gilmore’s social media is filled with Satanic and sexual themed posts, including one meme about oral sex featuring a pacifier, a lollipop, an ice cream bar, and a penis with the caption “Shhhhhhhh….it’s ok, you’ve been preparing for this your whole life.” 
Another post features a faux certificate from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence that says “pleasure should be your god, lust your temple, and sex your sacrament&#8221; while another said &#8220;Be gay, hail Satan.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_617403" style="width: 263px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-617403" class="size-medium wp-image-617403" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/IMG_0533-2-253x300.jpg" alt="" width="253" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/IMG_0533-2-253x300.jpg 253w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/IMG_0533-2-486x576.jpg 486w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/IMG_0533-2-768x910.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/IMG_0533-2.jpg 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 253px) 100vw, 253px" />Facebook screenshot.</div>
Ellis-Gilmore was charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor on first offense, which according to California penal code can result in six months of prison time, a $1,000 fine, and a requirement to register as a sex offender.

Collage Maker-07-Sep-2023-02-44-PM-1411

Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence Member Arrested For Masturbating In Public

Quick quiz: Do you think public libraries should promote socialism? Do you think they should host drag queen story time for children? And do you think they should be allowed to discriminate against Christians? If you answered “no” to these questions, the Left-wing media likely thinks you’re a fascist.
The truth, of course, is a lot less sensational and a lot more straightforward. Simply put, progressive activists are using positions of influence and government resources to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marxist-lesbian-president-of-american-library-association-doubles-down-on-agenda-for-a-better-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">push their ideology</a> on the American people. This is especially apparent at the American Library Association (ALA), whose self-described “Marxist” president <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/aug/30/american-library-association-faces-backlash-over-m/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wants</a> to turn libraries into spaces of “queerness and difference rather than democracy and citizenship.”
As normal and sane people have noticed this trend, they have begun to push back, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/library-book-ban-association-withdraw-7f5743a9e464433a745697f9111d7f6b">resulting</a> in a slew of withdrawals from the ALA. This “exodus” isn’t about a “conservative book ban,” no matter what the Associated Press claims. This is about Americans not wanting themselves — or their children — to be subjected to Left-wing propaganda.
Critic Dan Kleinman puts it well <a href="https://twitter.com/SexHarassed">when he says</a> the problem with the ALA is that it has “changed from an organization that helped communities and used common sense into one that just promotes a view.” Similarly, Commissioner Diana Finegan of Florida’s Citrus County <a href="https://www.chronicleonline.com/news/local/county-cuts-funding-to-american-library-association/article_d7211d47-7266-5a9b-b100-97808b237d68.html">states</a>, “[l]ibraries should be educating the public, not indoctrinating.” She explains that the county removed the ALA’s annual fee from its budget because the government “does not need to give … tax dollars to any organization run by a Marxist.”
And there is little doubt that the ALA is using federal tax dollars to do its dirty work. Earlier this year, the organization <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/kirk-cameron-american-library-association-cancel-storytime-event">issued guidance</a> to prevent the Christian publishing company Brave Books from hosting events at public libraries. In response, Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and I sent a <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubioalaletterreligiousdiscrimination/">letter</a> to the Institute of Museum and Library Services demanding an investigation into the ALA’s blatant religious discrimination.
Meanwhile, scandals continue to flow from ALA leadership. On September 2, 2023, President Emily Drabinski <a href="https://karlyn.substack.com/p/exclusive-recording-american-library">attended</a> a socialist presentation on “fugitive pedagogy,” or “how to smuggle socialist ideas like Critical Race Theory into the classroom even when the law outlaws it.” Afterward, Drabinski said that libraries “need … to be a site of socialist organizing.” This is insane, even for a progressive organization.
The ALA’s defenders argue that those who leave the organization threaten “free access to ideas.” They also <a href="https://www.chronicleonline.com/news/local/it-is-wrong-it-is-so-wrong/article_3a739647-2e12-55cf-a1c5-66c916267b1f.html#:~:text=County%20cuts%20funding%20to%20American,on%20LGBTQ%20materials%2C%20drag%20que%E2%80%A6">call</a> those pushing back on the ALA “Nazis” and warn “that’s exactly how Hitler came to power.” It’s ironic, because the ALA is the censor, and it’s painfully obvious that the movement to abandon it is motivated by a desire for more freedom, not less.
Americans shouldn’t have toxic ideology pushed on them in libraries, just as they shouldn’t have it pushed on them in schools. Unless the ALA apologizes for its appalling behavior and corrects its course immediately, withholding membership dues is probably the sanest thing public officials can do.
Senator Marco Rubio represents the state of Florida and sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Library Sign

Library ‘Exodus’: Public Officials Are Right To Leave The American Library Association

Library 'Exodus': Public Officials Are Right To Leave The American Library Association

Leftists

Marco Rubio

School Library

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oklahoma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oklahoma&#8217;s</a> top education official said Thursday that an elementary school principal who performs as a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drag-queen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag queen</a> and faced previous child pornography charges should be fired. 
Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/oklahoma-official-uimaginable-elementary-school-hired-principal-secret-drag-queen-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News that Western Heights School District should fire John Glenn Elementary School Principal Shane Murnan, a drag queen who reportedly goes by the name &#8220;Shantel Mandalay.” Walters, who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-education-teachers-superintendent-walters-c5c55e473eaeb0c94545c8ae5753149a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">campaigned</a> on getting critical theory and gender theory out of the classroom, said that Murnan should be terminated &#8220;immediately.&#8221;
“It&#8217;s outrageous to have a drag queen running a school, you know, here in Oklahoma that doesn&#8217;t line up with Oklahoma values,&#8221; Walters told Fox. &#8220;I hear from parents every day that are concerned with this woke left-wing indoctrination or schools, this gender theory that continues to be thrust upon our kids. It&#8217;s completely inappropriate.&#8221; 
As a drag queen, Murnan has participated in story hours at the public library and worked at Oklahoma City gay bar “The Boom,” according to Facebook posts. 
&#8220;I think that the Left has absolutely an agenda for our kids, that they are at war with our kids in the classroom,&#8221; Walters said. &#8220;What they are doing is injecting this ideology for an end goal here. Their end goal is to absolutely break down a child&#8217;s mind, break down the classroom, break down the family, and you see the results that have come from this. They want kids to turn on their parents and only listen to their leftist ideology.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Meet Shane Murnan- elementary principal at <a href="https://twitter.com/wh_isd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wh_isd</a>.
Shane is a drag queen who performs for children and reads books about gender to kids while dressed in drag.
Shane was also previously arrested on child porn charges.
Would you want this person in charge of your kid’s school? <a href="https://t.co/yNuZyt3HRK">pic.twitter.com/yNuZyt3HRK</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1696906000660308341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;No parent wants to send their kids to school knowing that they could be exposed to this radical gender theory in any capacity. This woke war on our kids has to stop,” Walters added. “We will not allow our kids to be part of their radical-Left game for pushing ideology and furthering their end goal, which is creating social justice warriors instead of students that understand how education is a path for success for them.”
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The child pornography charges that Murnan faced back in the early 2000s were reportedly dismissed after a judge ruled that prosecutors could not prove that he had possessed the illicit materials. Court records show that Oklahoma investigators say that they had obtained deleted child pornography images they said were possessed by Murnan, according to The Oklahoman. 
“Defense attorney Frank Muret argued that since Murnan had deleted the images from his computer, the state couldn&#8217;t prove he was in possession of it. Worthington granted the defense&#8217;s motion to dismiss based on that argument,” The Oklahoman <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2002/08/14/prosecutors-wont-appeal-porn-ruling/62084184007/">reported</a>. 
The school responded to the re-surfaced charges, saying that they had been dismissed and pointing to the fact that the record of the charges has been expunged.

Wide view of a children’s classroom at the school.

Top Oklahoma Education Official Calls For Drag Queen Elementary School Principal To Be Fired

Child pornography

Education

Oklahoma

Washington state paid a group of drag queens and transgender activists thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds to teach government employees how to “fight for trans liberation,” according to public records and video obtained by The Daily Wire.
The nearly 2-hour long presentation, titled “Drag Story Hour and Fireside Chat,” featured several activists from Drag Story Hour, which hosts events where men in drag read to children at libraries and schools, as well as the Trans Formations Project, an activist group that fights what it calls &#8220;anti-trans&#8221; legislation, including bills that defend children from irreversible medical interventions that seek to change their sex.
Drag Story Hour was paid $5,000 to participate in the event, which was part of the Washington State Office of Financial Management&#8217;s &#8220;Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Empowerment Conference,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/K4124-Drag-Story-2023-DEI-Conf-Speaker-Executed-05.11.2023.pdf">contract</a> obtained by The Daily Wire.
The talk focused on political activism, community organizing, and the role that &#8220;allies&#8221; should play in the &#8220;fight for trans liberation,&#8221; according to exclusive video of the presentation. Ace Sutherland, a New York City-based <a href="https://www.transformationsproject.org/about">board member for Trans Formations Project</a>, told the government employees that it wanted to &#8220;direct&#8221; the government on how to help in the fight.
&#8220;My message is to make sure that you reach out directly to those who are directly impacted, much like you’re doing today, to ask us how you can help us in our fight for queer and trans liberation,&#8221; Ace Sutherland, a New York City-based board member for Trans Formations Project. &#8220;We know what we want, and we don’t need anyone speaking over us or for us. We have a voice for ourselves and we will direct you on how to best advocate on our behalf.&#8221;
<div style="width: 480px;" class="wp-video">
<video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-607315-1" width="480" height="300" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/We-Know-What-We-Want.mp4?_=1" /><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/We-Know-What-We-Want.mp4">https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/We-Know-What-We-Want.mp4</a></video></div>
Drag Story Hour Executive Director Johnathan Hamilt, who reads to children while <a href="https://www.publichealthpost.org/profiles/jonathan-hamilt-performing-public-health/">wearing drag</a>, offered attendees specific ways that they could support Drag Story Hour through activism. He discussed an instance where demonstrators protested a drag story hour event and they had “a wall of trans women protecting the drag performer,” but said his group needs &#8220;cis white&#8221; people to talk to the police and protestors for it.
&#8220;We shouldn’t have trans lives on the line,&#8221; Hamilt said. &#8220;We need that cis white barrier to talk to the police, to face these people, they should be in between us.”
<div style="width: 480px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-607315-2" width="480" height="268" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Cis-White-Barrier.mp4?_=2" /><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Cis-White-Barrier.mp4">https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Cis-White-Barrier.mp4</a></video></div>
Sutherland also said she wanted the state employees to talk to friends and family about “trans liberation,” arguing that they&#8217;re not really friends if they don&#8217;t embrace radical gender ideas.
“If your friends are not on the same path as you, they are not your friends,” Sutherland said.
<div style="width: 480px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-607315-3" width="480" height="300" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Not-Your-Friend.mp4?_=3" /><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Not-Your-Friend.mp4">https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Not-Your-Friend.mp4</a></video></div>
Founder and Executive Director of the Trans Formations Project Alex Petrovina used the taxpayer-funded forum to ask Washington state employees to donate to the 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, providing the attendees with a donation link, QR code, and a way to donate by text.
“You can see we are currently doing a fundraiser, we are, as I said earlier, an entirely volunteer-run organization, which unfortunately is not the most sustainable method of working,” Petrovina said. &#8220;Supporting us in this would mean the world and allow us to continue doing the work but not only do the work but do the work more sustainably and protect our people.”
“Donate to the Trans Formations Project to support our legislation and representative tracking work, and work towards trans justice,” a fundraising plea inside the presentation said, alongside the hashtag “PrideInTransJustice.”
<div style="width: 480px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-607315-4" width="480" height="304" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Trans-Fundraising-Request.mp4?_=4" /><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Trans-Fundraising-Request.mp4">https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/Trans-Fundraising-Request.mp4</a></video></div>
Petrovina later went on to urge state employees to use their influence in the government to bolster the transgender movement.
“I also just want to add that as government employees you have more power than you may think you do. You have influence over people’s lives, you have influence over policies, you have influence over how policies are implemented.”
“You need to be intentional and you need to be conscious of doing it through a lens of inclusivity,” Petrovina said.
<div style="width: 480px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-607315-5" width="480" height="264" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/State-Gov-Power.mp4?_=5" /><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/State-Gov-Power.mp4">https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/State-Gov-Power.mp4</a></video></div>
Hamilt told The Daily Wire that this was the first time that Drag Story Hour had partnered with Washington State, but that the group &#8220;had amazing feedback and gratitude from the event and looking forward to working with them again soon.&#8221;
The Trans Formations Project did not respond to a request for comment.

Drag Story Hour Performers

WATCH: Drag Queens, Trans Activists Coach Government Employees On ‘Trans Liberation’ At Taxpayer-Funded Event

LGBT

Washington

An Alabama public library reversed its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alabama-library-cancels-moms-for-liberty-kirk-cameron-faith-filled-story-hour-event-after-hundreds-rsvp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision to cancel</a> a Moms for Liberty book reading event featuring actor Kirk Cameron and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines. It will now allow it to take place on Saturday. 
The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library System announced Wednesday that the Madison Public Library could no longer hold the event after the scope of attendees quickly grew from approximately 30 to 300, <a href="https://www.hmcpl.org/sites/default/files/images/Moms%20for%20Liberty%20event%20exceeds%20capacity%20for%20Madison%20Public%20Library%208_3_23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">citing</a> concerns about security and capacity. After backlash and a letter from law firm First Liberty Institute, the library system reverted back to allowing the event, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/alabama-library-caves-brave-books-kirk-cameron-stand-up-attempt-deny-americans-venue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;I&#8217;m happy to announce that Madison Public Library has reversed course and are now rightfully inviting us to come host the story hour for the community in Huntsville,&#8221; said Brave Books CEO Trent Talbot. 
&#8220;We must stand our ground and fight for our public institutions,” he added. “The foe we fail to meet at the gate in our own generation is the foe we let into the city for the next.&#8221;
The event, held by publishing company Brave Books, is part of a “See You at the Library” national tour in nearly 300 libraries in 45 states. After Cameron announced on social media that he would attend, protesters threatened to crash the event. 
As more people began expressing interest in attending, the library asked if the organizers needed additional space to accommodate a larger crowd. They initially declined, suggesting holding the event outside. However, after local law enforcement confirmed threats of protests from a group out of Birmingham, they were advised to move the event to a private location. But the organization stayed firm on its position to hold the event in the public space.
Brave Books immediately challenged the decision to cancel the event, and law firm First Liberty Institute sent a letter to the library system, stating it was &#8220;prepared to vindicate this violation of our client’s civil rights in court,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/alabama-library-caves-brave-books-kirk-cameron-stand-up-attempt-deny-americans-venue">reported</a>. Moms for Liberty organizers Emily Jones and Elizabeth Stewart previously told The Daily Wire they disagreed with how the library system and the Madison City Police Department wanted to address the safety concerns.
“It was a directive on how to manage our group and not the protesters,” Jones, the organization’s Madison County chapter chair, said. “To me, that just indicates that [the police chief] is not interested in making this event go well. He wants it to go away.”
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The event, led by Cameron, star of the 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains,” seeks to allow conservative Christian families to meet at public libraries around the country as an alternative to the controversial drag queen story hours targeting children.
Cameron and Gaines were not originally scheduled to appear at the Madison County event, but Jones said she received a separate email earlier this week stating that the two national conservative celebrities planned to attend.
“I freaked out on Elizabeth and shouted and kind of did a happy dance,” she said.
The organization and Cameron shared the news on social media, drawing more attention to the event.
“The response was overwhelming,” Jones said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Join me this Saturday, August 5th, for the first National &#39;See You at the Library’ day with thousands of faithful Americans for a day of singing, praying, and reading.
I will be visiting 3 libraries with <a href="https://twitter.com/BraveBooksUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BraveBooksUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a>:
1. TENNESSEE: We will be at the… <a href="https://t.co/N9fK2EirAz">pic.twitter.com/N9fK2EirAz</a>
&mdash; Kirk Cameron (@KirkCameron) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirkCameron/status/1687104714004148224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Brandon Drey contributed to this report.

Kirk Cameron

Alabama Library Reverses Decision After Canceling Kirk Cameron, Riley Gaines Faith-Filled Story Hour Event

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Riley Gaines

Two days after actor Kirk Cameron and former NCAA champion swimmer Riley Gaines announced that they would be appearing at a faith-filled story hour hosted by the conservative political organization Moms for Liberty at the Madison Public Library in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alabama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama</a>, the event was abruptly canceled after months of planning.
Citing a capacity limit, the library&#8217;s public relations director Jay Hixon said in a <a href="https://www.hmcpl.org/sites/default/files/images/Moms%20for%20Liberty%20event%20exceeds%20capacity%20for%20Madison%20Public%20Library%208_3_23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a> that the public space could no longer hold the event after the scope of attendees quickly grew from approximately 30 to 300 following the announcement from conservative influencers Cameron and Gaines, which also sparked threats from protestors about 80 miles south of Madison County.
But Moms for Liberty organizers Emily Jones and Elizabeth Stewart told The Daily Wire they&#8217;re not buying the official narrative from the 200-year-old countywide library system and the Madison City Police Department.
&#8220;It was a directive on how to manage our group and not the protesters,&#8221; Jones, the organization&#8217;s Madison County chapter chair, said. &#8220;To me, that just indicates that [the police chief] is not interested in making this event go well. He wants it to go away.&#8221;
Two months ago, Jones said the grassroots parent group that advocates against school curricula teaching identity politics to children &#8212; including LGBT rights and Critical Race Theory &#8212; received notice from BRAVE Books publishing company looking to hold a story hour event in the southern state during its &#8220;See You at the Library&#8221; national tour taking place in nearly 300 libraries and 45 states across the country.
The event is led by Cameron, star of the 1980s sitcom &#8220;Growing Pains,&#8221; to allow conservative Christian families to meet at public libraries around the country on August 5 as an alternative to controversial children&#8217;s drag queen events, the company said on X.
Cameron and Gaines were not originally scheduled to appear at the Madison County event. But of the many locations booked on the tour, Jones said she received a separate email earlier this week stating that the two national conservative celebrities planned to attend.
&#8220;I freaked out on Elizabeth and shouted and kind of did a happy dance,&#8221; she said.
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The organization and Cameron shared the news on social media, drawing more attention to the event.
&#8220;The response was overwhelming,&#8221; Jones said.
As more people began expressing interest in attending, Jones said the library reached out and asked if the organizers needed additional space to hold a bigger crowd. They initially declined, suggesting holding the event outside. However, after local law enforcement confirmed threats of protests from a group out of Birmingham, they were advised to move the event to a private location. But the organization stayed firm on its position to still hold the event in the public space.
&#8220;This is intended to be at a library and put traditional values back into the library, so we&#8217;re sticking there,&#8221; Jones said.
After several exchanges, the library ultimately said they would no longer support the event out of safety concerns and suggested finding a new location without providing other alternative solutions, including directing library staff to operate on a suggested first-come, first-serve basis.
&#8220;My personal opinion is they really don&#8217;t want this event to happen,&#8221; Stewart, the communications lead for the organization&#8217;s first and largest chapter in North Alabama, said.
Stewart said the group has been monitoring social media accounts on TikTok and Reddit threads of far-left protesters who planned to travel to Madison and hold protests outside the story hour event. Some have indicated they would display banned books in the parking lot, while others suggested they would show up dressed in drag attire in front of the children.
When tour organizers first approached Moms for Liberty to host the children&#8217;s event, Jones said they were reluctant due to other obligations. But after a couple of weeks, she said God put it on her heart to move forward with the event in the wake of drag queen story events popping up nationwide in recent years, including at the <a href="https://www.mymuskokanow.com/92605/news/drag-queen-story-time-a-success-for-huntsville-library/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madison Public Library</a>.
&#8220;We have family-friendly drag shows 20 minutes from my house,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We have kid drag shows, meaning kids are dressing in drag on full display — and I think that God put this in front of us because he hears the cry of our community, our churches, and our leaders to step up and push back on them.&#8221;
&#8220;So I think God did the next best thing and turned to the moms and said, &#8216;Make it happen,'&#8221; she added.
BRAVE Books recently obtained evidence that the taxpayer-funded American Library Association (ALA) has allegedly been guiding libraries nationwide to thwart conservative or Christian parent groups from gathering in public libraries. According to the publishing company, a director with the national association suggested how libraries could block public meeting rooms from events like Cameron&#8217;s tour to use under the pretext of the space already being taken for other activities.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 1/ BREAKING: We have obtained exclusive evidence that the taxpayer-funded American Library Association <a href="https://twitter.com/ALALibrary?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ALALibrary</a> is circulating guidance to sabotage conservative or Christian parent groups from gathering in public libraries on August 5th. One ALA director gave suggestions on… <a href="https://t.co/iBqwIChNhJ">pic.twitter.com/iBqwIChNhJ</a>
&mdash; BRAVE BOOKS (@BraveBooksUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BraveBooksUS/status/1673326562035265537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
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After the company posted the leaked recordings on social media, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mike Braun (R-IN) in demanding an investigation into ALA&#8217;s alleged religious discrimination against BRAVE Books.
&#8220;To the contrary, the ALA is advancing a political agenda, not Brave Books. Further, the ALA is doing so while receiving federal funds and actively promoting hotly contested events in public libraries, including &#8216;Drag Queen Story Hours&#8217; – events aimed at having scantily and/or exotically clothed adults read to children with the goal of introducing them to sexualized topics. The ALA has an entire page dedicated to &#8216;Drag Queen Story Hour,&#8217; which includes a program session labeled &#8216;Reading Fabulously,'&#8221; <a href="https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sen-cramer-colleagues-demand-investigation-into-alas-religious-discrimination-against-brave-books" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> the senators.
First Liberty Institute, the law firm representing Cameron and Brave Books, sent a letter to the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C., asking the federal agency to &#8220;open an investigation into whether the American Library Association has violated federal law protecting religious liberty and failed to comply with the assurances of nondiscrimination required as a federal grant recipient,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/kirk-cameron-seeks-investigation-of-american-library-association.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Christian Post</a>.
An ALA spokesperson told the outlet, in part, &#8220;Publicly funded libraries are not obligated to provide meeting room space to the public.&#8221;
&#8220;If libraries choose to do so, such spaces are considered designated public forums, and legal precedent holds that libraries may not exclude any group based on the subject matter to be discussed or the ideas for which the group advocates,&#8221; the spokesperson continued, adding the association has been &#8220;very clear that, just like all other policies, library policies regarding meeting rooms should not be prejudicial or discriminatory&#8221; and should follow what it considers &#8220;a reasonable content and viewpoint policy&#8221; that protects library users and staff from &#8220;harassment.&#8221;
&#8220;[R]ather, they must be inclusive and follow a reasonable content and viewpoint policy that benefits all members, as well as &#8216;user behavior policies that protect library users and staff from harassment, while maintaining their historic support for the freedom of speech,'&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;Any statement or suggestion that ALA has advised otherwise is incorrect and intentionally misleading.&#8221;
First Liberty attorney Jeremy Dys, who is representing the Alabama Moms for Liberty chapter, called the cancellation an &#8220;unconstitutional religious discrimination&#8221; in a letter to the Huntsville-Madison County Libraries, adding that if Madison Public Library continues to refuse space for the event, attorneys are &#8220;prepared to vindicate this violation of our client&#8217;s civil rights in court.&#8221;
But for parents nationwide, such as Jones and Stewart, who observe foundational institutions exiling Christian conservatives out of the public square while openly embracing &#8220;evil societal norms&#8221; taking precedence in the United States, they are more encouraged than ever to take their fight on a national level and bring revival back into the communities.
&#8220;This does not go away with one story hour,&#8221; Jones said. &#8220;This is a generational fight for the safety and welfare of our children, and we&#8217;ve got to start taking action.&#8221;

Young boy wearing backpack is anxious about entering library

Alabama Library Cancels Moms for Liberty, Kirk Cameron Faith-Filled Story Hour Event After Hundreds RSVP

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kirk-cameron-talks-boycotts-new-book-and-slams-pride-month-celebrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kirk Cameron</a> talked about Conservatives and Christians wading into the culture battle &#8212; and pushing back on the woke agenda being forced on their kids &#8212; ahead of a faith-based story hour event taking place across the country this Saturday from Brave books.
The 52-year-old actor spoke to The Daily Wire on Tuesday about both the positive response and pushback he and his publisher have seen for their National See You At The Library Day 2023, taking place in nearly 300 libraries and 45 states across the country.
Cameron said tens of thousands of people are expected at his events, as well as other Brave authors&#8217; story hours hosted by influential people like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swim-champ-riley-gaines-drops-shocking-claims-about-lia-thomas-on-crain-co" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Riley Gaines</a>, Sheriff Mark Lamb, David Harris Jr., and more. He said he will personally be in three libraries in three states in one day &#8212; surprising hosts in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas &#8212; to read one of his books with the company. He recently released &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Comes-Before-Freedom-Island/dp/1955550395/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DP8KJXAYV4Y8&amp;keywords=pride+comes+before+the+fall+kirk+cameron&amp;qid=1690919493&amp;sprefix=Pride+comes+%2Caps%2C169&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pride Comes Before The Fall</a>,&#8221; and previously &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=as+you+grow+book&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA6fafBhC1ARIsAIJjL8lzWzAA-VXOAJxZE3swDeSSlJo22BHZy-6TEwUjvUUfU0SFiXMuY9gaAudNEALw_wcB&amp;hvadid=323067330915&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=9031869&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvqmt=b&amp;hvrand=205687976781233372&amp;hvtargid=kwd-462106938386&amp;hydadcr=22535_10344669&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;ref=pd_sl_1znpx9gz5f_b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As You Grow</a>&#8221; with Brave books.
The &#8220;Lifemark&#8221; star stressed that the event isn&#8217;t a Kirk story hour and instead praised Christians and Conservatives, who he said have been &#8220;vilified&#8221; and &#8220;demonized&#8221; by the Left, for taking the spark he and Brave started by demanding a seat at the table.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We are thrilled that there are now over 200 BRAVE Story hours, happening in libraries across the country on August 5! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
We are still looking for hosts in the following states:
Connecticut Hawaii Kansas Maine Mississippi New Mexico North Dakota South Dakota Utah Vermont
If… <a href="https://t.co/zLDDdE8cm4">pic.twitter.com/zLDDdE8cm4</a>
&mdash; BRAVE BOOKS (@BraveBooksUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BraveBooksUS/status/1683464465398767616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This isn&#8217;t Kirk out there doing a story hour at a library, these are American patriots,&#8221; Cameron said. &#8220;I think this is a real tangible moment for people to see in America and those outside America that are looking at what a mess America is in right now, morally, politically, and spiritually.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not just a bunch of talking heads battling about ideas,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But parents who are now fully engaged for the hearts and minds of their children, thus the future of our country in the public square contending for the ideas that will produce the results of the future. Conservatives and people of faith want a seat at the table.&#8221;
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&#8220;They don&#8217;t like being marginalized and vilified. Well, on August 5, we have a seat at the table and the Left is going to feel the weight of that,&#8221; Cameron continued, noting how Christians are taking a page out of the Left&#8217;s handbook in this fight.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kirk-cameron-reacts-to-library-harassment-at-faith-based-story-hour-says-lefts-playing-the-long-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron</a> focused on the response from communities instead of the critics, and said they have received so much support from numerous organizations, churches, various libraries, boards, politicians, families, state governors, pastors, mayors, and more who took it upon themselves to host their own story hours when more well-known names canceled due to protestors.
Recently, Brave books and Cameron spoke about the pushback they have gotten from protestors and some libraries. He also talked about video they obtained of the American Library Association (ALA) explaining to other libraries how they could &#8220;block families&#8221; who want to host these story hours, while &#8220;simultaneously hosting and funding Drag Queen story hours.&#8221;
The &#8220;Growing Pains&#8221; star praised politicians like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) who the publisher said sent a letter to the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) calling for an investigation into the ALA and their apparent use of taxpayer dollars to silence BRAVE Books, a release read.
More information about Saturday&#8217;s event and Brave story hours can be found <a href="https://bravebooks.us/pages/bb-story-hour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kirk-cameron-reacts-to-library-harassment-at-faith-based-story-hour-says-lefts-playing-the-long-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kirk Cameron Reacts To Library Harassment At Faith-Based Story Hour, Says Left’s Playing The Long Game</a>

Today – Season 67

Kirk Cameron Talks Conservatives, Christians Wading Into Culture Battle Ahead Of National Faith-Based Story Hour Event

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