Throughout history, the greatest threat to free speech has always been authoritarian governments seeking to suppress dissent. That is still true today, even in America. Thankfully, a robust First Amendment has proved a necessary and valuable <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/missouri-v-biden-fifth-circuit-tech-censorship-white-house-covid-pandemic-86051c19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bulwark</a> against censorious government autocrats. Historically, those on the political Left have proven to be some of the fiercest defenders of broad speech protections. Not so today. To be sure, many on the political Left still pay lip service to the notion of a strong First Amendment. But far too often, they do so while actively promoting ideologies that ultimately render those protections worthless.
The ongoing debate over males participating in female sports is a prime example. Radical activists regularly <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/04/21/riley-gaines-sfsu-growing-attack-free-speech-college-campuses/11695771002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shout down and physically assault</a> anyone who dares to assert that men should not compete in women’s sports. The typical response from many leftists is to ignore the criminals committing violent acts against peaceful speakers. Instead, they blame the victim. They do so by advancing a noxious idea: the right to free speech does not protect anyone from the consequences of that speech. In other words, if someone does not like what you have to say, they have the right to punch you in the face, physically disrupt and shut down your speech, or chase you out of the room and restrain you in a room for hours while waiting for police protection.
This was the prevailing liberal response to a recent event held at the Mary L. Stevens Branch of the Yolo County Library. On August 20, Moms for Liberty – Yolo County, CA organized an event entitled “Forum for Fair and Safe Sport for Girls.” The event was scheduled to feature various speakers including Kim Jones, co-founder of Independent Council on Women’s Sports; Sophia Lorey, Outreach Coordinator at California Family Council and former collegiate athlete; Erin Friday, co-lead of Western Region of Our Duty-USA; and Allie Snyder, concerned mother and women’s rights advocate. 
Unfortunately, a library official shut down the event almost immediately. Why? Because one of the speakers used the phrase “men in women’s sports.” According to the official, California law prohibits use of the term “men” when referring to men who identify as women.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
California Public Library Silences Female Athlete <a href="https://t.co/dHYaxBFlr1">pic.twitter.com/dHYaxBFlr1</a>
&mdash; CA Family Council (@CAFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAFamily/status/1693459291410497772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After video of the <a href="https://www.californiafamily.org/2023/08/california-public-library-silences-female-athlete/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">library shutting down</a> the event was shared on social media, the library allegedly received three separate bomb threats. The organizers of the event issued a statement denouncing the threats. They made clear that violence is never an appropriate response to speech you disagree with.
In response to this situation, the Sacramento Bee published an <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article278881104.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a>. The writer agreed that the organizers engaged in protected speech and that the library likely violated their First Amendment rights. Nevertheless, the writer asserted that the event organizers are responsible for the threats. How? Because the views espoused by the organizers are also allegedly held by the perpetrators of the bomb threats.
This is nonsensical. First, it is unfair to assume that the threats were made by someone sympathetic to the event. More importantly, no one is responsible (legally or morally) for another person’s unlawful actions simply because they may share similar views on certain topics. If this were true, Martin Luther King, Jr. would be responsible for all the violent acts of the Black Panther Party. That’s a ridiculous notion. But those advancing this argument are not worried about logic or reason. Regardless of their high-sounding rhetoric, their goal is the same as every other autocrat: shut down all dissent through whatever means necessary. Here, they conflate speech with violence in an attempt to shut down one side of the debate.
Our country’s history is rife with debates on all manner of controversial topics including slavery, women’s suffrage, prohibition, and numerous wars. Many on both sides of these debates undoubtedly advanced arguments that were offensive to the other side. Yet, we trusted previous generations to have the intelligence and strength of character to evaluate the merits of these crucial debates without claiming the other side’s speech was equivalent to violence.
I believe our country is better for having gone through the slow and painful process of debating controversial topics involving competing deeply held beliefs.
The same holds true for our current debates on essential topics such as immigration, climate change, abortion, freedom of speech, religious freedom, and gender identity. The outcome of these debates has the potential to significantly affect the life of every American, either for good or for ill. Exercising the God-given right to participate in these great debates is at the heart of what it means to be an American.
Tyson Langhofer serves as senior counsel and director of the Center for Academic Freedom at <a href="https://adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alliance Defending Freedom</a>, which is representing Moms for Liberty – Yolo County, CA and the other speakers at the event.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. 
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Entrance of the college library

California Library Shuts Down Moms For Liberty Event Over Misgendering Trans Athletes

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

California

Gender Identity

Library

Readers Pass

Transgender Athletes

A lot of states are now starting to cut ties with the American Library Association, which is utterly appropriate considering that the ALA is now a Left-wing interest group like so many of our public institutions.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is going after the ALA. Lee said their goal is to sexualize children and minors with sexually explicit material and then hide this content from parents.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/09/15/american-library-association-book-bans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>:
<blockquote>When it was his turn to question witnesses, he called up a video of Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. In a Zoom call, Caldwell-Stone had been recorded arguing that book advocates should “reframe” the book challenges. This debate should not center on whether titles are sexually inappropriate for minors, Caldwell-Stone said. It should be about “diverse materials … that are about … everybody’s right to see themselves and their families reflected” on bookshelves. … The American Library Association is facing a partisan firefight unlike anything in its almost 150-year history.</blockquote>
The Left does something unbelievably terrible and provocative. But if you notice, you’re the one starting a “firefight.”
The Post continued:
<blockquote>The once-uncontroversial organization, which says it is the world’s largest and oldest library association and which provides funding, training and tools to most of the country’s 123,000 libraries, has become entangled in the education culture wars — the raging debates over what and how to teach about race, sex and gender — culminating in Tuesday’s senatorial name-check.
Like Lee, politicians and parents on the right increasingly paint the association, known as the ALA, as a defender of pornographic literature for children — tying their allegations into a broader conservative movement that asserts school libraries are filled with sexually explicit, inappropriate texts. (A 2022 tweet in which the organization’s president called herself “a Marxist lesbian” added to concerns.)</blockquote>
Hmm. So the problem is not that the ALA’s president calls herself a Marxist lesbian; the problem is that anyone noticed she tweeted that out publicly over the summer.
State libraries in Montana, Missouri, and Texas announced they were severing ties with the ALA, which is good. They should.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-ben-shapiro-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
Meanwhile, librarians and those on the political Left are defending the ALA as a key provider of money and skills for librarians. In particular, they are citing <a href="https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data#:~:text=OIF%20documented%201%2C269%20demands%20to,book%20challenges%20reported%20in%202021." target="_blank" rel="noopener">an ALA report</a> tracking 1,269 attempts to remove library books in 2022, the highest number of challenges to books since the ALA began compiling stats on the issue.
Good for parents for finally waking up and taking notice.
And the fact that parents fighting back against the indoctrination of their kids is considered Right-wing radicalism is an indication of how far the Left will go to vilify them.
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1 Ben Shapiro Editorial Series 03 2COPY2 copy

States Cutting Ties With Leftist American Library Association. Good.

Ben Shapiro

Children's Books

Leftists

Marxism

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

Drag Queen story hour

Marco Rubio

Opinion

School Library

The president of the American Library Association (ALA) is standing by her “Marxist” views as a backlash grows against the association among <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican</a> lawmakers.
Emily Drabinski, a self-proclaimed “Marxist lesbian,” took over as president of the ALA in July. The ALA is the largest nonprofit trade organization for libraries, recent wielding its influence against efforts to <a href="https://news.wttw.com/2022/04/18/american-library-association-director-says-book-bans-aim-suppress-social-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ban</a> sexually explicit content from school libraries and to <a href="https://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommend</a> dozens of LGBT books for minors.
The backlash against Drabinski began over a post she made to social media before taking her spot at the head of the ALA.
“I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary,” Drabinski wrote in an April 2022 post. “I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity! And my mom is SO PROUD. I love you mom.”
Despite the backlash, she doubled-down in an interview with <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/american-library-association-president-marxist-lesbian-rcna98254" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a> published on Monday.
“I was excited to highlight and celebrate two aspects of my identity that are really important to me, and are often under a lot of scrutiny,” Drabinski said, adding that she wanted to be an example for other library employees who shared her identities. “I didn’t anticipate these kinds of targeted attacks being used as a bludgeon against library workers across the country. I really think that is regrettable, and I wish that wasn’t happening right now.”
The Montana State Library Commission became the first state commission to leave the ALA over Drabinski’s comments in July. Montana State Library Commissioner Tamara Hall <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/montana-library-commissioner-praises-move-leave-american-library-association-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> the decision, calling it a “statement” about “what’s right for Montana.”
“We’re pulling out based on the fact that our oath of office for Montana and for the federal government is in direct violation of [Drabinski’s] Marxist opinion,” Hall said at the time.
In addition to Montana, lawmakers in other states – including Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Wyoming – have led calls to separate off from the ALA over concerns about Drabinski’s Marxism and the political agenda of the ALA.

Banned Books Week 2022

‘Marxist Lesbian’ President Of American Library Association Doubles Down On Agenda ‘For A Better World’

Montana

The director of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/virginia">Virginia</a> public library has resigned following demands from outraged parents that the library be defunded over &#8220;pornographic&#8221; children&#8217;s books.
Michelle Ross <a href="https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/samuels-library-director-resigns-amid-controversy-over-banning-books/article_c838e016-a833-5e59-b426-6f1f94d3eccc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigned</a> effective immediately as director of the Samuels Library in Front Royal in northern Virginia on Thursday. The move came during an emergency meeting of the Samuels Public Library Board of Trustees, who accepted her resignation.
“The board is 100 percent behind Michelle’s decision. We understand that it’s the best thing for her — her health and well being. We wish her well,” said Board of Trustees President Melody Hotek.
The library board has appointed Eileen Grady, a 21-year veteran of the library, as interim director and hopes to have a permanent director within six months.
Earlier this summer, a grassroots coalition of concerned parents and others called Clean Up Samuels petitioned for the removal of a slew of books they found objectionable, dozens of which they say are &#8220;pornographic.&#8221;
Clean Up Samuels has also called for the library staff and board of trustees to be replaced.
On June 6, hundreds of parents and others <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-parents-call-to-defund-public-library-over-pornographic-childrens-books-at-county-board-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">packed into</a> a Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting to protest the controversial children&#8217;s books. Nearly three dozen speakers <a href="https://royalexaminer.com/library-defunding-book-removal-advocates-samuels-library-defenders-clash-on-d-day-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for defunding the library if 34 “pornographic” children’s books remained on the shelves. Many parents from the area’s robust Catholic community spoke during the public comment portion of the <a href="https://warrencountyva.new.swagit.com/videos/233312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting</a>.
“This is not literature. This is smut,” one Front Royal dad <a href="https://warrencountyva.new.swagit.com/videos/233312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the board after reading an excerpt about anal sex from a book titled “This Book Is Gay.”
A mom told the board that “sexually explicit content read during the wrong stage of development can do so much damage to a child’s psyche.”
“I don’t know if you have children, but raising a family takes a village. The library should not be the enemy of the family, but its ally,” the mom said.
Some speakers disagreed and <a href="https://royalexaminer.com/library-defunding-book-removal-advocates-samuels-library-defenders-clash-on-d-day-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for continuing to fund the library with the controversial books still on the shelves.
Later in June, the Warren County Board of Supervisors responded to parents&#8217; demands by <a href="https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/warren-supervisors-withhold-75-of-library-funding/article_7f9038b3-46df-5179-a2b3-d85ef23e91bb.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voting</a> to withhold 75% of the library&#8217;s budget for the upcoming fiscal year until September, when the issue will be revisited.
County board member Delores Oates said they would &#8220;continue to work in good faith on policies that protect our children from sexually explicit material and ensure parents have control over their children’s reading choices.&#8221;
&#8220;We did not cut the budget. This action allows the library time to present its proposed policies to their board for approval and provides accountability for all of us to come to a resolution,&#8221; Oates said.
The Clean Up Samuels list of objectionable books <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRzUaZiy2h4gi-c_4vMb0ngZQHCSdgUaob5PfDqfsWmQomGeG7TlCq6GV9KwiaCdJx98c47MIkdtGgh/pub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes</a> “It’s Perfectly Normal,” This Book Is Gay,” “This Is Why They Hate Us,” “Two Boys Kissing,” “She Gets The Girl,” “They Both Die At The End,” and “Anatomy Of A Single Girl,” among others.
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The group has three demands — first, remove the &#8220;pornographic&#8221; books in the children’s section, second, cut ties with the American Library Association and change library policy to acquire only age-appropriate materials (including accountability for library personnel who violate the policy), and third, replace the current library leadership, who have “violated public trust.”
Before she resigned, Ross previously told The Daily Wire that 134 titles are under review, some of which are on the Clean Up Samuels list.
“The options for reconsideration are to retain, relocate, or remove the material in question,” Ross said in a June email.
In the meantime, the library has taken several smaller steps to address parents&#8217; concerns. Last month, the library <a href="https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/samuels-library-director-resigns-amid-controversy-over-banning-books/article_c838e016-a833-5e59-b426-6f1f94d3eccc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it would introduce new library cards that allow parents to restrict which sections their children can access as well as a “new adult” section for readers 16 and up.
Front Royal is home to Christendom College, a tiny Catholic liberal arts school. Many graduates stay in the area and start families. The town is also the headquarters of Seton Home Study School, a Catholic-accredited homeschool distance school that enrolls thousands of homeschool students.

Connecticut School District Prepares Classrooms For Hybrid Learning

Virginia Library Director Resigns After Parents Called For Defunding Over ‘Pornographic’ Children’s Books

Children

Education

Pornography

U.S.

Virginia

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Brandon Drey contributed to this report.

Kirk Cameron

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

Alabama

General

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.
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🚨 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

Drag Queens

Social Issues

A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas law that would have hit librarians with criminal charges if they provided &#8220;harmful&#8221; books to children.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-blocks-arkansas-law-banning-librarians-exposing-minors-harmful-material" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a preliminary injunction Saturday against the law.
The new <a href="https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FACT372.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> would have made it a Class A misdemeanor for libraries to knowingly provide a child with any “harmful” material, punishable in Arkansas by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Arkansas law <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2020/title-5/subtitle-6/chapter-68/subchapter-5/section-5-68-501/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defines</a> &#8220;harmful to minors&#8221; as containing nudity or sexual content, appeals to &#8220;a prurient interest in sex to minors,&#8221; lacks &#8220;serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value for minors,&#8221; and is considered &#8220;offensive&#8221; to show to children by current community standards.
The judge&#8217;s injunction said the law “would permit, if not encourage, library committees and local governmental bodies to make censorship decisions based on content or viewpoint,” violating the First Amendment.
He noted that providing children with obscene material is already illegal in Arkansas. Previously though, libraries <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2020/title-5/subtitle-6/chapter-68/subchapter-3/section-5-68-308/#:~:text=(c)%20No%20employee%2C%20director,is%20claimed%20to%20be%20obscene." target="_blank" rel="noopener">were protected</a> from criminal charges for handing out obscene material if they were &#8220;acting within the scope of his or her regular employment.&#8221;
The judge also said the definition of “harmful” materials was vague.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed the measure in March, and the law was set to take effect on Tuesday.
The Central Arkansas Library System as well as the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, and several local libraries filed a lawsuit over the law last month.
The plaintiffs said the law would put libraries and booksellers in the impossible position of figuring out how to prevent minors from seeing adult material or face criminals charges and fines.
The plaintiffs also took issue with the part of the law that says that any person &#8220;affected&#8221; by material may challenge the &#8220;appropriateness&#8221; of the material in the library.
After the judge&#8217;s decision, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/07/29/libraries-books-bans-arkansas/4ee8cb88-2e56-11ee-a948-a5b8a9b62d84_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> his office would be &#8220;reviewing the judge&#8217;s opinion and will continue to vigorously defend the law.&#8221;
The ACLU of Arkansas, which represented some of the plaintiffs, hailed the judge&#8217;s Saturday decision, saying the law would have would have jeopardized the First Amendment rights of all Arkansas residents.
&#8220;It’s regrettable that we even have to question whether our constitutional rights are still respected today. The question we had to ask was — do Arkansans still legally have access to reading materials?&#8221; ACLU of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said.
In recent years, children&#8217;s material in libraries as well as school curricula has become a hot button issue for parents who say inappropriate content is within arm&#8217;s reach for their children.
Last month, hundreds of parents and others in Virginia packed into a county Board of Supervisors meeting to protest dozens of children’s books in the Front Royal public library they said contain inappropriate sexual content.
Parents at school board meetings across the country have <a href="https://katv.com/news/nation-world/mom-confronts-north-carolina-school-board-over-vulgar-library-books-wake-county-public-system-asheville-city-schools-what-girls-are-made-of-elana-arnold-john-amanchukwu-pastor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shown up</a> at school board meetings to protest inappropriate books in their children&#8217;s school libraries, sometimes even <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_j44BXqcaA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reading</a> obscene passages from the books to get their point across.

Blair Faces Mounting Revolt in Top-Up Fees Row

Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Ban On Librarians Giving Children ‘Harmful’ Books

Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Ban On Librarians Giving Children 'Harmful' Books

Gender

The Montana State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/library">Library</a> Commission voted Tuesday to cut all ties with the American Library Association (ALA), saying they cannot associate with a group led by a self-described &#8220;Marxist.&#8221;
Five commissioners <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2023/07/12/montana-state-library-commission-votes-to-withdraw-from-national-association/">voted</a> in favor of withdrawing from the ALA, while one commissioner, Brian Rossmann, voted &#8220;no&#8221; and another, Peggy Taylor, abstained.
During a meeting last month, the commission took issue with Emily Drabinski, the new president of the American Library Association, tweeting that she is a &#8220;Marxist lesbian&#8221; last year.
&#8220;l just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity!&#8221; Drabinski tweeted back in April 2022.
&#8220;And my mom is so proud. I love you mom,&#8221; she added.
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BREAKING: The Montana State Library Commission just officially voted to break all ties with the American Library Association over the fact that they elected a self described &quot;marxist lesbian&quot; as their president. 
They are the first state to separate from the ALA. <a href="https://t.co/AS77PQ4eN6">pic.twitter.com/AS77PQ4eN6</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1678822094723858432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The commission wrote to the ALA announcing their &#8220;immediate separation.&#8221;
&#8220;Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist,&#8221; the commission wrote in its letter.
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Drabinski was elected to lead the ALA in April last year, when she posted the tweet, but she did not take office until this month. On Tuesday, she reacted to the Montana State Library Commission&#8217;s decision in a short tweet.
&#8220;That is not the Montana — or Montanans — I know,&#8221; Drabinski tweeted.
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That is not the Montana—or Montanans—I know.
&mdash; Emily Drabinski (@edrabinski) <a href="https://twitter.com/edrabinski/status/1678840073851207680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The commission held a public comment period on the ALA issue before the vote to withdraw. Both those who supported staying with the ALA and those who supported severing ties wrote in to express their opinion.
One Montana librarian who said he has been involved in the library system for nearly 25 years urged the commission to leave the ALA, according to <a href="https://ftpaspen.msl.mt.gov/EventResources/20230710154132_24756.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documents</a> from the commission.
&#8220;I have watched my profession go from honorable to shameful,&#8221; the librarian wrote. &#8220;Libraries all over the country and within Montana have shifted from serving communities to serving power. I am in full awareness that the reason for this shift aligns with the new ALA president’s expertise in critical pedagogy,&#8221; which he called &#8220;hatred shielded within compassion.&#8221;
He specifically mentioned Drag Queen Story Hour as <a href="https://www.ala.org/advocacy/libraries-respond-drag-queen-story-hour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an example</a> of the ALA&#8217;s toxic influence on local libraries.
The proposal to withdraw from the ALA was <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2023/07/12/montana-state-library-commission-votes-to-withdraw-from-national-association/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put forward</a> at last month&#8217;s meeting by Commissioner Tom Burnett, who was appointed by Governor Greg Gianforte, a Republican. Burnett also drafted the language of the letter to the ALA.
Commissioner and Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, a Republican, supported the decision to withdraw but said they could potentially consider joining the ALA again next year.
“I believe we can rebuild. I believe that we can reauthorize later if indeed, after a year’s time, the American Library Association has a different leader or a different path,” Arntzen said at the June 22 meeting.
Libraries have become a flashpoint in the culture debate over the last few years, with conservatives sounding the alarm about inappropriate children&#8217;s content, such as sexually explicit books, available in school libraries as well as public libraries.
Last month, hundreds of Catholic parents and others <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-parents-call-to-defund-public-library-over-pornographic-childrens-books-at-county-board-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">packed</a> into a Warren County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors meeting to protest dozens of children’s books in the Front Royal public library they say contain inappropriate sexual content.

C-Level Stack Of Books At Eisenhower Library

Montana State Library Commission Votes To Cut Ties With American Library Association Over ‘Marxist Lesbian’ President

Montana State Library Commission Votes To Cut Ties With American Library Association Over 'Marxist Lesbian' President

Woke Culture

Wokeness

Hundreds of Catholic parents and others packed into a Warren County, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virginia</a>, Board of Supervisors meeting last week to protest dozens of children&#8217;s books in the Front Royal public library they say contain <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inappropriate</a> sexual content.
Nearly three dozen speakers <a href="https://royalexaminer.com/library-defunding-book-removal-advocates-samuels-library-defenders-clash-on-d-day-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for defunding the Samuels Public Library in Front Royal if a list of 34 &#8220;pornographic&#8221; children&#8217;s books remain on the shelves.
Many parents from the area&#8217;s robust Catholic community spoke during the public comment portion of the June 6 board <a href="https://warrencountyva.new.swagit.com/videos/233312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting</a>.
&#8220;This is not literature. This is smut,&#8221; one Front Royal dad <a href="https://warrencountyva.new.swagit.com/videos/233312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the board after reading an excerpt about anal sex from a book, titled &#8220;This Book Is Gay.&#8221;
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A mom who just had her first baby says she will be going to libraries soon with her child.
She calls for removing the sexually explicit children&#39;s books from the Front Royal library. <a href="https://t.co/JCQ9rvWEND">pic.twitter.com/JCQ9rvWEND</a>
&mdash; Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonHildy/status/1668720745474670595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A mom told the board that &#8220;sexually explicit content read during the wrong stage of development can do so much damage to a child&#8217;s psyche.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if you have children, but raising a family takes a village. The library should not be the enemy of the family, but its ally,&#8221; the mom said.
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An older man who spoke at the meeting called the content of the controversial books &#8220;disgusting.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not just about what we allow our own children to see and read and experience,&#8221; the man said. &#8220;The stuff that goes into the culture is an effluent that affects everybody. You wouldn&#8217;t let people put the poison in the river or into our air.&#8221;
One local Catholic father sarcastically asked the board to increase the library&#8217;s funding with &#8220;the goal of finding more artistic depictions of human sexuality.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m sure we can find pop-up books that we can put in the younger sections to get them started earlier,&#8221; the father said.
Some speakers disagreed and <a href="https://royalexaminer.com/library-defunding-book-removal-advocates-samuels-library-defenders-clash-on-d-day-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for continuing to fund the library with the controversial books still on the shelves.
The board is expected to vote Tuesday evening on the new county budget for fiscal year 2023, which includes library funding.
Front Royal is home to Christendom College, a tiny Catholic liberal arts school. Many graduates stay in the area and start families. The town is also the headquarters of Seton Home Study School, a Catholic-accredited homeschool distance school that enrolls thousands of homeschool students.
One local Catholic mother, a Christendom graduate who is expecting her first child and attended the board meeting, told The Daily Wire that &#8220;the first priority is to get rid of the graphic &#8216;sex-ed&#8217; books.&#8221;
&#8220;A lot of people argue that parents should be watching their kids every moment, but kids are curious and can pick up a book quickly and see things they are too young to see,&#8221; the mom said.
The mother cited author Robie H. Harris, whose book, &#8220;It&#8217;s Perfectly Normal,&#8221; aimed at pre-teens, includes cartoon pictures of couples — including same-sex couples — naked in different sex positions. The book also discusses masturbation and abortion.
&#8220;Ideally, funding the library is important, but a sense of decency is owed the community before funding is owed to the library,&#8221; the mom said.
Colleen DeLaFleur, a mom who spoke at the meeting, told The Daily Wire that it is &#8220;appropriate&#8221; for public institutions to place age restrictions on developmentally inappropriate things, as they do for alcohol, cigarettes, and R-rated movies.
&#8220;Suddenly, however, I&#8217;m being called a Nazi for not wanting pornographic content for my child to stumble across in our taxpayer funded library. How did we get here?&#8221; she said.
&#8220;I think this is a moment in history where we need to wake up, stand up, and protect our children who deserve to have at least a few years of innocence before attempting to navigate our increasingly confusing culture,&#8221; DeLaFleur said.
A group called Clean Up Samuels, a grassroots coalition of concerned parents and residents, first brought attention to the 34 children&#8217;s books the group says are sexually inappropriate.
Their list of objectionable books <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRzUaZiy2h4gi-c_4vMb0ngZQHCSdgUaob5PfDqfsWmQomGeG7TlCq6GV9KwiaCdJx98c47MIkdtGgh/pub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes</a> &#8220;It&#8217;s Perfectly Normal,&#8221; This Book Is Gay,&#8221; &#8220;This Is Why They Hate Us,&#8221; &#8220;Two Boys Kissing,&#8221; &#8220;She Gets The Girl,&#8221; &#8220;They Both Die At The End,&#8221; and &#8220;Anatomy Of A Single Girl,&#8221; among others.
The group has three demands — first, remove the pornographic books in the children&#8217;s section, second, cut ties with the American Library Association and change library policy to acquire only age-appropriate materials (including accountability for library personnel who violate the policy), and third, replace the current library leadership, who have &#8220;violated public trust.&#8221;
&#8220;It is vital that we do not allow our children to be indoctrinated through publicly funded pornography under the guise of education,&#8221; Thomas Hinnant, a representative for Clean Up Samuels, told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;No adult who threatens the innocence of children should be allowed to work around children or in our library ever again,&#8221; Clean Up Samuels <a href="https://www.cleanupsamuels.com/press-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> on its website. &#8220;We stress that this is not about banning books, but rather an assertion of our rights as taxpayers. Anyone interested in these books can purchase them with their personal funds.&#8221;
The group said it is &#8220;deeply heartened&#8221; by how the board meeting went.
The director of Samuels Public Library, Michelle Ross, said some of the books on the Clean Up Samuels list are currently under review.
&#8220;There are 134 titles under review, some are on the list and some are not,&#8221; Ross told The Daily Wire in an email.
&#8220;The options for Reconsideration are to retain, relocate, or remove the material in question,&#8221; Ross said.
Members of the Board of Supervisors did not respond to a request for comment.

Child read a book at an airport bookstore

Virginia Parents Call To Defund Public Library Over ‘Pornographic’ Children’s Books At County Board Meeting

Virginia Parents Call To Defund Public Library Over 'Pornographic' Children's Books At County Board Meeting

Catholic

LGBT

LGBTQ

Transgender

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-d-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D.C. Public Library</a> system will hold a “Children’s Pride Parade” on Saturday that will be open to ages “0-18,” according to a flier from the event. 
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parade</a> will be a “celebration of diversity and inclusion, particularly the diversity of gender and sexuality,” according to a flier from the library first obtained <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/06/01/dc-library-to-host-childrens-pride-parade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by The Daily Signal</a>. The event is being hosted by the Georgetown, Palisades, and Tenley branches of the D.C. Public Library. 
“The parade is for LGBTQ kids and families, signaling that their community supports them,” said media relations manager George Williams. “The event does not require registration, so we do not have an estimate of how many people will attend. The program will not include any speakers.”
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NEW: DC Public Library will host a Children’s Pride Parade this weekend &quot;for ALL kids to signal that their community supports them being themselves, regardless of their gender or sexuality.&quot; 
One of the parade&#39;s themes: ‘Be-YOU-tiful!&#39;<a href="https://t.co/80jPvyL77R">https://t.co/80jPvyL77R</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1664366946416984067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The parade is for ALL kids to signal that their community supports them being themselves, regardless of their gender or sexuality,” a notice for the parade says. “One of the parade themes is ‘Be-YOU-tiful!’ For LGBTQ kids, kids who want to be allies, and kids who haven’t figured that all out yet, the parade will signal that their families, school and community joyfully accept their full identity — whatever that may be.  We want this to be an event for every family, not just ones that already know they have members that are LGBTQIA+.&#8221;
According to the flier, many kids are “coming out” at younger ages. “A Pride event especially for kids, many of whom are coming out at younger ages,” a section of the flier under “goals” reads. 
It is also described as “an opportunity for local schools and community groups to show they support LGBTQ youth and families.” 
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Other events advertised by the library system <a href="https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/8337617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> a storytime with Chasten Buttigieg for “adults of all ages, parents, and kids” to hear him discuss “his experience coming out and his journey to finding acceptance and self-love; and how to support younger generations.”
The discussion, which took place Thursday evening, focused on the young adult adaptation of his memoir “I Have Something To Tell You,” and was hosted by NPR reporter Ari Shapiro. 
The library system will also be <a href="https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/8455681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving</a> out kits to “make a Rainbow Wand to celebrate Pride month!”
The parade comes as children have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/talking-to-kids-about-gay-stuff-is-actually-crucial-meet-the-lgbtq-content-creators-and-companies-indoctrinating-your-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increasingly exposed</a> to LGBT content, including at schools, libraries, and in entertainment.

guy’s hand with a tattoo at the gay pride event

Washington, D.C., Library Holding ‘Children’s Pride Parade’ For Those ‘0-18’

Washington, D.C., Library Holding 'Children's Pride Parade' For Those '0-18'

Pride Month

Washington D.C.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/library" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Library Association</a> framed recent efforts to remove alleged sexually explicit content from school libraries as a “record number” of attempted “book bans” in two decades.
Material written to show sexually explicit and pornographic images to children have been uncovered in recent years at government school and public libraries, prompting drives from conservative lawmakers and parents to remove the content. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), for instance, recently <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2023/03/08/governor-ron-desantis-debunks-book-ban-hoax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed</a> to remove volumes such as “Let’s Talk About It,” which shows graphic depictions of how children can masturbate, as well as “Gender Queer,” which includes cartoons of homosexual activity.
Officials from the American Library Association nevertheless issued a <a href="https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2023/03/record-book-bans-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> on Wednesday claiming that the number of demands to “censor library books” has nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022. Some 58% of the requests “targeted books and materials in school libraries,” while 41% “targeted materials in public libraries.”
“We’re seeing these challenges come from organized censorship groups that target local library board meetings to demand removal of a long list of books they share on social media,” American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone said in the release. “Their aim is to suppress the voices of those traditionally excluded from our nation’s conversations, such as people in the LGBTQIA+ community or people of color.”
The American Library Association did not mention that the proposed book removals centered on the alleged sexually explicit nature of the materials. The entity has garnered <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-library-association-transgender-gender-queer-comics-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticism</a> for recommending “Gender Queer” and similar content to teenagers who attend public schools.
Legacy media outlets nevertheless framed their reports upon the American Library Association’s interpretation of the events while making little to no mention of the alleged pornographic nature of the content which parents and officials have sought to ban. One <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/23/book-bans-attempts-record-2022-library-association" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> from Axios parroted the organization’s contention that the “vast majority of the targeted books were written by or were about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color,” while another <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/books/book-ban-2022.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> from the New York Times said that the books “have become a proxy in a broader culture war over issues like LGBTQ rights, gender identity and racial inequality.”
As Republican officials in conservative states seek to remove sexualized content from shelves, prominent Democrats have likewise interpreted the controversy as a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-books-should-be-in-the-library-jill-biden-takes-shot-at-parents-concerned-about-inappropriate-books-in-school-libraries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threat</a> to free expression. “All books should be in the library,” first lady Jill Biden declared in a recent interview. “All books. This is America. We don’t ban books.”
Parents who voice concern over sexual content to their school boards, however, are frequently censored or punished with other sanctions. Stacy Langton, whose children attend Fairfax High School in Virginia, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-mother-who-exposed-pornographic-reading-material-in-curriculum-barred-from-entering-high-school-library" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> that she could no longer enter the school’s library after she made national news for reading several sexually explicit books available to students in front of school board members.
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Social justice activism in the education system occurs as an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-the-right-to-homeschooling-under-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unprecedented</a> number of families removed their children from public schools in response to nationwide lockdowns, which granted parents an intimate look at their children’s educational environments. Homeschool enrollment grew 30% between the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 school years, according to a recent <a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/Where%20the%20Kids%20Went-%20Nonpublic%20Schooling%20and%20Demographic%20Change%20during%20the%20Pandemic%20Exodus%20from%20Public%20Schools_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> published by the Urban Institute, showing that the move toward home education persisted even after government schools returned to conventional instruction.

California Superintendent Of Public Instruction Celebrates Donations Of LGBTQ+ Books To School Libraries

Library Group Frames Removal Of Graphic Sexual Content From School Libraries As ‘Record Number’ Of ‘Book Bans’

Library Group Frames Removal Of Sexual Content From Libraries As 'Record Number' Of 'Book Bans'

Public Schools

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