As libraries across the country roll out the red carpet for LGBT activists to host controversial events geared toward young children, conservatives like actor Kirk Cameron have been prohibited from sharing their perspectives.
The parental-rights advocacy group Moms for Liberty organized one such event, which had been set to take place at the Madison Public Library in Alabama. Cameron was on the guest list, as was swimmer Riley Gaines, who has become a prominent voice against allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports.
The event was planned for Saturday but received a last-minute notice from the library that it would no longer offer its facilities, citing concerns about the crowd exceeding its capacity.
“Initially, the organizers of the event reported 20 attendees to library officials,” a press release asserted. “On Tuesday the Library learned that event organizers are now expecting over 300 people, a number that far exceeds any meeting room capacity within the Huntsville-Madison County Library System.”
The library claimed that it received input from local law enforcement and fire officials who “recommended that the event be held at an alternate location.”
Moms for Liberty did not take the rejection lying down, however, and retained legal representation from First Liberty Institute’s Jeremy Dys, who argued that the library “abruptly canceled” the event after learning that Cameron and Gaines would be attending.
BREAKING: We just sent a letter asking the Madison Public Library to reschedule the Christian story hour event with our client, @KirkCameron and @BraveBooksUS. Discriminating against religious groups is ILLEGAL. They deserve equal treatment. https://t.co/KDXkZdjAn5
— First Liberty Institute (@1stLiberty) August 3, 2023
“We write to inform you that, should you persist in the cancellation of this event, you will have engaged in unlawful and unconstitutional religious viewpoint and content discrimination,” Dys added. “We, therefore, request that you respond by Noon Friday, August 4, 2023, confirming Brave Books and Mr. Cameron may utilize the Madison Public Library to host the ‘See You at the Library’ event on Saturday, August 5, 2023. Should you refuse, we are prepared to vindicate this violation of our client’s civil rights in court.”
Cameron has staged a tour of public libraries in coordination with the release of his children’s book “As You Grow” and addressed the backlash he has received as well as the perceived importance for his book’s message during an interview earlier this year.
“There are many people who are so busy raising their families, going to work — they love this country and they see the values in the country deteriorating and the politics getting corrupted,” he said. “And I’ve wondered, Well, where is the line when people will finally say, ‘Enough. No more’? And it seems like that line is drawn very clearly at the hearts and minds of their children, especially the little ones.”
