U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is criticizing the American Library Affiliation, claiming it supplied steerage on stopping story hours by a Christian ebook writer whereas selling drag queens.
Rubio contends the ALA has acquired tens of millions of {dollars} in taxpayer funds, together with for the promotion of neighborhood engagement actions round libraries.
Nevertheless, in June, the ALA supplied steerage on methods to forestall story hours held by Courageous Books, a Christian youngsters’s ebook writer, from taking place at libraries, Rubio stated.
“In the meantime, the ALA has continued to advertise inappropriate ‘Drag Queen Story Hours’ that expose minors to sexual subjects,” he added.
Rubio and legislative colleagues despatched a letter to Institute of Museum and Library Providers Director Crosby Kemper demanding an investigation into the ALA’s potential use of taxpayer {dollars} to silence Courageous Books. Rubio referred to as it a possible violation of the First Modification which occurred on the similar time libraries have been selling “Drag Queen Story Hours.”
“As a recipient of federal funds, the ALA is prohibited from utilizing taxpayer {dollars} to violate the First Modification. Nevertheless, it seems the ALA is ignoring this prohibition for the only real function of silencing Courageous Books whereas concurrently additionally advocating for ‘Drag Queen Story Hour,” Rubio stated. “Whereas disagreements pertaining to ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ in public libraries will assuredly proceed, Courageous Books deserves the identical alternative to host and arrange occasions in public libraries as different teams, together with people who the ALA has taken an aggressive position selling.”
The full textual content of the letter is beneath.
Pricey Director Kemper:
We write to induce the Institute of Museum and Library Providers (IMLS) to take swift motion in gentle of the American Library Affiliation’s (ALA) blatant discrimination towards spiritual publishers.
It was lately revealed that the ALA, as a part of their Library 2023 Worldwide Digital Convention, gave steerage on methods to deny the flexibility for people to assemble in public libraries to carry occasions organized by spiritual publishers. Particularly, the ALA is purportedly making an attempt to hinder the flexibility of Courageous Books, a faith-based youngsters’s ebook writer, to entry public libraries to host occasions with mother and father and kids to show children about “religion, hope, and love,” in addition to “pray[ing], sing[ing], and skim[ing] Courageous Books and different books of advantage.”
The ALA claims that Courageous Books seeks to “censor LGBTQIA supplies or disparage or silence LGBTQIA library customers, [and] exploit the open nature of the library to advance their agenda.” On the contrary, the ALA is advancing a political agenda, not Courageous Books. Additional, the ALA is doing so whereas receiving federal funds and actively selling hotly contested occasions in public libraries, together with “Drag Queen Story Hours” – occasions geared toward having scantily and/or exotically clothed adults learn to youngsters with the purpose of introducing them to sexualized subjects. The ALA has a complete web page devoted to “Drag Queen Story Hour,” which features a program session labeled “Studying Fabulously.”
Over the course of a number of many years, the ALA has acquired tens of millions of {dollars} in taxpayer {dollars}. Satirically, the ALA has been given federal funds for “free neighborhood engagement coaching.” As a recipient of federal funds, the ALA is prohibited from utilizing taxpayer {dollars} to violate the First Modification. Nevertheless, it seems the ALA is ignoring this prohibition for the only real function of silencing Courageous Books whereas concurrently additionally advocating for “Drag Queen Story Hour.”
Public libraries should stay open to the general public, and their availability shouldn’t be topic to the political whims of the ALA. Whereas disagreements pertaining to “Drag Queen Story Hour” in public libraries will assuredly proceed, Courageous Books deserves the identical alternative to
host and arrange occasions in public libraries as different teams, together with people who the ALA has taken an aggressive position selling.
The ALA is actively discriminating towards Courageous Books on account of their religion and is seemingly doing so with taxpayer funds. Given the ALA’s blatant acts of discrimination towards Courageous Books, we urge the IMLS to analyze this matter. Additional, we demand that each one present funds, in addition to issues for all future federal funds, to the ALA be instantly halted till such an investigation into the ALA’s conduct has concluded. The ALA shouldn’t be eligible to obtain federal funding ought to an investigation discover that the ALA violated the First Modification rights of Individuals.
Thanks on your consideration to this matter. We look ahead to your immediate response.
