Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron has a new Christian children’s book, but he’s not allowed to participate in story hours at publicly funded community libraries that also host similar events for drag queens.
It is common for community libraries to run story hour programs for children and parents that correspond with the launch of a new book.
In recent years, libraries have come under fire for promoting drag queens and other LGBTQ+-focused story hours for young children. Now it seems to be the case that those same libraries, which are largely funded by taxpayers, have decided that there is no room on their programming lists for more traditional and faith-based titles.
Cameron’s book, As You Grow, “teaches biblical wisdom and the value of producing the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, self-control,” according to the author.
Actor Kirk Cameron with his Christian children’s book As You Grow published by Texas-based Brave Books
Cameron and his publisher have been turned down or ignored by more than 50 public libraries in the US offering a story time to promote the new title.
Most of these libraries, including the Rhode Island Rochambeau Library (pictured), host LGBTQ+-friendly story hours, but have rejected Cameron’s Christianity-themed book.
Cameron is a married father of six children, four of whom are adopted. He has recently spoken out about parts of the left-wing establishment trying to indoctrinate children as soon as possible with progressive ideology.
Several months ago, he spoke out against America’s public school systems, which he said had been taken over by radical progressives who want to teach children lessons on critical race theory and gender ideology. little ones.
“It’s sad to say that they’re doing more for grooming, sexual mayhem and the progressive left than any real education on the things most of us want to teach our kids,” he said during a promotion for his film, The Homeschool Awakening. .
Now, he’s working with conservative children’s book publisher Brave Books, which produces “pro-God, pro-America, anti-awakening values.”
Brave Books told Fox News that it had been denied a story hour slot at several libraries explicitly because of Cameron’s book ideology.
In Providence, Rhode Island, the Rochambeau Public Library told the publisher over the phone, “No, we will stop having a program in our space.”
‘We are a very gay-friendly library. Our messages do not align,” added the library employee.
When asked about filling out the paperwork to request a story hour, the clerk said, “You can fill out the form to reserve space, to run the show in our space, but we won’t run your show.”
The Rochambeau Public Library regularly hosts a program it calls “Queer Umbrella,” which is a “club and safe space where teens can learn, discuss, and connect about queer history, art, community resources, and more,” according to its website. It is available to all members of the LGBTQ+ community over the age of 12.
The San Diego Public Library told Brave that story time As You Grow is probably not “something we would do.”
“Because of how diverse our community is, I don’t know how many people you’d get,” the library representative said.
The library, however, hosts a book club for queer teens and a variety of other ‘LGBTQIA events’.
The San Lorenzo Public Library in Alameda County, California, is another location that told Brave they were “not interested” in his book.
That library recently hosted a legal clinic for people interested in “completing name and gender marker change court paperwork and updating identity documents such as CA birth certificates, driver’s licenses/IDs, passports, and Social Security cards.”
The event was part of his ‘Every Month Is Pride Month Series’ series.
The San Lorenzo Public Library made headlines over the summer when its Drag Queen Story Hour was interrupted by five men who were described as members of the far-right organization Proud Boy.
Cameron’s new book, As You Grow, has been turned down for story hours at several public libraries across the country, many of which host LGBTQ-focused events like drag queen story hours and legal workshops on changing the world. legal name and gender.
Drag Queen Story Hour at the San Lorenzo Public Library in California, where Brave was told there was no interest in him hosting a story hour, but where a legal clinic recently opened for people interested in “filling out court paperwork for name and gender marker change”. held
Trent Talbot, CEO of Brave Books, said, “It is devastating to discover that many of our publicly funded libraries have now become centers of indoctrination refusing to allow Biblical wisdom to be taught to our children.”
The Indianapolis Public Library said Cameron’s book did not fit into its “strategic plan” to promote “diverse” authors.
‘Generally, when we have author visits, they are coordinated through our departments. We really have a push. We have a strategic plan, so we really look for authors who are diverse. colored authors. That’s really been our focus,” is what an employee told Brave Books.
When the Texas-based publisher noted that Cameron’s book contributes to a diversity of ideas, they were told that the library is “focusing on racial equity.”
Responding to his inability to be reserved in more than 50 libraries approached by Brave, Kirk said: “This is proof that more than ever, we are being destroyed in the battle for the hearts and minds of our children.” .
‘Publicly funded libraries are giving the green light to ‘gender marker and name change clinics’ while denying a story time that would involve reading a book that teaches Biblical wisdom. How much clearer can it be?
“We have to start fighting back, or we will lose our children and this country,” he said.
Brent Talbot, executive director of Brave, said it is “devastating to discover that many of our publicly funded libraries have now become centers of indoctrination that refuse to allow Biblical wisdom to be taught to our children.”
“The awakened left understands that morality is instilled at the age of 10, and they want their morality to win, not the morality that the Bible teaches,” he added.
Although Cameron and Brave say they will continue to push the title among the roughly 9,000 public libraries in the United States, the start of their effort has been a series of disappointments.
Public libraries are mainly funded by local governments. A very small portion of the library’s funding comes from the federal government, grants, and donations.
In general, public funding is doled out by local government and is generated by tax dollars, library fines, parking tickets, and other ways the city or municipality generates revenue.
