It’s already bad enough that the government is actively involved in censorship. The fact that we are paying for it makes it even worse. We have already seen, thanks to the House Judiciary Committee, that the federal government is paying private entities to censor content online that is not state-approved. But the authoritarian left isn’t only trying to silence people in the digital space; they are also doing so in real life – and we are footing the bill for it.
Actor, author, and Christian activist Kirk Cameron and authors with Brave Books are leading the Brave Books Freedom Island Tour, visiting libraries across the United States to hold story hours promoting values like honor, loyalty, friendship, faith, and love. However, the American Library Association (ALA) is opposing their plans for a nationwide event on August 5, accusing them of seeking to “censor LGBTQA library materials” and exploit public libraries to advance their agenda.
The ALA director, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, suggested ways to prevent interested citizens from hosting Brave Books story hours, sparking controversy and accusations of suppression and censorship.
As RedState’s Jennifer O’Connell reported:
In the tweet, Brave Books includes a snippet of Caldwell-Stone’s presentation which they obtained from that conference. Director Caldwell-Stone pretty much recommends options on how to prevent interested citizens from hosting a Brave Books story hour because Cameron and Brave Books seek to “censor LGBTQA library materials,” and that such an event seeks to “exploit the open nature of a public library to advance their agenda.”
The American Library Association (ALA), a taxpayer-funded organization responsible for promoting libraries and library education, has shown blatant political bias and censorship. In fact, you, the taxpayer, paid about $211 million to this organization that thinks folks like us should be silenced.
Yet, this same organization proudly supports Drag Queen Story Hour, where men dressed as women read stories to young kids at libraries. The ALA has been highly supportive of these events. While proponents argue that DQSH promotes inclusivity and diversity, others like myself contend that it exposes children to sexualized content at an inappropriate age. Despite the concerns raised, the ALA has shown no hesitancy in endorsing and facilitating such events, which align with progressive ideas.
In contrast to its support for DQSH, the ALA has taken a hostile approach toward the Brave Books Freedom Island Tour, featuring actor and author Kirk Cameron. The tour aims to promote values such as honor, loyalty, friendship, faith, and love through story hours held in libraries across the nation. However, the ALA accuses Brave Books of seeking to censor LGBTQA library materials and actively works to prevent them from reading to children. This selective opposition to conservative views while supporting progressive ideologies indicates a clear bias on the part of the ALA.
The ALA’s actions raise significant concerns from a free speech perspective. Libraries are meant to serve as bastions of intellectual freedom, offering a diverse range of ideas and perspectives for patrons to explore. However, by actively working against conservative voices like Brave Books and Kirk Cameron, the ALA undermines the principles of intellectual diversity and free expression. It is clear the organization has an agenda, and it has nothing to do with the free expression of ideas. The fact that they are operating in this manner while being funded by money that has been taken from taxpayers makes their actions even more egregious.
Since folks on the right are in a boycotting mood as of late, perhaps we should add libraries that kowtow to this authoritarianism to the list. Perhaps your local government’s board of directors or library commission should start hearing from residents if the library engages in this type of censorship. This won’t stop until we the people are willing to speak up.
