Of the 54 public libraries contacted with requests to allow a story hour with actor Kirk Cameron, featuring his faith-based book “As You Grow,” only two will allow him to rent space in their facilities. Even then, it was out of fear of facing “legal and financial consequences,” one library said.
Cameron will host story hour events to read his book on Dec. 29 at Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis and on Dec. 30 at Scarsdale Public Library in Scarsdale, New York.
‘Against Their Core Beliefs’
Cameron’s publisher, Brave Books, reached out to 54 publicly-funded libraries that have hosted a “Drag Queen Story Hour,” hoping to schedule a reading of Cameron’s book, “As You Grow,“ described as a ”fun story with brilliant art that teaches the Biblical truths of the Fruit of the Spirit.”
“We wanted to see if they’re principled, believing all voices should be heard,” Trent Talbot, president of Brave Books, told The Epoch Times. “Or is this strictly ideological, and these libraries have been co-opted into being political and ideological instruments of the left.”
“We didn’t ask them to sponsor a story hour. We just asked for permission to rent a room, which should be easy to get,” Talbot said, adding that it wasn’t until later that they found out these libraries were actually sponsoring the “Drag Queen Story Hour” events. “They either didn’t respond to our request or they actively said faith-based book readings went against their core beliefs in the library.”
“That was stage one,” Talbot said. “Stage two was when Kirk issued an ultimatum to two libraries—one in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the other in Scarsdale, New York—saying, ‘You’re breaking the law by not allowing me to hold a story hour in your library, and either you cave and allow me to read books or I’m going to file a lawsuit.’”
“As I understand from my publisher, your strategic plan for author visits includes a push for ‘authors of color,’” Cameron wrote to the library. He also expressed his surprise to learn how the library—while claiming to be “committed to inclusivity”—made the decision to exclude him based on his skin color and the religious beliefs expressed in his book.
‘We Are Not Interested in This Program’
The Epoch Times contacted the Indianapolis Public Library, asking if they were hosting Cameron’s event at their facility.“No,” said the employee who answered the phone. “They booked a room here to have an event. We didn’t book a story hour.”
Asked why a publicly-funded library would not provide the same courtesy of promoting Cameron’s event as they did for “Drag Queen Story Hour,” the employee said the staff were “not allowed to talk about that.” She then provided an email address, which employees were told to give to anyone asking questions regarding the matter.
The Indianapolis Public Library did not respond to an email requesting comment.
The Library Statements
The first statement, dated Dec. 15, describes the interactions with Scarsdale Public Library as Cameron and his publisher and public relations company made efforts to schedule a story hour.“Thank you for thinking of us,“ the library director replied, ”but we are not interested in this program.”
A week later, Bermel received a letter in the mail from Cameron, “requesting to rent the Scott Room.” She replied with information regarding room reservations. As of Dec. 14, the statement said that “neither Mr. Cameron nor his representatives have completed the form to reserve the room.”
“Granting permission to use these rooms does not constitute an approval or endorsement of any individual or group by the Library, the Library Board of Trustees, or the Village of Scarsdale,” the statement concludes.
The second statement, dated Dec. 19, said Brave Books had submitted a request on Dec. 16 for a room rental. It was then made clear that “the event is not a library-sponsored program, but rather a meeting room rental, that cannot be rejected based upon political or religious content under the First Amendment.”
- A library-initiated or sponsored event is organized and promoted by library staff.
- A meeting room rental is when a group or individual submits an application and pays a fee to reserve a meeting room for their own purposes.
‘Very Encouraged’
While Cameron understands that there are “certain values being put forward in public schools and public libraries” that are the antithesis of the values upon which America was built, he said he is “very encouraged” that the two libraries he sent letters to “reversed course.”“We’re 2-for-2,” Cameron told The Epoch Times. “So that’s encouraging.”
Cameron then spoke of “the waking giant” he believes is “waking up,” consisting of parents, grandparents, libraries, ministers, and concerned patriots who “want to get off the defense and get on the offense and do something.”
In a world “full of drug overdoses, school shootings, and cyberbullying,” Cameron believes people are starting to gravitate toward messages that teach “self-control, kindness, and faithfulness.” He sees them being emboldened “to fight for the culture they want for their children rather than just complaining about the culture others are creating for their children.”
To Cameron, this demonstrates how the mainstream media and the entertainment industry “is completely out of touch” with the values held by the majority of Americans. He also suggested that events like “Drag Queen Story Hour” are “a takeover of values that ultimately sever the root of a free Republic like ours to grow.”
Ultimately, Cameron said he is grateful to have an opportunity to share his book and its values “to a community that may not be exposed to these kinds of values and to children who could really use these kinds of values.”
The aspect that Cameron finds interesting regarding the rejections, based on a rejection of a religious component, is that his book “doesn’t even contain a Bible verse. It doesn’t even contain the word ‘God.’” Without mention of the Bible or a verse, his book tells the story of “the Fruit of the Spirit” found in the Book of Galatians, which consists of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.”
Libraries Were ‘Expecting Us to Back Down’
While Cameron accepts that some will never accept his book because it doesn’t embrace “woke” culture, Talbot sees it as little more than another example of cancel culture.“I think they were just expecting us to back down and to go our own way when they said no,” Talbot said.
Despite the efforts of both libraries to downplay the events, Talbot said they anticipate a lot of attention.
“Based on what we’ve been hearing from people in those communities, this is going to be a very lively event,” Talbot said. “We’re expecting a ton of people to come out in support of our mission and our values about teaching Biblical wisdom. But we also expect a lot of people to be protesting. So, it should be fun.”
“The actions of these libraries provide a window into the dark reality that the major institutions in this country have become anti-God, anti-tradition, anti-western culture, and anti-nuclear family,” he said. “They are being used to sexualize our children and to tear down both the church and the faith. It’s a good synopsis of what is plaguing every aspect of our culture.”
Asked about the recent survey showing the majority of Americans do not find “Drag Queen Story Hour” to be appropriate for children, Talbot said he was not surprised.
“It has been 100 percent rejection, except for the two libraries that we threatened with a lawsuit,” Talbot said. “The fact that the vast majority of the people in this country believe that ‘Drag Queen Story Hours’ are sick and an abomination that should be nowhere near our children should tell you something. Public libraries are sponsoring them, promoting them, and paying drag queens to do them, and they won’t even allow a faith-based book to be read in their facility. The discrepancy in how we are being treated signals just how debased institutions have become in this country.”
“Change starts in the home,” Talbot concluded. “We can’t be the generation that gives our children over to this deranged, satanic agenda that is trying to demoralize and sexualize our youth. That should be a red line for all Americans. We can’t be the generation that allows this to happen on our watch.”
