MO Secretary of State threatens DBRL funding over LGBTQ+-themed story time event
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on Friday threatened Daniel Boone Regional Library’s funding over an LGBTQ+-themed event that is set to take place this weekend.
The Columbia Public Library’s “Rainbow Story Time” event is scheduled for 10-10:45 a.m. Saturday in the Children’s Program Room.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway issued a statement on Thursday claiming “residents” had requested her office to make sure the event is “”conducted in a manner consistent with Missouri law.”
Library spokeswoman Mitzi St. John wrote in a Thursday email that the event includes readings of “Rainbowsaurus” and “Big Wig.” St. John wrote that neither book includes sexual content.
“Rainbow Story Time is part of our expanded story time events and is geared toward families. The letter from the AG office does not alter our plans,” St. John wrote in a follow-up statement on Friday.
Hoskins in his statement referred to a law Gov. Mike Kehoe signed earlier this month that requires age verification for pornographic websites.
“Yet this event mocks some of the very protections so many have fought for by exposing toddlers and preschoolers to adult material that is not only inappropriate, but far beyond their level of cognitive development,” Hoskins’ statement says.
Hoskins wrote that if the event does occur, DBRL’s funding will be affected.
“As you know, the State Library falls under the Office of the Secretary of State, and as such, I oversee the administration of significant library grant funding,” the statement says. “Please be advised if this inappropriate endeavor for children takes place, I will do everything in my power to block every dollar of state and federal funding I can from future events at the Daniel Boone Library System.”
St. John told ABC 17 News that the library did not have a comment on Hoskins’ statement.
Daniel Boone Regional Library Workers United, the union that represents DBRL employees, also is aware of Hanaway’s and Hoskins’ statements, saying the office’s influence has not changed their services.
“Our staff and our library are proud to serve an incredible, diverse community. We have always and will always seek ways to meet the needs of our entire community. In turn, our community has shown our library and staff an immense amount of support that we know they will continue,” DBRLWU President Patrick Johnston said in a statement. “Banning books and threatening libraries is not the sign of a healthy polity.”
“Rainbowsaurus” is about two dads and their three children following a rainbow to find the rainbowsaurus. Along the way, they meet animals of all different colors, according to Simon and Schuster’s website.
“Big Wig” is about youth dressing up in drag to compete in a costume competition, and finding confidence in dressing out of the norm, according to Simon and Schuster’s website.
ABC 17 News viewed both books at the library. DBRL also provided social media posts showing the books’ content. Both books can be viewed below.
Charles Hatfield — who is an attorney and former chief of staff for the AG during Jay Nixon’s tenure — tells ABC 17 News Missouri’s pornography laws are purposefully narrow.
“In other words, you can ban pornography, but it has to really be pornography. You can’t just ban books or materials that you don’t like,” Hatfield said.
Under Chapter 573 of the Missouri Constitution, for material to be “pornographic for minors” it must meet all three requirements: cater sexual content to minors or, “cater or appeal to a prurient interest of minors,” clearly show nudity or sexual acts and lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”
“Just reading a book to a minor that might be about different lifestyles or cultures that maybe even all of us disagree with, that’s not pornographic material, that’s First Amendment expression,” Hatfield said.
Hatfield added officials currently cannot stop the reading from happening and can only take action after the fact, such as revoking state funds.
“If the secretary of state does something that the library thinks is inappropriate, the library could go to court and challenge that decision,” Hatfield said. “We’ll have to see what happens on Saturday, but again, given what I’ve read about it, it sounds like the library is not planning to violate the state law on pornographic material.”
ABC 17 News spoke with Columbia resident Rachel Wolpertl, who said she does not agree with the statements from Missouri officials about the contents of the book and said libraries are all-inclusive spaces and they should be kept that way.
“Those books are geared towards full inclusivity. You know, it’s not about sex, it’s about supporting everybody and being a kind, wonderful friend to all people in the world, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, their religious beliefs, everything,” Wolpertl said. “None of those books have any sex themes. So… there’s I don’t know why people would be against reading about being a friend and kind to everybody.”
Wolpertl said parents have the ability to choose what they expose their children too and that the library is providing books for children to learn about their world at their own pace.
“That’s what the library is able to do, is to provide age-appropriate books and resources to children so that they can be exposed to things on their own timeline,” Wolpertl said. “Of course, parents can limit as much as they want to or not expose their children to what they want to do in their own lives, and to what their beliefs are and what their value systems are.
ABC 17 News reached out to Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe for comment. She declined to comment because she said she does not oversee the library.
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