One in Newark was to offer a number of LGBT-themed activities, including a drag makeup tutorial. It was cancelled yesterday after a powerful state lawmaker waded into the controversy, issuing a stern letter condemning it.
Another in Delaware County aimed to teach young people about the artistic elements of drag performance. That library scratched its event from its schedule late last month after it said it received threats related to the class.
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican who represents Newark and surrounding areas, got wind of that library’s event and yesterday issued an open letter blasting the scheduled class.
“When I was first informed our public libraries were being used to teach teenage boys how to become drag queens, I thought it was a joke,” Householder wrote. “But the joke is apparently on taxpayers, who fund our libraries. This is a stunningly bizarre breach of the public trust. And it must stop.”
That event put on by the Licking County Library System and called “A Universe of Stories — Galaxy of Diversity” was to be held after hours and was funded by a local pride group. The system cancelled the event after Householder’s letter, saying misinformation about its intent and content had grown too hard to control.
“We have learned that several people felt this was some sort of Drag Queen training workshop,” the library said in a statement shared on social media. “This was not the case, but never the less, we have decided to cancel. We appreciate the discussion and comments we received and regret the enormous amount of misinformation that has occurred the last two days. Thank you.”
The Newark Ohio Pride Coalition, which was funding the event, issued its own statement.
“We are also interested in our local library using public resources to support their robust programming,” the coalition wrote in a statement. “With that in mind, we decided to fully fund this program for the teenagers in our community, rather than expecting the Licking County Library to do so.”
The coalition challenged Householder to “respect the civil liberties of Newark, Ohio’s residents” and “take the time to gather accurate facts, prior to issuing a factually inaccurate response to a program hosted by and for our community.”
It’s not the only event to get cancelled after controversy. An hour-long class for ages 12-17 called “Drag 101” was scheduled for June 5 at a branch of the Delaware County District Library. The library says several teens had requested a class focused on the theatrical craft of drag performances.
Selena T. West, a well-known drag queen from Columbus, was to be the instructor for the workshop.
But library director George Needham announced May 29 that the event was canceled after the library received threatening messages, some from outside the area.
Needham said the event also received a lot of support after attention around it started growing late last month. The tough decision to cancel, however, was made due to concerns about safety.
“Our hearts overflowed with the stories people told us,” Needham said in a statement. “Stories that said they wished a program like this had been offered when they were a teen living in Delaware County. Stories from parents and grandparents who said they were proud to live in a community with a library that supported them and their children. Stories from teens who would attend the program and are excited for the library’s offerings of inclusive and diverse programming.
“However, there were also some hostile and angry messages,” the statement continues. “A small number of those messages appeared to threaten the safety of our staff, our patrons, Selena and the teens and caregivers for whom we strive to provide a safe space.”
West says the program isn’t about sex or sexuality, but about the history and theatrical aspects of drag from the literary cannon up to contemporary popular culture.
West has rescheduled the event at a privately owned bookstore nearby called Secret Identity Comics. It will take place June 5 at 2 p.m.
Drag events in public libraries have inflamed controversy in other states as well.
The American Library Association, the professional organization representing libraries and librarians, has in the past strongly defended public libraries’ rights to hold events like the ones scheduled in Licking and Delaware Counties.
Last year, the group came out in strong support of “Drag Storytime” events in which drag queens read children’s books at various public libraries in Louisiana, Alabama and other states.
“ALA, through its actions and those of its members, is instrumental in creating a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive society,” the group said in a post sharing resources for finding or starting the events. “This includes a commitment to combating marginalization and underrepresentation within the communities served by libraries through increased understanding of the effects of historical exclusion.”
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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2019.
Is Larry related to Paul Householder, who played right field for the Reds in the early Eighties?
“Bible-thumper” is now a Household word. So is the word “asshole” …
Just another day in the formerly blue state of North Missitucky.
Next on the “Hoseholder” agenda: the renaming of Licking County.
Hilarious how easy it is to make these ignorant hillbillies feel that their fragile masculinity is being threatened or to have them get their panties in a knot over “muh family values!”
Even though they whine and cry and moan everytime something in the community happens that doesn’t involve worshipping the flag or kissing Jebus’ ass, somehow, liberals are the ‘snowflakes? I’ve never seen a bigger bunch of hypocritical babies than todays GOP.
As this article shows, they frequently get their facts COMPLETELY wrong on damn near everything. Gays, evolution, the actual history of this country, race, economics, the list goes on and on. I guess that’s what it means to be a conservative these days. Feel threatened, do 5 minutes worth of research and discard anything that doesn’t agree with their ass backward preconceived notions, then proceed to completely jumble the facts. Finish with a knee jerk reaction, followed by a healthy dose of self righteousness, rinse and repeat.
Follow this guide and you can be a modern Republican too, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would choose to be a spineless, ignorant, self righteous twat who wants nothing more than the entire world to be just like them. Yuck.
Drag queens are not appropriate entertainment for children. The trans promoters have gone too far.
No matter what you do, or say, you have no right to infect the children.
Yeah, it’s always about the children, the children, think of the children!
Same shit, different discussion. You know what? Screw the children! (pun intended)
With the huge overlap between transsexuality and pedophilia does anyone wonder why they would want to target children with these events? I realize no liberal without kids is going to give a shit about child rape, particularly if the children have white skin, but it actually is still surprising to see how aggressive they’ve become about putting people with gender dysphoria and other sexually-oriented mental health disorders in front of children.
I was surprised a couple of years ago when they started censoring scientific research concluding that gender dysphoria is, indeed, a mental disorder. Anything to harm America, as always.
With the huge overlap between the clergy and actual, documented, real as can be child molestation does anyone wonder why the churches continue to target children with Bible Camp and Sunday School? I realize religion and a feeling of self righteousness is more important to conservitards than the possibility of their children being raped by some pedophile pastor, but it’s surprising that even after all of these child rape scandals in various faiths, they still allow these sick individuals around their children.
Im sorry but if the decision is between a tranny and a priest, I’m going with the transsexual every time. Simply because, there is no real link between gays and transsexuals and pedophilia, it’s bullshit right wing propaganda designed to make parents afraid of them when, here in reality, your child is far more likely to be raped by someone employed by, or connected to, a church.
Yes, it’s always a conspiracy with you right wing dummies, who is this ominous ‘they’ out there censoring these supposed scientific studies? Same people who supposedly created climate change, I’ll wager. It’s sad when you have to listen to the self delusional ravings of conservitards on subjects that they don’t understand, and haven’t really studied.
Let’s see those peer reviewed studies from secular institutions that back up your POV. Oh yeah, they don’t exist…
How can the ALA talk about marginalization and underrepresentation?, Gays are naturally in the minority. Gay genes are infrequent thank God.