Saturday, August 5th at 1:00 PM
Mattapoisett Library, 7 Barstow Street, Mattapoisett, MA
On Saturday, August 5th the Mattapoisett Republican Town Committee is hosting an event called "See you at the Library" which is being promoted by the Massachusetts Family Institute and Massachusetts Informed Parents, two Christian Nationalist groups which routinely call for library censorship and stigmatizing LGBTQ+ children. Someone will be reading "As You Grow" by Kirk Cameron, a former child actor turned fundamentalist preacher, and an enemy of the LGBTQ+ community. This is part of a tour to “take back the hearts and minds of children in the country,” he told the right-wing Daily Signal.
The book's publisher describes "As You Grow" as "a Christian children's book that teaches kids how to grow in wisdom through the fruit of the spirit." Reviews, however, say the book is a boring and troubling mess in which animals go to war and every evil character is black. Numerous libraries have declined the opportunity to host Cameron serving up his Christian Nationalism with a side order of gay-bashing and a racist chaser. But Cameron is pushing back, warning that drag queens are coming for your kids and demanding that the American Library Association be investigated.
Because this is another skirmish in the culture wars orchestrated in part by a local Republican town committee, the Mattapoisett Dems are pushing back. In a statement from Nicki Dimakis, Chair of the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee:
"We believe our Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee and like-minded friends should have a presence at this event!!! We were successful in defeating the right wing fringe MAGA book-banning candidates in our May elections here in Town. Now is the time to expose the deceitful organizing tactics of the local Republican Committee. PLEASE meet us on the sidewalk in front of the Mattapoisett Public Library on Barstow Street at 1:00pm on August 5th. The weather could be hot but we plan to make our presence felt until folks filter into the library. We are also asking for volunteers to peacefully and non-disruptively attend the event to inform us about what occurred and what was discussed. We cannot be excluded as it is a public meeting room."
Liz DiCarlo and Bev Baccelli, members of the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee, will meet everyone at 1 PM in the parking lot on the south side of the library to hand out flyers to inform attendees about MFI and MIP and their agendas.
For more information, contact Nicki Demakis, Chair of the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee. ndemakis@tidlaw.com
and in texas...
https://www.texasobserver.org/brave-books-texas-library-free-speech/
Yeah, Mattapoisett Dems! Even though I am Green I appreciate that we all have to work together to stand up to the supremacist white nationalists. Wherever they pop up.