An Ohio public library canceled an LGBT Pride week event after it sparked outrage from the Republican speaker of the state House.
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder sent a letter to the Ohio Library Council on Friday demanding that the Licking County Library in Newark stop a planned Pride week event. The event, aimed at teens, featured a tutorial on applying makeup for dressing in drag and a guide to safe sex, according to the Newark Advocate.
“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 said. “But the joke is apparently on the taxpayers, who fund our libraries. This is a stunningly bizarre breach of the public trust. And it must stop.”
“Let me be crystal clear: This isn’t about banning books or banning thought or any other red herring argument. This is about right and wrong. This is about being good stewards of the public’s money,” Householder said.
I sent this letter to the Ohio Library Council today. Our public libraries are great resources for young & old alike. But they should not be a resource for teenage boys to learn how to dress in drag. I demand it stop now !!! pic.twitter.com/RpM8Wds1KB
— Speaker Larry Householder (@HouseholderOH) May 31, 2019
The Newark Ohio Pride Coalition responded on Friday to Housholder’s letter. In an open letter to the Newark community, the activist group stated that the event being held at the public library was fully funded by an independent grant from the group.
“We appreciate Speaker Householder’s concern for the use of public funding. We are also happy to share that this event is fully funded by an independent non-governmental grant, which was acquired by the Newark Ohio Pride Coalition,” the open letter said. “As such, a total of $0 of public money is being used for this event.”
“We would like to conclude our statement by publicly asking Speaker Larry Householder to respect the civil liberties of Newark, Ohio’s residents. We also ask that, in the future, Speaker Householder take the time to gather accurate facts, prior to issuing a factually inaccurate response to a program hosted by and for our community,” the group said.
The Ohio Library Council ultimately decided to cancel the event, and the Newark Ohio Pride Coalition announced it would hold the Pride event at another location.
Householder was not immediately available for comment.
