Alabama Library Reverses Cancellation of Kirk Cameron, Riley Gaines Book Event

BY : Milton Quintanilla Contributor for ChristianHeadlines.com

The Madison County Public Library System in Huntsville, Alabama, has backtracked its cancellation of a book reading event featuring actor Kirk Cameron and American competitive swimmer Riley Gaines.

“Upon learning that Mr. Cameron and his friend and Brave Books author, Riley Gaines, will be attending in person, you abruptly canceled the event citing ‘security concerns’ from a potential protest of Mr. Cameron and claiming the event exceeds the library’s capacity,” Dys, who represents Cameron and Brave Books, wrote in his letter last Thursday.

He added that the library’s refusal to change course would be seen as “unlawful and unconstitutional religious viewpoint and content discrimination in violation of the Alabama Constitution and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

The letter was published on the same day that the Huntsville Madison County Public Library system released a statement pointing out that the event, hosted by the Moms for Liberty organization, was too large for the facilities to accommodate.

“Initially, the organizers of the event reported 20 attendees to library officials,” the statement read. “On Tuesday, the library learned that event organizers are now expecting over 300 people, a number that far exceeds any meeting room capacity within the Huntsville-Madison County Library System.

“After discussing the logistics of the event with both the library and the event organizer, the Madison City Police Department and the Madison City Fire Marshal have recommended that the event be held at an alternate location,” the statement added.

“These libraries should really be grateful that so many parents and children are excited to visit them tomorrow,” he said. “With e-books and other online reading options, sit-down libraries are becoming irrelevant and obsolete to the younger generation.”

He argued that libraries should be open to the family-friendly movement.

“Too much fear and woke-ness has made the ALA and these librarians go mad,” he said. “They are cutting off their nose to spite their face.”

Brave Books’ “See You at the Library” event officially kicked off on Saturday as part of the publisher’s and Cameron’s efforts to “promote free speech in our libraries and schools.”