Library Known for Drag Queen Story Hour Forced to Abruptly Shut Down
If you want to use taxpayer funds to pay for “woke” programs, be ready for taxpayers to get more involved in demanding accountability for how their money is being used.
That’s the message taxpayers of Lake Luzerne in New York seemed to have sent to a local library.
The Rockwell Falls Public Library in Lake Luzerne, which was the site of a “summer of controversy” due to their promotion of a drag queen story hour on the premises, has abruptly shut down because of the resignation of two of its three staff members, according to WRGB.
A sign on the door of the library informed patrons that the library was closed due to a loss of two thirds of its staff.
More turmoil for the Lake Luzerne library, known for its drag queen story hour controversy. It’s now closed until further notice after its director resigned.
I’ll have more on this at 10/11 pm on @CBS6Albany . pic.twitter.com/Upv1thqgXw— Briana Supardi (@CBS6Briana) September 27, 2023
The controversy surrounding Rockwell Falls Public Library started in April when the library posted an invitation to “Drag Queen Story Hour” on their Facebook page.
According to Times Union, a drag queen by the name of Scarlet Sagamore was scheduled to read three books to children, including “Red: A Crayon Story,” which is about a crayon that was made with the wrong color label.
The resulting furor over the post led to a packed board meeting three days later, as parents on both sides of the issue voiced their opinions about having the program on public property.
Tonight in Lake Luzerne—
Rockwell Fall’s Library Board will decide if they’ll reschedule the Drag Queen Story Hour originally scheduled for April 15th…packed house as members of the community voice their concerns @WNYT pic.twitter.com/jq92E9ELCK— Taniqua Pennix (@taniquatv) May 18, 2023
One speaker put it this way: “I do try to love, because Jesus loves, the people who are different from me who are on the other side of this issue. If somebody wants to take it off site, a private building, a private place, somebody willing to sponsor this, I’m not even going to necessarily hold it against that business, but it should not be, in a divided community on public, taxpayer dime,” he said, according to The Post Star.
The Post Star also revealed the library was actually being funded through taxes meant for the school system.
Lake Luzerne Town Supervisor Eugene Merlino told the Star that the $190,000 funding for the library came from an additional tax “through the school system,” which was voted on by residents through a referendum.
On April 13, the library announced that the event had been postponed. Later, it was eventually scrapped.
Drag Queen Story Hour in Lake Luzerne no longer happening https://t.co/3z8SyLuFwL
— WNYT NewsChannel 13 (@WNYT) May 19, 2023
A controversial debate over a Drag Queen Story time Hour at a Lake Luzerne library continues tonight.
It was supposed to happen last month but it was canceled following outcry from some residents. @CBS6Albany pic.twitter.com/t0Y3sFEol8— Briana Supardi (@CBS6Briana) May 18, 2023
But it seems like the entire episode may have caused some parents to look for more answers as to where their taxpayer funding was actually going.
According to WRGB, during a July 18 board meeting, Library Director Courtney Keir, who has since resigned, said the staff was feeling unsafe and “harassed.”
It turned out the “harassment” wasn’t about drag queen story hour; it was about the lack of financial accountability provided by the library.
One of the local residents, Colin Hagadorn, told WRGB that parents wanted more transparency when it came to the finances of the library.
“Out of our school tax money, $190,000 goes to this library every year, and we just want to know where the money is and have it be accounted for,” Hagadorn said.
It seems only fair.
If a library is using taxpayer funds allotted for education to fund programs that push an agenda, parents have the right to demand more transparency about where the rest of this funding is going.
If demands for accountability are considered harassment, it’s probably a good thing the staff at Rockwell Falls Public Library have decided to “pursue other career opportunities.”
They served a good purpose at their old job: waking up a sleeping community to the need to protect their kids.
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