MassResistance Victorious turnabout at Wyoming library: After leftist Director is fired, leftist staffers quit

 

Victorious turnabout at Wyoming library: After leftist Director is fired, leftist staffers quit when new Director agrees to follow “no-porn” policy.

Result of local MassResistance activism. This should happen everywhere!

But fired Library Director continues outrageous lawsuit against a local family.

January 9, 2024

 The library had been promoting books like this to kids. But not anymore!

There’s been a momentous turnaround in Campbell County, Wyoming!

Here’s how bad it was:

When MassResistance began working with parents there in 2021, the county’s public library was a nightmare for pro-family citizens.

The public library was stocked with horrible graphic sexual, homosexual, and transgender books for children (and briefly promoted a “transgender” performer for kids). The Library Director arrogantly defended the obscene books, mostly using American Library Association talking points. The Library Board was solidly leftist and openly hostile to the parents. And the County Commission (which appoints the Library Board) refused to listen to the parents – and even shut off public comment to silence their complaints. In addition, pro-LGBT leftists would regularly come to public meetings and harass the pro-family people.

Here’s how things changed:

But the Wyoming MassResistance parents and activists were passionate and never gave up. As a result, over time things really turned around!

 Parents protesting outside of the library - and informing the public.

 A parent speaks before the Library Board, reading the lurid text from several of the sexualized children's books.

 This mother shows the County Commissioners the federal report on preventing child sexual exploitation and describes how their local library is part of the problem.

The parents forced one of the virulent anti-family County Commissioners to resign. With the pro-family replacement, the Commission restored public comment and appointed a conservative-majority Library Board. With help and encouragement from the parents, the new Library Board exited the American Library Association. Next, they created a new anti-porn library book policy. Then, on July 28, 2023, they fired the leftist Library Director when she refused to follow the new policy!

And now there’s more good news:

The firing of the Library Director (and hiring of a new Director) set off more events:

• The new Library Director started his job on November 1, 2023. He has agreed to follow the new pro-family book policy, and he is already cleaning house. He is moving obscene materials away from the children’s and teens' sections. The pro-family leadership in the community thinks that he is doing a good job.
• A few weeks after the new Library Director started, the Youth Services Librarian (who was in charge of the children’s books) resigned! In many ways, she was a bigger problem than the former Library Director, not only for bringing in the obscene books and materials, but working hard to defend them. She even organized a boycott against the business of a parent who complained.
• Then the Director at the county’s branch library in Wright, Wyoming also resigned! One of our activists informed us that she was a supporter of the “status quo” – keeping the LGBT (and Critical Race Theory) content in the libraries.
• In reaction to the big wins from our MassResistance activists, the leftist elements in town have quieted down. Their activists (especially those from out of the area) who had been showing up no longer attend the Library Board meetings or County Commission meetings.

We've been told that departed staffers will be replaced with normal people as soon as possible!

(Some of our team leaders report that the pro-LGBT leftists are raising money to run candidates for local and state legislative office, but that isn’t likely to be successful in Campbell County.)

Wyoming MassResistance activists are now focused on the local Gillette City Council, which passed an absurd “hate crimes” ordinance last year that needs to be repealed.

Still looming: Former Library Director’s outrageous lawsuit against a local family

As we reported in October, Terri Lesley, the Library Director who was fired for refusing to follow the anti-porn book policy, filed an outrageous lawsuit against a local family who protested obscene books and testified at County Commission and Library Board meetings.

She accuses the family of a laundry list of absurd alleged offenses, including unlawful and unconstitutional conduct, civil conspiracy defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and abuse of process.

The lawsuit is full of distortions, untruths, and ridiculous charges. (She also attacks MassResistance.) It is clearly meant to intimidate others from complaining. She is represented by a far-left legal firm that appears to be supported by the national LGBT movement.

The family has a lawyer representing them. At this point nothing seems to have been scheduled. We will keep you informed on that. The family is in good spirits. This will not deter the rest of us from continuing the battle!

Final thoughts

At first, the terrible library situation in Campbell County seemed nearly impossible to change. Everything seemed to be stacked against the parents. But with persistence and bold tactics, we’ve basically turned everything around. The same thing can happen elsewhere!

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

Donate to MassResistance

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Wyoming MassResistance: Standing Up to Rude, Abusive Library Board

 

Wyoming County Library Board passes hostile (and illegal) public comments policy, then uses it to terminate meeting

Board shuts down citizen’s appeal vs. inappropriate children’s book. Claim speaker was "disrespectful."

Follows resignation of Library Board Chairman – after months of Wyoming MassResistance pressure

Board members continue to side with Library Director against parents

Community pressure continues

February 1, 2022

 New Library Board Chairman Charlie Anderson (center) reads aloud his proposed "public comment policy" at the Dec. 20 meeting.

These days, radical public library officials will do almost anything – even break the law – to intimidate and discourage citizens from attempting to stop their abuses against children. In Campbell County, Wyoming, MassResistance community activists have been relentlessly taking a stand to stop their public library officials from foisting LGBT pornography and other inappropriate books on young children and teens.

But our activists are learning that relentless pressure pays off.

Library Board chairman steps down

On Dec. 20, 2021, the Campbell County Library Board opened their meeting with a new chairman, Charlie Anderson.

His predecessor, Dr. Hollie Stewart, had abruptly resigned as chairman soon after the November meeting but continues to serve as a Board member. According to people we spoke to, she had been complaining bitterly to members of the County Commission about having to run Board meetings with the ongoing anger from Wyoming MassResistance parents over the offensive children’s books.

 Left to right: Library Board members Mandy Steward, Miranda Finn, former chairman Dr. Hollie Stewart, Nancy Stovall, and new chairman Charlie Anderson.

Odious new “public comment” policy

Anderson’s first action as new chairman was to introduce a new restrictive “public comment” policy. This high-handed tactic is being used across the country by public officials to insulate themselves from the outrage brought on by their arrogant actions.

Anderson read his proposed policy aloud. (See our transcription here.) It states that public comment at meetings is not a legal right, but a privilege granted by the Board. The policy was developed after (supposed) “personal attacks directed at this Board.”

The policy bans “inappropriate comments or behavior.” Inappropriate behavior is defined as “attempting to engage individual Board members in conversation” and “insults.”  It also lists “obscenities, or profanity and/or physical violence or any threat thereof” as well as “attacks against any person in their personal capacity” (which is unclear). But to imply that concerned parents would engage in profanity, physical violence, or threats is absurd.

The policy outlines a series of steps for enforcement: (1) The chairman rules the speaker out of order. (2) If the behavior continues, the speaker will be asked to leave. (3) If inappropriate conduct continues, the chairman may “entertain a motion to end public comment and adjourn the meeting.” It also limits speakers in public comment to three minutes, an absurdly short time for that kind of body.

Anderson said that he and Sean Brown, the (liberal) assistant County Attorney jointly put together the policy. (Perhaps they were inspired by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s memo casting parents who dare to speak up as domestic terrorists.)

The Library Board unanimously approved the policy.

Illegal under Wyoming Law?

It would certainly appear that this policy is illegal under Wyoming law. Wyoming statute 16-4-406 states that in the event of “disruption of public meetings” a body may (a) have the person or persons removed and continue the session; or (b) recess the meeting and reconvene to another location and continue with the agenda. It does not give the option of simply adjourning the meeting. But like most leftists, Charlie Anderson and Sean Brown decided to devise their own set of rules.

Using new policy to suddenly shut down the meeting!

On the Dec. 20 meeting’s agenda were appeals to the Library Board by local citizens. They sought to remove four books whose challenges had been rejected by the library staff.

We’ve already reported on the appeal of the first book Trans Mission, a sickening, pornographic LGBT book for teenagers that the Board nevertheless voted to keep in the shelves.

The other three books were being appealed by Kevin, the son of two great Wyoming MassResistance activists. Kevin got right to work.

His first appeal was on the book, The Babysitter’s Coven. Following the trend of anti-Christian children’s books, it is a slick teenagers’ introduction to occult and satanic beliefs and symbolism which encourages teenagers to explore further. (It’s no wonder so many young people are drawn into Satanism.) The plot also includes a man abducting girls and holding them in a basement. It encourages underage drinking and drug use (two issues affecting teenagers in Campbell County). This portrayal of repulsive people who do nasty things has no redeeming value.

Even the book cover is weird.

Kevin described how reviewers – which the library uses in their “collection” process – were not impressed by this book. He quoted one mainstream reviewer saying, “I am not really comfortable recommending a young teen to read this book.”

 Kevin begins his presentation of "The Babysitter's Coven" to the Board on Dec. 20 as local parents seated behind him look on.

A few minutes into Kevin’s presentation, some of the Board members were clearly getting uncomfortable. They rudely started interrupting Kevin. Charlie Anderson grilled him about Lord of the Rings, a book that was not relevant to the conversation. It seemed like a hostile cross-examination. Then Anderson started berating him for bringing up the book reviews. When Kevin started to answer him, Board member Miranda Finn suddenly jumped in:

Charlie Anderson: I was hoping you’d talk about the book that we’re here to discuss.

Kevin: That’s what I’ve been doing. I’m using data and sources to back up what I’m saying so I’m not just bubbling effervescent from my face here. I’m trying to actually use some facts here.

Miranda Finn: Mr. Chairman, we’ve reached the point where disrespect is being displayed. I move to adjourn the meeting.

Immediately then, Anderson called for a vote to adjourn. There were four “Aye” votes. (He did not ask if there were any “Nay” votes. Mandy Steward later told him that she was a “Nay” vote.) Anderson quickly declared the meeting adjourned.

A violation of the policy they had just passed

This was in violation of the policy they had just passed! Before adjourning the meeting, they should have first (1) ruled Kevin out of order, then (2) asked him to leave. They did neither.

Also, the basis of the adjournment was that “disrespect is being displayed” by Kevin. But “disrespect” is not part of their definition of inappropriate behavior. Kevin did not actually violate anything.

All this shows how contemptible and loathsome these people are.

At the January Board meeting Kevin was allowed to continue

At the January 24, 2022 meeting of the Library Board, the arrogance continued. But Kevin’s persistence clearly had them rattled, and he was not letting up.

At the beginning of the meeting, Kevin requested that they read the Wyoming statute on “disruption of public meetings” which clearly contradicts their new policy. Anderson asked one of the staff members to read it aloud. The staffer did, but the Board didn’t react at all and just continued with their meeting.

They allowed Kevin to finish his three book appeals. The other two books were A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities and Music from Another World. Both books intend to draw young teenagers into homosexuality. They portray homosexual relationships and sex as normal and very desirable.

This time the Board let Kevin finish his presentations. Immediately afterwards, the Board allowed the Library Director to deliver a “rebuttal” to Kevin’s appeal. Much of that was the boilerplate text from her previous rebuttal in December.

Then, to no one’s surprise, the Board voted 4-1 to reject all of Kevin’s appeal, with Mandy Steward being the holdout.

And then came public comment - parents blast Board!

The Board was not in the clear yet. They got pummeled during the public comment section.

Citizen after citizen got up and blasted the Board for doing nothing to get rid of the terrible books, and the staff who have been selecting the books. One woman pointed out that the efforts of the Wyoming MassResistance team are inspiring other people around the country to press forward, demand answers from their local libraries, and get harmful books removed. At one point, a woman who identified herself as a retired librarian pointed out that the local newspaper has applauded the Library Director. Kevin got up and reminded her that the newspaper differs from the community on most issues, including this.

 This woman talked about being part of Wyoming MassResistance and travelling around the state, and that people knew about this battle: “I hear some positive stories and it’s so exciting. Because of us, people have taken on their own libraries. And they’re getting things done! Books are being removed!" she said.

Final thoughts

Decades ago, most states across the country passed laws exempting schools, libraries, and museums from laws banning obscenity (as harmful to minors). This was done in the interest of protecting legitimate artwork that sometimes portrayed nudity. But now, radical staff members and public officials are using that as cover to push pornography onto children in schools and libraries. (Attempts to overturn these laws in some states have been strongly opposed by teachers’ unions and LGBT groups.)

Regarding the issue of “disrespecting” officials: In a famous 1964 case (New York Times v Sullivan) the US Supreme Court opined that America has a "profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials."

When public officials declare that they and their actions are above criticism by ordinary citizens, we all need to get very upset. These people have no morals and no conscience. They deserve parents’ disrespect. We will certainly not be intimidated by them.

There’s a lot more to come from Campbell County, Wyoming!

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

Donate to MassResistance

Your support will make the difference!

MassResistance Exposes "Banned Books Week": Subtle Propaganda to Push Sexual Perversion

 

It’s “Banned Books Week” in public libraries across the country. An excuse to push more pornography and homosexuality on children.

Big displays and strong, dishonest anti-parent messaging.

Pushed by the ultra-left American Library Association.

September 30, 2021

 "Books Unite Us and Censorship Divides Us" - a not-so-subtle attack on parents protecting children.

It’s “Banned Books Week” in public libraries across America. And it’s hard to miss the big displays and self-righteous (but very sophisticated) messaging when you walk in the door. You’re made to feel like your library is a freedom fighter that’s protecting you from the narrow-minded zealots who want to keep folks from reading Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird, or Orwell’s 1984. You’re made to feel good about fighting such censorship!

But the Banned Books Week message is very dishonest and misleading. We’ve followed the book challenges in libraries for decades. Nobody really cares what books adults read. The red-hot battle involves parents outraged over the books available to children and teenagers. There are increasing numbers of lurid and explicit pornographic, homosexual and transgender-themed books being placed (and promoted!) in the children’s and teens’ sections of libraries. There are also books pushing hatred of America and dark anti-Christian themes. Normal people understand that vulnerable children need to be protected. But just the opposite is happening in libraries today.

Begun in 1982, Banned Books Week is a well-funded yearly push by the far-left American Library Association (ALA), which just about every library belongs to (and pays hefty dues to). The ALA has long promoted LGBT events in libraries and schools and actively fights to keep LGBT books from being removed by officials.

The ALA also runs an official-sounding “Office of Intellectual Freedom” that is dedicated to giving children the “freedom” to read pornography despite their parents’ objections. They also publish lists of the purported “most banned and challenged books” which strangely are peppered with mainstream titles such as those mentioned above. A main purpose of Banned Books Week is clearly to intimidate conservatives.

Banned Books Week in one Wyoming library …

We have recently reported about the parents and citizens in Gillette, Wyoming dealing with the pornographic and LGBT children’s books in their local Campbell County Public Library, and their confrontation with their public officials over it.  

 The Campbell County Public Library branch in Gillette, Wyoming.

Not surprisingly, the library is using Banned Books Week as a vehicle to portray the outraged parents and local citizens as narrow-minded censors, and make it look like the library (and the rest of the public) are the “freedom fighters.” Below is the display in the Gillette Branch.

 This is what you see when you walk in the door -an entire wall (and more) devoted to "Banned Books."

The left section of the display (below) includes 1984 – a book for adults that virtually no one would want to keep out of a library – shown along with The Perks of Being a Wallflower (second from bottom) which is a vile, disgusting “teen” sex book; and The Earth My Butt, which is a vulgar, depressing “teen” book. The subliminal message is that they’re all being equally “challenged” by narrow-minded local people.

The middle and right sections are repugnant propaganda snippets (likely from the Library Director and staff) clearly aimed at stirring up the public against the local parents and any others who might get involved. To reiterate, the parents in Gillette and across the country are only trying to protect children. They don’t care what adults read. But the library’s Banned Book Week message is to falsely portray them as vicious, dangerous book-burners who want to censor what everyone reads.

Next to the main display is another display of “banned” books. Note that Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and a few other relatively mainstream books (that no one is seriously trying to censor) are mixed with some borderline kids’ books. Again, the intent is clear: to inflame the public against the so-called “censors.”

Judge for yourself: Is this book or this book - both of which are in this library – on the same level as Fahrenheit 451 or 1984?

And to drive the wedge deeper into the community, the Campbell County library is using the Banned Books Week event to invite teens to read the books that parents want removed!

And naturally, the local (liberal) newspaper has enthusiastically promoted the event.

Where is all this coming from?

People of a certain age can remember when public libraries were both safe for children and places for children and teenagers to find wonderful, uplifting, and edifying books. In most places those are distant memories.

This horrible assault on children appears to have come from two directions. First, since the “sexual revolution” decades ago, people with their own sexual dysfunctions and emotional issues – and leftists who are support them – have been attracted to public libraries where they can push societal change. These are the people who select the children’s books.

And secondly, since the “gay rights” revolution in the 80s and 90s and its obsession with children, there has been a flood of homosexual (and transgender) writers putting out children’s and teen’s books, along with a cottage industry of groups giving them “awards.”

That combination has been a disaster for public libraries everywhere. To see how bad this has become, see Debbie DeGroff’s excellent website, What’s Inside Children’s Books?.

Probably the biggest fraud of Banned Books Week is that it’s the libraries themselves that are the biggest censors. Try to find any books critical of homosexuality or transgenderism, especially books such as The Health Hazards of Homosexuality or books about healing from that addictive behavior.

Finally, there actually are many libraries across the country staffed and run by normal, sensible people. It’s not easy, though. It takes a strong Library Board to make sure that happens. But it’s certainly possible – and it’s what we are helping people across America make happen in their towns!

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

Donate to MassResistance

Your support will make the difference!