Amid Public Well being Disaster, MN Legislature Focuses As a substitute on Drag Queen Story Hour

In a narrative that’s performed out in Missouri and Tennessee, Minnesota’s state laws is taking goal at Drag Queen Story Hour at public libraries. Launched late final week, new language in Minnesota Statutes 2018, Sections 134.34 explicitly undermines public library autonomy.

New language within the statutes learn as follows:

Subd. eight. Drag queen story hour.

(a) “Drag queen story hour” or “drag queen story time” means a youngsters’s occasion by which a drag queen reads tales or books to youngsters or engages in different studying or instructional actions with youngsters in a library setting.

(b) For calendar 12 months 2021 and later, a public library that hosts a drag queen story hour occasion shall have regional library system assist help from the Division of Training lowered by 100 %. A public library in a regional public library system that hosts a drag queen story hour occasion is ineligible for regional library primary system assist help from the Division of Training and the regional library primary system assist help should be reapportioned equally among the many different public libraries within the collaborating regional public library system.

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In contrast to the payments in Missouri and Tennessee, this language is crystal clear that selections about public library programming won’t be left to libraries, nor even the communities these libraries serve. As a substitute, Minnesota will unilaterally disallow public libraries from internet hosting Drag Queen Story Hour occasions in the event that they want to obtain funding from the Division of Training.

“So, whereas the inventory market is crashing, schools are shutting down & the nation is bracing for a large coronavirus outbreak, 5 Republicans within the Minnesota Home of Representatives did *probably the most* ‘Minnesota Republican’ factor attainable; they launched a invoice that might DEFUND EVERY SINGLE PUBLIC LIBRARY that hosts drag queen story hours,” stated Diana Neidecker in a public Fb put up that introduced consideration to the invoice to tons of of librarians. “[T]hese ghouls wish to strip funding at no cost, public areas as a result of they provide story instances celebrating variety.”

The up to date language within the statutes was proposed by Glenn H. Gruenhagen (R), Sondra Erickson (R), Eric Lucero (R), John Poston (R), and Sandy Layman (R). All 5 representatives come from the state’s Republican celebration, making it a partisan invoice, with no enter or growth from Democratic Home members.

Because the proposal, the invoice has been forwarded to the Training Finance Committee.

Drag Queen Story Hour occasions have been extraordinarily in style at public libraries all through the nation. They’ve seen their share of protests and counter protests, however they’ve been a possibility to showcase creativity and enjoyable to younger readers. Likewise, they’ve invited variety and inclusivity right into a public sphere, welcoming discussions and explorations of what gender does and doesn’t imply. Such occasions have introduced Republican lawmakers to suggest payments to choke these occasions by threatening to withhold funding to public libraries for providing Drag Queen Story Hour to their communities. Minnesota is the third such invoice, and it seemingly received’t be the final.

What You Can Do

Contact every of the Home Representatives who proposed this transformation in language: ep.sondra.erickson@home.mn, rep.eric.lucero@home.mn, rep.glenn.gruenhagen@home.mn, rep.john.poston@home.mn, rep.sandy.layman@home.mn.
Attain out to the Training Finance Committee of the Minnesota Home of Representatives.
Minnesota residents are urged to contact their native press about this invoice and clarify why it might tear aside the best to entry to info. Work with native authorities journalists and emphasize the work public libraries do in defending that freedom. It is a First Modification violation.
Whether or not you’re in Minnesota or not, attain out to organizations that work on behalf of libraries and library laws and encourage them to talk up and out about this invoice, in addition to the potential for comparable payments to seem in different states. This isn’t the primary and received’t be the final, as evidenced by Missouri and Tennessee’s comparable payments. As a result of this is a matter tied to funding of libraries, EveryLibrary could be an ideal group to contact, as could be the American Library Affiliation. It’s seemingly, too, that the Nationwide Coalition Towards Censorship could be on this invoice and its implications for freedom of knowledge.
Attain out to PEN America and to the American Civil Liberties Union.

As of this writing, there’s been little or no uproar about this invoice or the implications of it. Begin writing and shouting. There’s no coincidence that within the midst of a worldwide pandemic that Home Republications are hopeful this flies beneath the general public’s radar. However we will’t let it.

Right here’s what occurred within the wake of Missouri’s invoice. Stand up and be sure that comparable actions are taken in Minnesota, in addition to within the inevitable wave of further states making an attempt to push such laws by means of and outdoors of the general public’s watchful eye.

Your effort, as defined by EveryLibrary, is just not wasted.