Members of the Republican Party in Missouri have recently threatened to cut state funding for the Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia due to the reading of LGBT-themed books there. Missouri residents criticized the move, accusing the GOP of caring more about persecuting LGBT people than proposing real policies.
As reported by The Missouri Independent, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state Sen. Rick Brattin recently threatened to pull all state funding from the library after it hosted a “rainbow story time” for toddlers and preschoolers. The event featured two short stories called “Rainbowsaurus” and “Big Wig,” which are children’s books with LGBT-focused themes.
If the Republicans are successful, they could block grants from being sent to the library. According to Hoskins, the reason for the move was that “books that groom kids are not an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.” The library’s executive director, Robin Westphal, responded by saying that the resources used for the entire event cost less than $30.
Missouri Reacts to Republicans’ Latest Anti-LGBT Efforts
The press conference held by the two Republicans sparked outrage online, as shown by comments on Reddit’s r/Missouri. One user said: “If it wasn’t the rainbow story time, it would be something else. An educated public is not in their interest.”
Others used strong words against the Republicans, saying: “Most republicans males are simple-minded incels faking masculinity seen it over and over again here in missouri.” There were also residents who accused the GOP of not doing anything to help the public with actual issues: “Literally anything but actually helping Missourians, huh?”
One user cracked a joke at the politicians’ expense, calling Republicans “the party of cancel culture,” something that right-wing-aligned voters often call the Democratic Party.
Overall, the sentiment was that this was an intimidation tactic and an inherently unfair decision: “Welcome to the TRUMP Republican Party where the only tactics they use are bullying, threats and harm because they are the party of answers – and that’s how abuses operate!” Someone added: “God forbid someone want to read to kids. If they are so upset let’s see them use their time reading to kids.”
It remains to be seen whether Hoskins and Brattin’s efforts to block funding for the Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia will succeed, but it’s clear to critics that the Republican Party appears to be cracking down on LGBT-related activities in Missouri.
