Kirk Cameron retaliates against drag queen story time at Arkansas library
Actor-writer Kirk Cameron is taking his next story hour book reading to Arkansas this week — all part of his cross-country effort to speak to families and children across America at various public library book events and to discuss his pro-faith, pro-family and pro-country beliefs.
On Friday, he’ll be appearing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the public library there, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Fayetteville Public Library, which confirmed Thursday that the event — a “private event,” a library official said — will take place at the library on Friday. The Cameron book event will occur just one day before New York Attorney General Letitia James is scheduled to hold a “drag queen story hour” event in New York City.
A flyer for this “drag story hour” held by James said, “Families with children are invited to join Attorney General James, drag storytellers and city and state elected leaders.” In a caption for an Instagram post, James declared, “My office is proud to host a drag story hour read-a-thon on Sunday.”
Kirk Cameron said on this point, “In the Garden of Eden, God used a piece of fruit to expose man’s willingness to betray God and harm the family. In the Big Apple this weekend, God is using the attorney general.”
Trent Talbot, CEO of Brave Books, based in Texas said, “It’s clear our society has reached a new low with one of the most powerful public officials in New York participating in a ‘drag queen story hour’ for kids.”
He added, “So what do we do about it? I believe the best way to fight back against these sick and deranged events is to offer a better alternative with wholesome and uplifting events that have more appealing messaging and visuals.” He also noted, “This is what you will see Friday in Fayetteville.”
On Friday, Laura Perry Smalts will be joining Kirk Cameron at the library in Fayetteville, “to participate in the story hour.”
She plans to read the children’s book “Elephants Are Not Birds,” which teaches kids about the biblical view of gender. “I am supporting Kirk Cameron’s work in the Freedom Island Tour because children deserve to be taught good, wholesome, truth-based books from someone who is safe and trustworthy, not an adult entertainer,” Smalts said.
“I believe children should be taught that who they are created to be is good — and should not be indoctrinated by ideology they are not old enough to comprehend.”
Smalts — who was born female — spent nearly nine years living as a transgendered individual. She took the name “Jake” during that period of time.
She writes on her website, “I am a former transgender, having lived it for almost nine years. I underwent years of cross-sex hormone therapy, two major ‘gender-affirming’ surgeries, and all of the legal changes.”
She ultimately rejected that and detransitioned — and is today happily married to her husband, Perry.
She writes that God “has healed me and brought forgiveness and wholeness to my heart. He has revealed His heart for women and how wonderful His creation of the woman is and how beautiful it is.”
She said in further comments, “I am participating in the library reading in Fayetteville because I want kids (and parents) to hear the truth about transgender identities from someone who has gone through it. I want to warn parents that it is dangerous to allow children to ‘transition.’ Most parents are uninformed about the realities of medical transition and the dangerous path their child is being enticed to go down. I want to help kids see that they don’t have to compare themselves to others — but that they can embrace and love who they are created to be.”
She said she is choosing to read “Elephants Are Not Birds” to those who gather at the library event “because it illustrates to children the simple reality that they cannot be someone other than who they were created to be.” Said Smalts, “The book also shows that even though the elephant, Kevin, wanted to be like the birds, the town needed him to be an elephant, and he became a hero. I think this book has an excellent message for children.”
A Brave Books spokesperson said that “the library staff” in Fayetteville have “been phenomenal” to work with and “we are excited about this story hour. We believe the turnout is going to be incredible.”
A country musician, Davis Deimund, will lead those assembled outside the library in patriotic songs before the book event.