Augusta County released more than 100 documents related to the cancellation of the Pride event at the Augusta County Library, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from Augusta Free Press.
After sifting through the documents, unfortunately, we still don’t know who or what led the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to push for the cancellation of the event, aside from the obvious.
ICYMI
- Augusta County: Pride Day at county library cancelled by Board of Supervisors
- LGBTQ center steps in after Augusta County leaders cancel library Pride event
- ‘Not outside of their purview’: Augusta County defends move to cancel library’s Pride Day
- Augusta County shut down a Pride program because Augusta County leaders are cowards
- Augusta County BOS member explains, defends decision to cancel Pride event
We do know, though, that the cancellation didn’t play well with local residents.
“I’m writing to voice my disgust with the recent actions of the board,” resident Kyle Lawson wrote to board members on June 12, hours after the news of the cancellation had been made public on the library’s Facebook page.
“According to your website, you were elected to represent the people of Augusta County, and while this may come as a shock, this includes people who identify as LGBTQ+,” Lawson wrote. “I would think that your job includes helping those individuals to feel welcomed and accepted within our community. Instead, you’ve chosen to ostracize them by cancelling this event.
“I vote, and when I cast my ballot in the future, I will remember this decision,” Lawson wrote.
Good luck with that.
Three of the seven seats are up for re-election in November, and all three involve MAGA Republican nominees who are running unopposed.
If you want to know how county leaders can get away with canceling an event that had the support of 83 of the 94 people who sent emails to BOS members regarding the event, well, that’s how.
They know there will be no consequences, basically.
Background
From previous reporting, we know that the event, scheduled for June 16, got the attention of members of the Board of Supervisors on June 11, the Wednesday prior.
It’s still not known – and I’ll say this a lot here – what the exact issue was.
Butch Wells, the board’s vice chairman, mentioned to me in a phone call last week his concern over a movie that had been part of the event schedule, which we learned in the document drop in response to our Freedom of Information Act request had already been scrapped.
Wells also addressed concerns over the possibility that anti-LGBTQ+ protestors could target the event with violence, and that the sheriff’s office hadn’t been contacted ahead of time to coordinate security.
So, we have here an issue with a movie that was no longer on the schedule for the event, and another issue with possible violence that could have been resolved in the five days between June 11 and June 16 by asking the sheriff to assign a deputy to the library for the duration of the event.
These seem more like excuses to cancel the event rather than legitimate reasons to do so, but in any case, before 24 hours were up, the event was canceled, on June 12.
Behind-the-scenes discussion
The lack of clarity on the rationale behind the cancellation was an issue for library staff members and the Friends of the Augusta County Library, a community library support group.
“What can we do to make sure we put this event on as scheduled? Or on a later date?” Friends of the Library president Kathleen Cavender asked in an email that went to board members on June 13.
Cavender was apparently hoping to be able to salvage something, even as the die had been cast – Carolyn Bragg, who represents the South River District on the Board of Supervisors, wrote in an email to a county resident that “six of the 7 Board members were in favor of canceling the event,” and that the seventh “was out of town and could not be reached.”
Important to note here: no formal public vote was taken.
Gerald Garber, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, told reporters at last night’s BOS meeting that a vote wasn’t needed.
As Cavender was still trying to “salvage” the Pride event, Keith Bell, the Community Learning Librarian at the county library, who identified himself in a June 11 email as the coordinator of the Pride event, had already given up on the event being resurrected by that point.
Bell asked in a June 13 email “that at least one of the Board of Supervisors members be present at the library the intended day and time of the event to answer questions from the community regarding the process and reasoning behind the cancellation for the event.”
“I am requesting this out of a simple measure of accountability for the actions that are taken on behalf of this community, and as I simply do not have the answers to give to patrons because no direct answers were provided to me despite my numerous times asking and calling you all back to receive clarity,” Bell wrote.
The closest we’re getting to anything resembling clarity is Wells telling me last week that there was concern about a movie and security, and Garber telling reporters after last night’s BOS meeting about his concern with the movie, which, curiously, he couldn’t name, though he did remember that the title contained the word “blood,” and that the movie’s description referred to “drug use.”
Recapping, again, we have a movie that we don’t know the name of, though it had “blood” in the title and had to do with drug use, that had already been removed from the event program anyway, so, whatever, and a spurious security issue, as what we’re being told as to why the Pride event was canceled.
Excuses, not reasons.
Support for the cancellation
I wrote above that 83 of the 94 emails released to us in the public-record document drop came from people who wrote to express various degrees of displeasure with the county’s decision to cancel the Pride event.
I want to close here with a focus on the people who wrote in to thank Board of Supervisors members and signed their names to their thoughts, because their responses to the cancellation are telling.
This was from Logan Smith:
“Thank you for canceling this event. As a parent of four young children who love to frequent the library I appreciate this decision. I feel that it protects our children from political and social indoctrination that we do not align with. Thank you for leaving it in the hands of parents to introduce these ideas according to their own discretion.”
This one came from Brittany Williams, who identified herself as being a resident of Churchville:
“I feel the library a fun and exciting place that I can take my children to learn and enjoy different activities that take place. I do not, however, appreciate having to avoid the library at certain times to shield them from a blatant, unnatural lifestyle and celebration of ‘pride’ for things that are against God’s design.”
This email came from Catherine Reid:
“It speaks volumes that you want to protect our children. I hope action is being taken against those who arranged the event. Child grooming is abhorrent, and for a branch of the government to host it is disgraceful. I’m just shocked. I will definitely no longer be going to the Fishersville library now due to safety concerns for my children that’s for sure. Thank you again so much for keeping the safety and sanctity of our children at the forefront regardless of the inevitable backlash.”
Next, from Shaun P. Reid:
“I wanted to write to say thank you for your decision to cancel the ACL pride day event at the Fishersville Main library. I was concerned when I first learned of it, that it was happening during hours and listed as an all ages event, in a building partly funded by taxpayer money. A look at the sponsors was equally disturbing. I know you will receive strong backlash from that community, but to many of us, this was an inappropriate event in an inappropriate location. We believe you made the correct decision to cancel. Regardless of your reasons, whatever they may have been, this was a good call. Thank you.”
And next, from Victoria Natale:
“I don’t know what exactly the decision details were – I just saw the library’s post on Instagram about pride day being cancelled under your direction – but I am glad. Pride is not for kids. Love who you want to love, sleep with whoever you want to sleep with, but celebrations of such sexual things should not be done in public places.”
From Angela Williams:
“Thank you for canceling the Pride event at a public library!!! I just don’t feel our community needs this local display of advocacy for gay/trans lifestyle. Thank you for keeping our small community morally safe for all our citizens! Small children & all members of our community use the public library & it needs to be neutral & safe for all citizens! Thank you!!”
From Kam Smith:
“I really applaud the Board of Supervisors for canceling the Pride event. For people who want to be treated equally, they sure do want a lot of special treatment.”
From Colby and Rebecca McMullen, who identified themselves as residents of Mount Sidney:
“Thank you for canceling the Augusta County Library’s planned ‘pride’ event. It thoroughly disgusts us that innocent children could have been subjected to this. Thank you for exercising your authority and stopping this from happening.”
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Chris Graham
