As Daily Kos has covered many times, there are few things mobilizing conservatives during the pandemic like children’s events at libraries. Yes, it’s true—we’re still surviving a global pandemic, and all the while, folks are more than happy to make sure that queer folks aren’t able to do children’s programming—much less have queer books available—at local libraries. Drag Queen story hour? Nope. Trans magician? Not a chance, apparently. We’ve seen reports of people filing criminal reports over children’s books. This November, a public library in Denton, Texas, canceled a book event for kids after a Republican lashed out over the alleged “transgender storytime,” as reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle. Libraries report facing threats all because Republican Don Huffines, who is running for governor of the state, believed the books in question would be about trans kids. The event is called Rainbow StoryTime, which includes books about people with marginalized identities. The books promote self-acceptance, making friends, and respect—all great topics for youth, obviously. The “rainbow” in the title is a reference to people coming together in general, not the LGBTQ+ Pride flag. So how and why did Huffines catch wind of this, and why did it cause such outcry? Let’s check out the details below—and how community members revived the event, in the end. Read more