It comes as a librarian is fired for "unkind pushback" against the Christian actor at another recent reading of his new storybook.
Opposition is now building against Kirk Cameron and story-hour events featuring his book As You Grow. The Christian entertainer's requests to read his faith-based work were initially denied outright by many public libraries, as we reported here; that changed, however, with the threat of legal action from his publisher Brave Publishing Co., prompting libraries to start opening their doors to him and audiences of children and their parents.
Cameron and his team complained at the time about unfair treatment in light of the fact that several of the libraries in question had previously allowed analogous story-hour readings from so-called drag queens, which is to say men dressed up as women. So, yesterday in Arkansas, protestors matching that description turned out at the Fayetteville Public Library, which was hosting the actor's latest event.
Cameron read As You Grow to an estimated 500 people. The audience also heard another faith-based book from Brave Publishing Co. that was particularly apropos since it deals with what has become known as gender identity, which of course is defined in us by the Creator alone, as Cameron referenced in a statement afterward to Fox News.
"The small group of protesters, which included some grown men wearing silly makeup, dressed in skirts and heels, pretending to be women, listened to the reading of a kids' book about God's view of gender called, Elephants Are Not Birds."
The protest was evidently peaceful, though some of the participants were at times "holding signs that were blocking the view of the kids and parents," according to the publisher. Cameron, whose book focuses on the fruit of the Spirit and tells a tale about a tree that faces danger as it grows, was compassionate toward the protestors, saying that he "felt sad for the men in skirts."
This is the sixth such story hour the former Fireproof and Growing Pains star has put on, and it is not the first that involved difficulties. Last month in Hendersonville, TN, public library staff directly hampered the event, according to The Christian Post, in what Cameron described as "unkind pushback" against him and fellow participants. The library board of Sumner County - where the library is located - evidently agreed with that assessment and this week voted 4-3 to fire the library's director.
Cameron and Brave Publishing Co. have several more story-hour events planned, including in places not normally associated with support of Christians, like New York City and Washington, DC, so there may well be more protests ahead. Christian Film Blog will follow the situation and bring you any noteworthy developments. In the meantime, if you are interested in As You Grow, you can find it via this link to the publisher's website.