GREENVILLE COUNTY, SC (WSPA) – Greenville County Library System officials confirmed that controversial story time event, set for this weekend at the Five Forks library, has been canceled due to violations of the library system’s policy.
We reported earlier that the Mom’s Liberal Happy Hour of South Carolina organization had reserved a room at the library for an event — Drag Queen Story Time — to read stories to children. The organization said the goal of the event was to promote kindness, confidence and tolerance.
According to James Wooten, community engagement manager with Greenville County Library System, the event was listed on eventbrite.com, which violates the library system’s policy.
Wooten said the event being listed “restricts admittance to those who hold tickets, and it requires those attending an event in a Library System meeting room to show identification.”
“Because the eventbrite.com invitation and restriction remains online making it appear that public library space is being used for a private event, the Library System is canceling the Mom’s Liberal Happy Hour meeting room reservation at the Five Forks Branch for Sunday, February 17, 2019,” Wooten said.
Wooten said the library systems’ meeting rooms can be used with the understanding that people may attend events and meetings held in them, as they are public spaces.
A counter event protesting the story hour, which was scheduled for the same day as the library event, has also been canceled, according to Taylor Cox, the counter event’s coordinator.
