As radical leftists, including at California libraries, continue to insist on subjecting young children to adult sexual themes during "toddler story time," they also reject religious holidays and patriotic values. The 2023 Christmas season is coming to an end, and without Rachel Racz, whose husband is a Navy SEAL, and Jessica Tompane having been able to do a Christmas story about the nativity at the Coronado Public Library as part of the Tiny Patriots Story Time (TPST). Racz, Tompane, and their attorneys have called attention to the situation, and that now includes a demand letter sent to Mayor Richard Bailey on Friday.
Although Racz had put in a request to use a room months in advance for a "Coronado Family Holiday Celebration," a response from October 3 indicated their request was declined, in part due to the need for background checks. Racz was also told there already being too many such events, but then an updated policy, which Racz was not allowed to access.
"The Library has given shifting rationales for its refusal, and it recently cited a non-existent policy banning all volunteers from hosting readings, even though other groups have used volunteers for this purpose," the demand letter mentioned.
The TPST still hosts story events, though Racz rents a space at the local community center at her own expense.
Not only does the Coronado Public Library not allow a Christmas story time or a Christmas display, due to it being a religious holiday, but the library's "toddler story time" includes books featuring sexual images and themes. As the demand letter also noted, such books and "others exhibited on display in the children’s book section throughout Pride Month, had depictions of naked people in sexualized situations, including bondage, or juxtaposed with naked children, as well as other shockingly prurient adult content, including depictions and descriptions of sexual kinks and exposed genitalia."
The demand letter is hardly the first course of action. She was also in communication with the library to express her concerns, and received what amounted to a lecture from Coronado Public Library Director Shaun Briley.
In a June 16 email shared with Townhall, Briley claimed that the complaints were more so about "a national ideological debate."
"We do not consider being LGBT simply a matter of ideological choice. End of story," the email mentioned in part. "It is not the role of individual libraries in the 21st Century to engage in this debate with every ideologically motivated patron who objects to the fact of homosexuality based on their reading of one ancient text or another. Unless and until that position is cganged on the national governmental and scientific level, we are going to continue to treat Pride differently to the way we, as a secular institution, treat ideologies."
Even non-religious, patriotic story events were rejected, though. As Fox News mentioned in their report:
They attempted to host a Veterans Day story hour in November featuring the children's books "Veteran Heroes in Our Neighborhood," "Hero Dad" and "Big-Hearted Charlie Runs the Mile."
The library said no again, according to Racz.
"They told me it was too dangerous to have veterans read to children without background checks, right after they had reading hours for children showing naked men," she said.
Racz also provided a statement to Townhall about her project. "My husband and I have loved raising our young daughters in Coronado because it’s a patriotic, warm, welcoming and beautiful island. Ultimately I believe it’s the parents responsibility to protect their kids from sexual adult themes and agendas- and the situation in Coronado shows how diligent we must be as parents," she shared.
"And that was my intention with launching Tiny Patriots Story Time--to give parents a place where they can bring their toddlers to hear pro america/pro family stories read by local heroes and citizens! The Coronado Public Library’s continual refusal to allow pro-American and virtuous themes to be part of reading hours is deeply disturbing, and our hope is that equal access to our public, taxpayer funded facilities will be restored," she also told Townhall.
The library, however, did allow for a Hanukkah story time, but still refused to host a Christmas themed story hour. "I thought this was a step in the right direction, but during the Christmas story time they REFUSED to include any Christian-focused books," Racz shared. They would only be willing to host a Santa Clause event instead.
The reasoning, the library claimed that "as a government agency [it] does not do nor is it allowed to do religious programming. The Hanukkah story time is not a religious story time—it is about the culture and traditions of Hanukkah. Just as Santa is a cultural not religious figure."
The demand letter indicates that the rejected Christmas books included "Pete the Cat Saves Christmas," "'Twas the Last House on Christmas," and "Who Is Coming to Our House?"
For all of the concerns about Christmas being a religious holiday, the demand letter makes it quite clear that the library is in violation of state law and federal law, including the First Amendment.
When it comes to the Free Speech Clause, the demand letter notes how the library is in violation:
The library allows other similarly situated groups to host their reading hours and events in various rooms of the library, but it does not allow Mrs. Racz to host TPST and other events. The only difference is the viewpoint of their speech. This discrimination is itself sufficient to violate the Constitution. But the Library’s shifting explanation for rejecting Mrs. Racz’s bookings is further evidence of the Library’s discriminating against her and similar parents based on their viewpoint. The explanations appear pretextual given that similar groups are allowed to perform the same functions that Mrs. Racz seeks. But even if the policies have informally changed, it is apparent that this was done to thwart the ability of Mrs. Racz and similarly minded parents to host events based on their viewpoint, and that is equally unlawful.
Mrs. Racz has also been unlawfully excluded from hosting readings from a Christian viewpoint. It is also beyond dispute that a government entity like a library cannot reject a presentation from a religious viewpoint (including a “Christian viewpoint”) when it would allow a similar event from a secular viewpoint. See, e.g., Good News Club v. Milford Cent. Sch., 533 U.S. 98, 111 (2001); Rosenberger, 515 U.S. at 831. Yet that is precisely what the Library has done in allowing a Santa-themed storytime and display about Christmas yet rejecting any one of either from a Christian viewpoint. And more generally, because the Library would allow the celebration of any holiday through story times and other activities, it cannot reject a similar activity held from a religious perspective, whether for Christmas or Easter.
The Free Exercise Clause is also at play here, which the demand letter makes clear the library is at issue with. This doesn't merely apply to Christians, but also Jews:
There is no question that the Library’s actions stem from an overt hostility and animus towards religion, particularly the religious beliefs of Mrs. Racz and other community members. That the Library would have the gall to make comments quite similar to those that the Supreme Court has found to violate constitutional protections and on the same issue is astounding. See Masterpiece Cakeshop, 138 S. Ct. at 1731. But the Library has further clarified explicitly that it is hostile toward any display of what it deems religion—not only Mrs. Racz’s Christian beliefs, but also those of Judaism in characterizing one of its holidays as being as “secular as Santa.” And it has put this animus into practice by refusing to display books or allow a story time with any Christian elements about Christmas, even while promoting a secular version for the same holiday. This bias and these actions are inconsistent with the requirements of the First Amendment. The Library also cannot use the Establishment Clause as a shield there is no question that even a government-created display for the holiday season can include material with Christian content about Christmas.
This is at play here as well with the Equal Protection Clause:
But the government also cannot exclude some religions based on the particular character of their beliefs... Yet the Library is doing precisely that by fully celebrating what it considers a holiday in Hanukkah that is secular enough while barring mention of the history and origins of Christmas. Is the Library really contending that the miracle of one night’s oil lasting eight nights is less religious than a story about how beloved fictional character Pete the Cat saves Christmas? Or is it that the Library considers Hanukkah a ‘lesser’ holiday and so allows readings about the Maccabees when it would disallow books about Sandy Koufax not pitching on Yom Kippur? Leaving this theological parsing to municipal officers violates core constitutional commitments.
The demand letter also brings up California Penal Code Section 313.4 and demands that Racz be alowed to hold her events, both patriotic and religious. "If any new or nonpublic policies would prevent Mrs. Racz and Tiny Patriot Story Time from hosting these events for the public at the Library, they must be rescinded," the demand letter mentions.
But, the demand letter also brings up the sexually explicit material as well. "We also respectfully request that the City immediately review and amend its policies surrounding the presentation and exhibition of sexually explicit materials to minor through reading hours or special displays. Specifically, the Library must segregate material with depictions of adult nudity, genitalia, and sexual acts from the children’s section (for ages 0-12) and must not present materials with such content during the children’s section story times. We further request that the City and Library investigate whether the actions of the Library and its staff have violated federal and state laws," it mentions.
The demand letter asks for communication within 30 days of receiving the letter.
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