A U.S. Air Force library plans to stage a gay pride-themed storytime on Thursday and is promoting a list of books for children that advocate gender transition in commemoration of Pride month, according to the library’s website.
The pride-themed storytime is planned for Thursday at 10:30 a.m., a calendar posted on the Ramstein & Vogelweh Air Force Libraries Facebook page shows, alongside cartoonish illustrations and descriptions of additional family-oriented programs scheduled for the week of June 12. The library urges readers to “show your pride and celebrate Rainbow Book Month and Pride Month” with curated titles aimed at children and teens telling stories of young children and teenagers adopting different gender identities on their own, according to the reading list.
“Books show us every color of the rainbow,” the website states. (RELATED: Major Air Force Base’s ‘Diversity’ Committee Plans Gay Pride Parade)
The pride story hour is scheduled for the same time slot as the library’s usual family story time. A calendar for the library’s summer programs notes that “Family Story Times” featuring activities “for the whole family” are held weekly at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays at Ramstein.
“A pride event for toddlers is completely inappropriate in any venue,” Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “To hold one at a U.S. military base is a partisan abuse of taxpayer dollars and a slap in the face to military families.”
One book on the library’s reading list, “Julián Is A Mermaid,” tells the story of a young boy who begins dressing as a mermaid after seeing three dazzling women mermaids in public, according to a description by Common Sense Media. His grandmother ignores him initially, but by the end of the story she takes him to a “parade” reminiscent of a pride parade where everyone is dressed as a mermaid.
Others, such as “Jacob’s Room To Choose” and “I’m Not A Girl,” feature young main characters who adopt different “gender expressions” and persuade their schools and teachers to accept the idea of gender nonconformity, according to descriptions linked by the library.
The Ramstein library links to the Department of Defense’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation library hosted on a third party platform for a description of “It Feels Good To Be Yourself.”
“Some people are boys. Some people are girls. Some people are both, neither, or somewhere in between,” the description reads. “This sweet, straightforward exploration of gender identity will give children a fuller understanding of themselves and others.”
A disclaimer on the library’s website attempts to distance the Air Force from the content depicted in the linked websites.
“The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the 86 FSS Libraries, the United States Air Force, or the Department of Defense of this site, or the information, products or services contained therein,” the disclaimer says. “For other than authorized activities” the Air Force “does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.”
Ramstein Air Base headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command in Germany and is part of the largest American military community outside of the U.S., according to the installation’s website.
Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio attacked the same military base in 2022 for planning to host a drag queen story hour for children at the site’s library, exposing children to “sexually charged content.” The Air Force canceled the event following Rubio’s criticisms, according to a press release.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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