Republican state senator, secretary of state compare Columbia library’s ‘Rainbow Story Time’ to sexual grooming

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

State Sen. Rick Brattin and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said at a news conference that an LGBTQ+-themed event held last weekend at the Columbia Public Library included "grooming" of children.

The Republican politicians are pushing for an investigation into an event called "Rainbow Story Time" that was held Saturday at the library. The event was billed as a "queer-led" story time appropriate for families.

Hoskins has threatened the library's funding, saying the event might involve material inappropriate for children.

Brattin, who sits on the Senate's education committee, said the event sexualized children, emphasizing its acceptance of dressing in drag.

Hoskins said at the news conference that he plans to revisit the rule on funding for libraries because of the controversy. He called out one of the books from the story time, "Big Wig," as "grooming" material because of its theme, which involves dressing in drag.

Hoskins said he would push for a law to outlaw these types of events.

Brattin said the material at Rainbow Story Time was not "G-rated."

"I hate that these elected officials are trying to make this a political moment for them because our library is a fantastic example of serving our community and the needs and the interests of our community. And this programming is not of concern," Rep. Kathy Steinhoff (D-Columbia) told ABC 17 News before the news conference. "It is nowhere near the allegations that they are making, it is not any infringement of our law, it is just good literacy and community engagement happening in our local library."