![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/assets\/img\/icon\/chat-rect.svg\")
<\/a>![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/assets\/img\/icon\/share-outline.svg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/images\/cache\/image\/14\/91\/149120_w_760_507.webp\")
<\/source><\/picture>An Alabama library is being accused of religious discrimination for abruptly canceling a book reading event featuring Christian actor and author Kirk Cameron.<\/p>\n
Officials with the Huntsville-Madison County Library announced Thursday that the event featuring Cameron and another Brave Books author, Riley Gaines, and organized by Moms For Liberty was initially set to take place on Aug. 5 in a meeting room at the library.<\/p>\n
But after officials say the \u201cSee You at the Library\u201d event\u2019s organizers reported 20 people would be at the reading, the library \u201clearned that event organizers are now expecting over 300 people, a number that far exceeds any meeting room capacity within the Huntsville-Madison County Library System,\u201d according to spokesperson Jay Hixon.<\/p>\n
According to Hixon, the library consulted with Madison City police, fire and other officials and \u201cexplored options to make the event logistically possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, the city of Madison said organizers with Moms for Liberty \u201cfailed to apply for an event permit in advance, and it was determined that City resources cannot support an event of this size on such short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consequently, the library said they \u201cwill be unable to host the event,\u201d and on Wednesday, officials notified both Moms for Liberty and Brave Books that the \u201cvenue is no longer available.\u201d<\/p>\n
The following day, attorneys with First Liberty Institute<\/a>, a religious liberty legal organization, sent a letter to Cindy Hewitt, executive director for Huntsville-Madison County Libraries, urging her to reverse the decision.<\/p>\n The letter signed by First Liberty senior counsel Jeremy Dys alleged Hewitt canceled the event over \u201csecurity concerns\u201d linked to a \u201cpotential protest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe write to inform you that, should you persist in the cancellation of this event, you will have engaged in unlawful and unconstitutional religious viewpoint and content discrimination in violation of the Alabama Constitution and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,\u201d wrote Dys.<\/p>\n Further arguing that it \u201cstrains credulity to cancel an event that may be over capacity when library staff could simply operate on a first-come, first-serve basis,\u201d the letter said Hewitt \u201ccensored our client.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether the city met First Liberty\u2019s deadline of reversing their decision by noon Friday. A request for clarification from The Christian Post was not immediately returned as of Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n Cameron and Brave Books, his publishing company, have been hosting story hour events<\/a> at various libraries throughout the country, inviting people to attend and hear the actor read his children\u2019s book, As You Grow<\/em>. The Christian-themed book teaches children about the biblical concept of the fruits of the Spirit.<\/p>\n And while he\u2019s seen some pushback from a few libraries and their personnel \u2014 including the Indianapolis Public Library, which has denied <\/a>allegations that it discriminated against Cameron by denying his request to host a story hour \u2014 the former \u201cLeft Behind\u201d and \u201cGrowing Pains\u201d actor became emotional at another event in New Jersey in May.<\/p>\n Hosting his tenth story hour event at the Cherry Hill Library, Cameron cried \u201ctears of gratitude and hope\u201d as parents and children who were waiting in line for the event began to sing <\/a>songs of worship and praise.<\/p>\n “When the overflow group of families \u2026 started their own worship service \u2014 think beautiful voices of children and strong declarations from moms and dads, hands raised, singing sacred songs of thankfulness and praises to God \u2014 filling the lobby, the staircase and expanding into the upper room [of the two-story library], I got emotional and began to cry,” Cameron told Fox News.<\/p>\n In December 2022, Cameron revealed that over 50 public libraries declined<\/a> to run a story hour program for the actor to read his book despite having hosted controversial drag queen story hour events.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST<\/strong> newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nFree<\/span> Religious Freedom Updates<\/h2>\n