Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, says parents and athletes who are passionate about keeping males out of female sports were stopped when they tried to hold a forum at the Mary L Stephens-Davis Branch Library in Yolo County last August.
"A young woman named Sophia Lorey spoke, and in the first few minutes of her speaking, when she was saying that males should not be allowed to compete in female sports, the librarian there shut her down," Justice reports.
As Lorey, a former college athlete who now works for California Family Council, tried to continue her speech, the library's regional manager was applauded for telling her that if she kept on "misgendering trans athletes," or referring to male athletes as men, then she would have to leave, and the event would be over.
Lorey did stop her speech, but a few minutes into the next one, the regional manager switched off the projector and told everyone to leave.
In response, attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Institute for Free Speech filed a federal lawsuit, claiming violations of First Amendment rights.
Moms for Liberty–Yolo County, Independent Council on Women's Sports, and several parental rights and women's advocates are challenging library officials for removing them from a public building during the August event hosted by Moms for Liberty.
"We want to make sure that libraries continue to be spaces where we can meet and have free speech," says Justice. "Librarians, of all people that are involved, they're taxed with helping people to see things from different perspectives and so many different viewpoints."
But in this case, the library actively tried to deter conservative taxpayers from holding events there. Officials also reportedly displayed more sexually deviant materials during Moms for Liberty events and openly invited people to protest them.
