Protesters rally outside Cranston library where anti-transgender activists hold forum

CRANSTON –  A Cranston public library has become the center of an argument over the rights of transgender youth.

Monday night, more than 200 supporters of transgender individuals gathered on the lawn of the William Hall Library after the library decided to allow an anti-trans forum to take place inside.

"I'm so glad to see you here," the Rev. Donnie Anderson, a transgender activist, told the cheering crowd. "How many of you believe that transgender people are human?"

"Trans rights are human rights," said Sen. Tiara Mack. "Never forget that you are beautiful. Never forget that your body is your own. No one gets to tell you who you are."

Calling it “hate speech,” activists had earlier asked the William Hall Library to cancel the event, sponsored by the Independent Women’s Network, a right-wing organization that national news media have characterized as anti-feminist.

One of the speakers was Nicole Solas, who made national news last summer after she filed 200 public-record requests with the South Kingstown School Committee. Solas, a South Kingstown parent, wanted to know if critical race theory was being taught in the classroom.

She could not be reached for comment Monday.

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Library's role in forum questioned

“We would like the Cranston Public Library to explain how they are providing a safe and inclusive space for all visitors including trans young people while hosting a speaker who proclaims that transgender kids do not exist,” said Jaye Watts, an advocate in the transgender community, in a letter signed by Youth Pride and the Democratic Women’s Caucus, among others. “How are transgender people supposed to feel safe in this library before, during and after this event?”  

The Cranston Public Library has tried to stay away from the controversy, part of a national conservative movement to curb the acceptance of transgender students’ rights in schools. The library was closed to the public Monday night and there was a sizable police presence outside the building. 

Much as he disagrees with the views of the forum, library director Ed Garcia said the library has a long-standing practice of allowing outside groups to hold private meetings, a position supported by the American Library Association and case law.

Asked whether the library was tacitly endorsing hate speech, Garcia said the law isn’t clear on what constitutes hate speech.

“There has been an outcry from the community,” he said. “We deeply understand the concerns of all of the community who have reached out.” 

“The people who are speaking are anti-transgender activists,” said Wendy Becker, a leader of LGBTQ Action Rhode Island. “Their goal is to stir things up, to promulgate transphobic beliefs.”

She said the library is giving the air of legitimacy to a hate group.

“Their argument is trans people don’t exist,” Becker said. “This is hate speech that causes harm.”

Although the forum’s title – “What Kids Learn About Gender in School" – sounds innocuous, the keynote speaker is Chris Elston, who calls himself Billboard Chris.

Elston has traveled across Canada waging a one-man crusade against changing teenagers' gender identity and teaching about it in school. He gained prominence after he teamed up with another group to buy billboards supporting “gender critical” author J.K. Rowling.

ACLU supports library's position

Anderson, a prominent member of the trans community, said a recent Forbes magazine story reported that 52% of all transgender young people seriously contemplated killing themselves in 2020. More than half thought it would be better to be dead than to live with rejection, isolation, loneliness and bullying.

But the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island said it fully supports the library’s position.

"Your statement properly notes that serious First Amendment concerns would be raised by denying an individual or organization the ability to use library meeting space solely because of the content of their views," ALCU Executive Director Steven Brown wrote. "Taking such an action would also seem to run counter to a library’s basic mission, and would be especially troubling at a time when libraries themselves are facing concerted efforts by outside groups to censor certain books – including books on this very subject – based on their content.

"The message of this group deserves condemnation, but silencing their speech is, ultimately, a dangerous and counter-productive way to respond," he said.

'Kids' lives are being destroyed'

While protesters gathered outside the library, inside, Elston argued that instead of encouraging gender nonconformity, children are taught to embrace the stereotypes to the point of physically harming their bodies.

Thousands of children, he said, are now being sent to gender clinics, where they they are quickly put on a medical pathway that includes puberty blockers, opposite-sex hormones and surgery.

"Thousands of kids' lives are being destroyed," he told two dozen attendees. "We are destroying children's lives with a medical experiment. They are being ideologically groomed. Every single Democrat and Republican will condemn female genital mutilation, but we're doing something way worse.

"There are kids being told they are in the wrong bodies," he said. "It's abuse. Kids are getting puberty blockers at their first doctor's appointment."

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Elston said schools are perpetrating this abuse by creating identity crises where there are none.

"There is no such thing as transgender," he said. "These children have gender dysphoria. We need to help them."

Outside, several 11-year-olds shared why they attended the protest with their parents.

"The library has always been my favorite place," said Finley Edwards-Orr, who identifies as gender-fluid. "It's so frustrating to see my safe space used to spread lies about people like me."

Gia Biondi-Corley was driving by the library with their mother when they saw the protest. They had to stop. (Biondi-Corley uses they/them pronouns.)

"It's so important to come here, to show up," Biondi-Corley said. The private meeting "makes my stomach turn."   

Linda Borg covers education for The Journal.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Protesters rally outside RI library during anti-transgender forum