LGBT+ Rainbow Reading event for kids planned at Clarksville library

Stephanie Ingersoll | Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle

A local LGBT advocacy group will hold a "Rainbow Reading" event for children on Sunday at the library in Clarksville, featuring "accepting and affirming" books and a local drag performer among the readers.

Equality Clarksville, which formed to support the LGBT+ community and its allies in Montgomery County and the surrounding areas, announced it will host the Rainbow Reading event at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Library, 350 Pageant Lane, on Sunday, Aug. 12, from 1:30-3 p.m. for children of all ages, according to a news release.

Library Director Martha Hendricks said many groups use meeting space at the library, from churches to Equality Clarksville, but they are not library-sponsored events.

Hendricks said the library is a meeting place for many groups, and the library does not pass judgment on groups seeking to use those spaces.

Equality Clarksville began hosting the monthly event in April 2018 and has a room reserved at the library the second Sunday of each month.

“We noticed that the library has done a very good job of creating a collection of children’s books that are accepting and affirming to the LGBT+ community, but the collection is limited," Joydianne Damiani, chair of Equality Clarksville, said in the release.

She told The Leaf-Chronicle the event is family-friendly and can help parents when their children ask questions. The drag performer, Jessica Monroe, will be dressed as Elsa from the movie "Frozen."

She said there is nothing immoral or "dirty" about the program, and it features books like "Frog and Toad," which is just about two male friends who live together. The point is to promote inclusive books, she said.

"It is a family-friendly show," she said Friday. "It's not in your face; it's subtle."

Following the reading, the books will be donated to the children’s library.

“We want our children to grow up with books that affirm our support and love for our LGBT+ neighbors. We are working with the library, schools and community to make Clarksville and the surrounding areas a more tolerant and accepting community for all," T.L. “Drew” Kreuser, events committee chair, said in the release.

“We know that the term family means many different things and may include one or more parents of the same or different genders. We recognize and embrace different types of family units. We want to stack the shelves with love, acceptance, and equality.”

For more information about the organization or this event, go to www.EqualityClarksvilleTN.org. Visit Equality Clarksville at www.instagram.com/equality_clarksville/ or www.facebook.com/equalityclarksville/

Reach Reporter Stephanie Ingersoll at singersoll@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0267 and on Twitter @StephLeaf

