Paul Dorr, from the religious group Rescue the Perishing, had the least amount of fun at the Orange City Pride Festival on October 19. Instead of hanging out and enjoying the live music, movie screenings, storytelling, and tasty brunch, he decided to burn children’s books.
During the festivities, Dorr stood outside the Orange City Public Library and recorded himself burning books such as, “Two Boys Kissing,” “Families, Families, Families,” and “Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress.”
“Continuing my 25-year stand for Christ I cannot stand by and let the shameful adults at the Orange City library board bring the next group of little children into their foul sexual reality without a firm resistance,” Dorr said in the video.
While Dorr belives he has satisfied the vengeful mythic homophobe in the sky he prays to, his deeds fell flat on planet Earth. After news spread of Dorr’s actions, over a hundred books were donated to the Orange City Public Library.
“People must feel pretty strongly about the issue to be contributing the way that they are,” Library Director Amanda Vazquez said.
One of the book donors, Rob Holmes from Cedar Rapids, believes the books are a way to counter negative stereotypes LBGT people face.
“LGBTQ people are still a significant minority in the United States and I think a lot of people assume things about them,” Holmes said. “The books he [Dorr] burned really are just children’s stories about how people can be different, but how you can still understand and get along with them.”
Former Iowa resident, Dylan Boyle set up a GoFundMe page for the library which has earned nearly $2,000. “To make sure [Dorr] will not censor speech and attack the LGBT+ community, we seek to replace the books with five copies each. All other funds will be donated to the Orange City Library to protect the freedom of thought and information.”
