Houston

FOIA Requests on Houston Public Library
Regarding Drag Queen Story Hour

WORK IN PROGRESS AS I ADD DOCUMENTS, BUT HERE'S WHAT I HAVE SO FAR

Houston Public Library:

2018-10-10: FOIA #1 by Tex Christopher and Chris Sevier Esq.

Seeks 1) who is the library programming team, 2) are Board members involved, 3) how are recommended ages determined, 4) what subject matter always get denied, 5) what programs got denied since Jan 2017, 6) all correspondence of board members and library staff regarding the Drag Queen Story Hour (no date range), 7) all documentation related to Drag Queen Story Hour programming, 8) all documentation on file related to Drag Queen Story Hour itself, 9) list all expenditures related to Drag Queen Story Hour, 10) list all organizations with which the Library partnered in sponsoring Drag Queen Story Hour, 11) provide all flyers, website postings, or social media posts published by the library that promote Drag Queen Story Hour, 12) provide library's policy on prosthelytizing, 13) where is Drag Queen Story Hour being held in the public library and is that location a public forum?

Documents received: None.

2018-11-01: Letter from library saying they are still working on a response.

2018-11-02: Letter from library saying the library will provide the documents for $241 but only if $120.50 is paid first.  Attached was 1) Itemized Charge Attchmnt to Cost Estimates.doc, 2) TPIA 25577.doc.

2019-01-07: FOIA #1 by Shannon Tracy

...

2019-03-07: TXAG to Houston - AG Ruling OR2019-06437 - Ref ID 753435 - 25665-25685-25693.pdf
2019-03-26: Houston to Shannon - Letter Closing Case - 25693.pdf

2018-12-21: FOIA #1 by SafeLibraries

Seeks 1) library trustee training, 2) public meeting room policy and related complaints, 3) library run activities policy and related complaints, 4) requests and denials of public meeting rooms, 5) requests and denials of public space, 6) policy on deciding whether meeting goes on in public or in public meeting room, 7) policy on who sponsors events, library or foundation, 8) policy on whether Drag Queen StoryTime is a library event or should be in a public meeting room, 9) fairness doctrine, 10) public right of redress regarding public meeting rooms, 11) public right of redress regarding library programming, 12) policy on religious events, 13) policy on display of religious or secular objects, 14) policy on proselytizing and incident reports, 15) policy on leafleteering and incident reports, 16) policy on who is "anti-gay," 17) anything about drag queens or Drag Queen Story Hour, 18) social media users banned.

Documents received: None.

2019-01-18: Letter - City to AG claiming § 552.103 exemption re FOIA by Shannon

2019-03-16: FOIA #2 by SafeLibraries

Seeks 1) legal bills re FOIA, 2) registered child sex offender investigation, 3) error admission and drafts, 4) background check guidelines, 5) crisis and media management guides, 6) complaints about Drag Queen StoryTime, 7) plan of action and review process, 8) cancellations of Drag Queen StoryTimes, 9) planned or actual personnel changes, 10) business promotion policies, 11) Sec. 24-5 rules and regulations, 12) Sec. 24-5 orderly use of library system and promotion of businesses instead of use of public meeting rooms, 13) Sec. 24-5 approval of #12, 14) Sec. 24-5 "protective of the health and well-being of patrons and children," 15) Sec. 24-5 approval of #14, 16) legal advice to library allowing library to act outside of Sec. 24-5, 17) legal advice to City allowing library to act outside of Sec. 24-5, 18) liability policies, 19) policy on media manipulation.

Documents received: None.

2019-03-23: FOIA #3 by SafeLibraries

Seeks, regarding a new policy to exclude photography, 1) date policy updated, 2) date/location discussed at public meeting, 3) recordings, 4) transcripts, 5) minutes, 6) recording of citizen comments, 7) transcripts of citizen comments, 8) minutes of citizen comments, 9) training materials on excluding photography, 10) "library approvals" given, 11) disapprovals given, 12) policy on granting photography permission, 13) policy on changing library signage to match online policy, 14) policy on policy precedence.

Documents received: None.

2019-03-28: Letter - City to AG claiming § 552.101-151 exemption re FOIA #1 by SafeLibraries

Houston Public Library Foundation:

2019-03-27: FOIA #4 by SafeLibraries

Seeks: 1) where does HPLF gets its money, 2) what's being funded at HPL by HPLF, 3) is Houston City Code 24-5 taken into consideration, 4) is Drag Queen StoryTime acceptable under 24-5, 5) see Drag Queen StoryTime in action, 6) hear Drag Queen StoryTime being discussed.

Documents received: None.

2019 04 10: Houston appeals to Texas AG.
2019 04 19: SafeLibraries to Texas AG - Kleinman 25856 - FOIA 4.pdf
2019 06 17: AG Kunst to Houston Kanu - AG Ruling - 25856 - FOIA 4.pdf
2019 06 25: Houston Simms to SafeLibraries - Kleinman 25856 AG Ruling Memo - FOIA 4.pdf

Matter closed.

Media Coverage:

• "Houston Public Library Has Another Sex Offender Read to Kids," by Dave Blount, Moonbattery, 6 April 2019.
• "What Is Drag Queen Story Hour Examples," by MassResistanceHouston Texas, YouTube, 31 March 2019.
• 2019-03-26: "Running Background Checks on Outside Performers," by Alexa Newman, ALSC Blog, 26 March 2019.
• "Drag Queen Story Time Organizers in Houston Call It Quits Amid 'Death Threats and National Scorn,'" by Jessica Chasmar, The Washington Times, 22 March 2019.
• "We Are the Organizers of Drag Queen Story Time. This Is Why We’re Stepping Aside. 'We Believe In What We’re Doing, But We Don’t Believe In Putting Our Friends, Our Families, or Our Children In Danger,'" by Trent Lira and Devin Will, Houstonia, 19 March 2019.
• "Library Admits They Let a Convicted SEX OFFENDER Read to Children As Young As Two In Drag After Failing to Perform a Basic Background Check," by Dailymail.com Reporter, Daily Mail (UK), 16 March 2019.
• "Criminal history of Drag Queen Story Hour Reader," by Isiah Carey, Fox 26 Houston, 16 March 2019.
• "Houston Public Library Admits Registered Child Sex Offender Read to Kids in Drag Queen Storytime; A Media Spokesperson For the Library Confirmed One of Those Drag Queens, Tatiana Mala Nina, is Alberto Garza, a 32-Year-Old Child Sex Offender," by Lauren Talarico, KHOU 11, 15 March 2019.
• "Attempt to Ban Houston Library's 'Drag Queen Storytime' on Religious Grounds Fails," by John Council, Texas Lawyer, 7 January 2019.
• "Federal Judge Closes Book on Houston’s Drag Queen Story Hour Lawsuit By Conservatives," by Gabrielle Banks, Seattle Intelligencer, 3 January 2019.
• "Drag Queen Story Hour in Houston," by Isiah Carey, Fox 26 Houston, 27 July 2018.