Montana library commissioner praises move to leave American Library Association: ‘This is a statement'

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Montana State Library Commissioner Tamara Hall spoke out Tuesday after the Montana State Library Commission became the first state library commission to cut all ties with the American Library Association (ALA) this week because of its self-described "Marxist lesbian" president.

Hall stated that ALA president-elect Emily Drabinski’s "avowed Marxist philosophy" is in "direct competition" to the commission's "oath of office" to uphold both the U.S. Constitution and Montana’s.

The commissioner added that her board's vote was a "statement" about abiding by "what's right for Montana" and an action to ensure that the state's libraries and education systems are held accountable by their "community."

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The Montana State Library Commission recently voted to divorce from the American Library Association on Tuesday, citing the new ALA president's "Marxist" identity. (Education Images/Universal Images Group)

"We're pulling out based on the fact that our oath of office for Montana and for the federal government is in direct violation of the Marxist opinion" of the new president, Hall told Fox News Digital.

The commissioner also admonished America’s public education and library systems, claiming they "have been used to advocate literature to promote children to take part in a lot of dangerous procedures."

Hall noted that the Montana State Library Commission’s vote on Tuesday is the board acting in accordance with its belief that public libraries and the entities that govern them "need to be responsible to their community."

Tuesday’s historical vote marked Montana being the first state in the U.S to divorce itself from the ALA, which describes itself on its website as an organization that provides "leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all."

The Commission voted 5-1-1 on Tuesday in favor of withdrawing. Newly appointed Commissioner Brian Rossman gave the only "no" vote on the motion, while Commissioner Peggy Taylor chose to abstain from voting. 

Last month, Commissioner Tom Burnett proposed the vote to withdraw from the larger organization after the commission reviewed a since-deleted tweet from Drabinski where she declared her political leanings. 

The tweet, posted in April 2022 after Drabinksi’s election as president of the organization, read, "I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity!"

The official language Tuesday’s motion to leave the ALA provided a direct response to the tweet. It read, "We immediately withdraw from the ALA and discontinue any further payments except for existing contracts to it or its subsidiaries."

It continued, stating, "Dear Executive Board and Officers, The purpose of this letter is to announce the MSL immediate separation from the ALA. Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist."

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ALA President Emily Drabinski, a socialist, prompted the Montana state library commission to leave national group (Getty Images | screenshot Emily Drabinski via YouTube)

Some librarians present at the meeting denounced the vote, claiming that the ALA is nonpartisan and that it has provided crucial support and training for libraries across Montana and the rest of the country. 

Rossman, the only "no" vote, argued the decision to withdraw was "a rather drastic response – to one individual’s politics."

Commissioner and Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, who voted in favor of withdrawing, argued that the commission can function without the partnership, and if need be, could later reauthorize the relationship between the two organizations if the ALA commits to a less political path. 

"I believe we can rebuild," she stated. "I believe that we can reauthorize later if indeed, after a year’s time, the American Library Association has a different leader or a different path." 

Drabinski, who took office this month, appeared to respond to the vote on Twitter Tuesday, writing, "That is not the Montana—or Montanans—I know." 

In light of the motion passing, Hall characterized it as a wakeup call for Americans, particularly parents who still implicitly trust U.S. institutions that heavily influence their children.

"People are naïve in that they think people who lead the groups that affect their children are dedicated to the principals of our Constitution and our great country, which includes protecting our most vulnerable," she said. 

She added, "And what this vote does is it strips off that lie and it shows people, no, there are people in leadership affecting things directly touching your children who do not believe in the American constitution."

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The commissioner also spoke about large leftist run institutions she suggested promote a culture where it has become harder for God-fearing, conservative Americans to speak out against them. 

"I don’t think people maybe understand today that there are efforts underway to keep citizens who are conservative, Christian-leaning people from speaking out," she said. 

"But our commission now is an amazing group of people that is very courageous," she added. 

Hall described her commission’s vote as a "statement," saying, "We just felt that we really need to make a statement right now that we need to abide by what’s right for Montana."

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