After a man burned LGBTQ children's books on Facebook, donations to a nearby library are booming

Hope Schreiber
·Writer
Paul Dorr, director of the religious group Rescue the Perishing, burned LGBT-themed books in protest. (Photo: Rescue the Perishing via Facebook)
Paul Dorr, director of the religious group Rescue the Perishing, burned LGBT-themed books in protest. (Photo: Rescue the Perishing via Facebook)

After a man destroyed “shameful and wicked” LGBTQ-themed books, people are donating to the library.

Paul Dorr, the director of the religious group Rescue the Perishing, made waves on social media in October when he appeared in a Facebook Live video protesting “controversial” texts. The man, whose Iowa-based Christian group only had 77 followers on Facebook at the time, threw the Orange City Public Library books into a fire. He meant it as a protest to the upcoming OC Pride weekend event.

In the video, Dorr blamed feminism, Hollywood, basketball, money, and sex education for “destroying children.”

Since Dorr’s video gained national attention, the library has received at least 100 books from people around the country, mostly copies of the books that Dorr burned. On top of that, the library received hundreds of dollars in monetary donations, according to Iowa Public Radio.

“People must feel pretty strongly about the issue to be contributing the way that they are,” library director Amanda Vazquez told the outlet.

Rob Holmes, of Cedar Rapids, ordered copies of the books Dorr burned. He said, “The books he burned really are just children’s stories about how people can be different but how you can still understand and get along with them.”

Dylan Boyle, who originally hailed from Southeast Iowa, set up a GoFundMe page to purchase copies of the books, which has since raised nearly $2,000 — far above the original goal of $300.

“Mr. Dorr was offended by our nation’s founding principles of freedom of information and the First Amendment, so he decided to burn books he didn’t like — deliberately destroying public property,” Boyle wrote.

As for Dorr, if he doesn’t pay a bill for his overdue book fees, the library can take legal action for theft. The Rescue the Perishing group gained has 12 followers since the video went live.

When reached for comment by Yahoo Lifestyle, Dorr asked, “How much are they reporting has come in?” When informed of the amount, including the book donations, Dorr said he had no further comment at this time.

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