Actor and writer Kirk Cameron invited Governor Katie Hobbs to attend a reading of his new children’s book Pride Comes Before the Fall at the Tempe Public Library on July 22.
Cameron first invited Arizonans to join him at the event at 10 a.m. on Saturday, then asked Hobbs to represent Arizona during his “wholesome story hour” in Tempe.
“I’m coming back to your state for another story hour,” said Cameron in a video posted to Twitter. The actor added, “I’d also like to personally invite Governor Hobbs to this story hour.”
Cameron insisted, “This is a great opportunity for her to demonstrate her commitment to representing the state of Arizona by coming to a really important book reading that many of you will be attending. We would love for her to experience the magic of a wholesome story hour.”
The actor invited Arizonans to join him in asking Hobbs to attend the event, providing details for constituents to contact Hobbs’ office alongside his video.
Friends in Arizona, we are coming back to your state for another @BraveBooksUS story hour! Be sure to invite your friends and family to this event happening this Saturday, July 22nd, at the Tempe Public Library. We will start at 10 am PST.
Join me in inviting @katiehobbs out to… pic.twitter.com/pKQOMpM69l
— Kirk Cameron (@KirkCameron) July 18, 2023
Cameron released Pride Comes Before the Fall on June 1, when LGBTQ activists celebrate Pride Month. He referred to the celebration as “ME MONTH” and wrote that his book will teach children “the importance of humility and serving others through a story they will love” in a post on Twitter. He later stressed, “we have to warn children that it’s humility that will lead to the good life, not pride.”
The actor divulged, “Pride almost took me down as a young actor in Hollywood.” He also said that it “was the gospel and learning to be humble and kind that saved me.”
Thrilled to announce the release of my new children’s book, Pride Comes Before the Fall!
June 1 marks the start of “ME MONTH,” also known as “Pride Month.” Pride is the deadliest of the seven deadly sins, so rather than glorify it, I’m calling on all God-fearing Americans to… pic.twitter.com/5rDBPDsm2K
— Kirk Cameron (@KirkCameron) June 1, 2023
His stop in Tempe will come only one week after a controversial drag queen story hour event in Tucson drew a protest that earned the support of State Senator Justine Wadsack and the Pima County Republican Party.
Cameron’s nationwide book tour has been contrasted with drag queen story hour events before, including when one event in March featured New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“In the Garden of Eden, God used a piece of fruit to expose man’s willingness to betray God and harm the family,” Cameron told Fox News Digital. He added that “God is using the attorney general.”
Such remarks have reportedly made the tour the target of a pressure campaign seeking to cancel or sabotage his public library events, originally called the “Brave Story Hour,” which have featured high-profile conservatives, including former Trump administration White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Cameron’s Tempe stop also comes roughly one month after Hobbs vetoed four bills that would have regulated drag queen story hour events in Arizona. These included a bill to ban using state tax dollars to fund drag shows targeting minors, a bill to ban “adult cabaret performances’ on public property or in view of minors, a bill to require counties to regulate businesses offering “sexually explicit performances” on their premises, and a bill that would have made it illegal for a child to view adult-oriented performances or attend or venues where they are performed.
The Arizona Sun Times contacted Hobbs’ office to ask whether the governor planned to attend Cameron’s “wholesome story hour” and to ask whether Hobbs considers the reported pressure campaign against Cameron an example of the “intolerance” she cited when vetoing the drag queen story hour related bills. However, The Sun Times did not receive a response before press time.
Cameron is an actor, evangelist, and television host who gained his initial fame as a teen actor portraying Mike Seaver on “Growing Pains” from 1985 to 1992. The actor began releasing Christian children’s books with publisher Brave Books last year, releasing As You Grow in December 2022.
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Tom Pappert is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Tom on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kirk Cameron” by Kirk Cameron.
