Residents and advocates call for apology, transparency after Augusta County cancels library Pride event

Dozens of residents and community members urged the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to apologize and explain its decision to cancel a planned Pride/resource fair at an Augusta County library, saying the cancellation caused harm to LGBTQ+ residents and lacked transparency.

The event — public materials indicate a resource/fair tied to Pride programming that had been advertised online on June 9 and was scheduled for June 16 — was canceled by the county before the date. Public commenters repeatedly asked how the decision was reached and whether it followed the county’s public‑meeting and library policies.

Why it matters: Speakers said the library is a public, neutral space and argued canceling a community resource day sends a message of exclusion to LGBTQ+ youth and families who use county services. Several callers also said the board's approach raised legal and procedural concerns and requested a public accounting.

Public testimony Tom Engle said the board’s cancellation was “abrupt, arbitrary, non‑transparent and poorly explained to the public” and called the decision discriminatory. He recommended a formal apology and a full account of how the decision was made.

Eric Milnes said cancelling the event the Friday before the Monday scheduled date “was kind of petty” and said the action further disenfranchised a minority group.

Randall Wolf, a Stuart’s Draft resident, said he used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain some communications and that the board had not recorded a vote on the cancellation. He asked the county solicitor to review whether the board’s handling complied with Virginia open‑meeting laws and asked for an apology to those affected.

Samantha Hughes (Verona), Andrea Jackson (Waynesboro) and others said the cancellation signaled to queer constituents that “you don’t belong” and urged the board to publicly acknowledge harm. Jennifer Lewis read a written statement from a vendor who said the vendor and other attendees were “deeply disappointed” and that the community needs access to safe library programming.

Board response and next steps Board members largely did not debate the merits of the event during the public comment period. Staff said the county would review library policies and procedures “in the near future.” The chair and county staff declined to enter into a back‑and‑forth dialogue during the public comment period but accepted requests that follow‑up be provided in writing.

Ending Speakers left the board with a common request: a public, documented explanation for the cancellation, a clear explanation of what internal process was followed and whether changes to library policy or board procedures will follow. The board said it would review library policies; no formal vote on a policy change was recorded at the meeting.