I had to read a recent column twice to make sure it wasn’t a satirical piece (“Want to visit Maine’s children’s museum? You’ll need a kid with you,” April 28). I’m baffled that the Press Herald would publish a column comparing the Children’s Museum’s child-centered safety policy to the current administration’s discriminatory agendas.

The museum — focused on creating a safe, enriching environment for children — has a policy to maintain that environment, and your columnist wants to frame this as an attack on adult autonomy? At best, it’s a massive waste of digital ink; at worst, it’s an irresponsible take.

The columnist believes we’re in a world where adults should be free to do whatever they wish without consideration for the environment or context. Sound familiar? Safety protocols like the museum’s are in place for essential reasons. The museum isn’t restricting adult access to limit freedom; it’s simply trying to create a safe and appropriate space for children, which is its primary mission.

Meanwhile, Maine’s arts and humanities ecosystem is in crisis. Organizations are losing funding, and children’s programs are being cut. That the cultural columnist for Portland’s largest paper would use this moment to pick on the Children’s Museum, which has already been affected by these cuts, seems particularly tone-deaf.

There are countless cultural issues begging for attention. But hey, if we’re all out of ideas, I suppose we can rally around the plight of an unaccompanied adult who wants to roam a children’s museum.

Annie Leahy
Portland