Activities | Awards

Mainstream Loudoun is a nonprofit, nonpartisan grassroots organization headquartered in Loudoun County, Virginia, a western suburb of Washington, D.C. Governed by a board of directors, Mainstream counts people from various religious, political and public service backgrounds among its members. All members are volunteers.

Read the Mainstream Loudoun Mission
Read about the E Pluribus Unum Project

Mainstream Loudoun was formed in 1994 by citizens concerned about the growing influence of the religious right in Loudoun. Citizens felt this influence firsthand when the Loudoun Library Board of Trustees began to implement policies that promoted censorship. First, the library board voted to remove a number of anti-censorship statements from library policy. Then the board implemented an overly restrictive internet use policy that mandated filters without offering a disabling option for adults.

Mainstream voiced concerns about the internet use policy’s constitutionality and offered a compromise, to no avail. In 1997, Mainstream successfully sued the library board in federal court in order to change the policy. This groundbreaking case set a national precedent and continues to be referenced in both legal actions and law schools. Following the lawsuit, the library board adopted the compromise originally proposed by Mainstream; it has proven effective and constitutionally sound over the past decade.

Mainstream’s Internet Filtering Policy Compromise
1) Adults choose either filtered or unfiltered access when they initially register to use the internet at the library.
2) Parents provide permission for children to use the internet and select filtered or unfiltered access for them.
3) Internet users sign an acceptable-use agreement, which provides librarians with recourse if internet privileges are abused.

In more recent years, Mainstream has spoken out against public school initiatives backed by the religious right. During the 2004-2005 school year, Loudoun County Public Schools instituted a “play policy” in response to a student-written play that featured a gay character. Mainstream lobbied on behalf of students’ first amendment rights and educated the community and the school board about the policy’s implications. While the board ultimately placed restrictions on theatrical presentations, the involvement of Mainstream and other concerned citizen groups helped to moderate the policy’s terms and language.

In the 2006-2007 school year, Mainstream joined in the national debate over abstinence-only programs when comedian Keith Deltano conducted abstinence assemblies at three Loudoun high schools. Deltano’s program used scare tactics and shock value, as well as promoting stereotypes and misrepresenting medical fact. In a series of public and private communications, Mainstream stressed the importance of encouraging abstinence, but pointed out the shortcomings of Deltano’s approach. As the situation evolved, Mainstream realized the need for a community dialogue on comprehensive sexuality education. Mainstream then worked with a local church to develop a forum featuring youth activist Shelby Knox. Although the forum itself was well-attended, more important was the attention given to this critical issue as a result of Mainstream’s work throughout the year.