A Librarian Is Risking Her Job After Refusing To Move Books With LGBTQIA+ Themes

A Tennessee Library Director is risking termination after she refused to move more than 100 LBTQIA+ books from youth sections in the library to the adult area, saying she “will not comply”.

The brave stance has drawn praise from LGBTQIA+ groups around America.

In an email sent to the Rutherford County Library System board, Director Luanne James argued that relocating the titles would amount to “viewpoint discrimination” and violate the First Amendment

“Restricting access to these materials through subjective relocation or removal constitutes a violation of the community’s right to information and a direct infringement on the principles of free speech,” she wrote in a letter to the board.

“Therefore, I will not comply.”

The resistance comes after the Rutherford County Library Board voted to relocate more than 190 books, most involving LGBTQ+ themes, from children’s and teen sections to adult areas, following a review of “age-appropriate” materials.

Last year, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett ordered libraries to conduct an “immediate age-appropriateness review” of children’s materials in line with Trump’s executive order on gender identity,  in what advocates are calling “politically motivated censorship”. In Rutherford County, the directive led to the review of tens of thousands of books and the removal of thousands for further evaluation.

Board Chair Cody York has said the  decision is intended to limit children’s access to content the board considers inappropriate.

“I would argue that gender confusion [is] the idea of telling someone that boys aren’t really boys, they can be girls, and girls aren’t really girls, they can be boys, and that you should advocate for [or] encourage the dismembering of healthy sex organs,” York said. “I don’t think that that’s appropriate for children.”

PEN America has publicly praised Luanne James, stating: “Children and teens deserve access to diverse books that represent their identities and stories.

“Luanne James is putting her job on the line to defend the First Amendment rights of all in her community.”