Image Credit: Rutherford County Library System & Canva.
Article by Paula Gomes, Tennessee Conservative News –
Former Library Director for the Rutherford County Library System (RCLS) who was terminated after refusing to remove LGBTQ books from the children’s section has filed a lawsuit in federal court.
Filed in Nashville’s U.S. District Court six months after she was fired, Luanne James alleges that she was wrongfully let go by the Rutherford County library board and that her termination violated her First Amendment rights to free speech as well as discrimination laws.
James was instructed by the board to move 132 books to a different section.
While published for children, the board had voted to have them relocated to the adult section because of their content.
The decision came after months of discussion following Board Chair Cody York’s complaint that some of the books pushed “gender confusion” while others included LGBTQ characters and messages.
In response, James stated that restricting access to the books by relocating them or by removing them constituted a “violation of the community’s right to information and a direct infringement on the principles of free speech.”
York called her lack of compliance with a lawful directive from the board “insubordination” which led to an 8 to 3 vote removing James from her position as director.
Board members are listed as defendants in the suit.
James claims that York, who no longer heads up the board, was biased against members of the LGBTQ community and targeted books with gay or transgender characters.
According to James, York also wanted a list of people who checked out books with LGBTQ themes, an order that James allegedly refused.
The lawsuit seeks economic damages along with compensation for emotional pain and suffering.
Sources:
WPLN.
WSMV.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
