A Tennessee Library Director was fired after refusing to move over a hundred books from the children’s section to the adult’s section, on the basis that they promoted “gender confusion” in children.
Luanne James was appointed as the county library director in July 2025. She has worked for more than 25 years in public library roles, including directorships in Texas, South Carolina.
James resisted an order by the board to relocate books covering LGBTQIA+ topics from the children’s section of the library to the adults’ section, saying the request was a form of discrimination and an act of censorship.
James sent an email to the library system board in March, criticizing the board’s order to relocate the children’s titles, stating that, “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.”
The decision stems from a March 16th vote by the board to relocate the books to the adult section in county libraries. During that meeting, board Chairman Cody York said it is dangerous and inaccurate to tell children, particularly those going through puberty, that boys can be girls and girls can be boys, saying, “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.”
This is a common take for conservatives to have when asked why they are against discussing trans topics with their children or children in general. In actuality, Gender Affirming Care is a spectrum, and rarely is the surgery route taken for anyone under the age of 18. More commonly, children expressing their gender is different than their sex would be given puberty blockers, which is a relatively safe and reversible process.
The decision is disturbing especially amidst the U.S. government’s refusal to acknowledge trans identities and the ever-growing number of policies.
Sources:
wpln.org/post/tennessee-library-director-ousted-after-refusing-to-remove-lgbtq-books
thehill.com/homenews/education/5810725-tennessee-librarian-fired-lgbtq-books
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/31/tennessee-library-director-fired-lgbtq-books
