Latest news with #RutherfordCountyLibrarySystemBoard
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3 days ago
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Rutherford library board rescinds decision to remove books on transgender issues
A unanimous Rutherford County Library System Board voted June 2 to rescind a March decision to remove books promoting "transgenderism or 'gender confusion' in minors." Pending new board chairman Cody York called for the vote after he had persuaded the majority in March to remove the books on transgender topics "to protect children." York prior to the June 2 vote said the board could face First Amendment legal challenges to the March decision. Those opposing include the National Coalition Against Censorship in New York. First Amendment issues for students: ACLU warns Rutherford school board about removing 'Beloved,' other books from libraries Legal counsel has advised the board about potentially losing a lawsuit based on the library system's policy to oppose censorship by the officials and allow parents to decide what books are permitted for their children, York suggested. The book removing policy divided the board and audience members, including one holding a "No more book bans" sign. Heather Ahmie held a sign saying, "Literacy & Justice for All," to promote free speech during the meeting with over 70 people in attendance at Murfreesboro City Hall in Council Chambers. York promised he'd lead the board in crafting new policies to protect children when he begins his term as chairman by July to replace outgoing chairman Phil King. The roll call vote had two board members abstaining: Dina Piazza and King. First Amendment issue: Divided Rutherford County Library System Board bans transgender books 'to protect children' Before rescinding the March decision on removing books on transgender topics to protect children, the board heard about six speeches from audience members opposed to censorship. There were audience members present who showed support for York and his position, but none of them came to the lectern to speak. The speakers included Wonderland Rogers, who identifies as a transgender male. He questioned the majority's previous decision to remove books. 'You made it clear you want me to disappear," Rogers told the board. Rogers also made an insulting remark alluding to York being in a white shirt, which is also what many audience members wear to show support for the book removal decisions. Chairman King responded by saying he won't tolerate anyone making insults again. April 2025 library board meeting: Rutherford Library Board delays vote to possibly rescinding vote to remove transgender books Speaker Hannah Stromgren also questioned the board's previous decision to protect children as if "fearful that reading a book with a trans or gay character will turn kids trans or gay." "When you read the Bible, did it make you want to throw babies against rocks?" said Stromgren, who noted the biblical scriptures include descriptions of incest, human sacrifice and murder. "Reading a book with material that you personally don't agree with doesn't automatically create children that mirror those attributes," Stromgren said. Free speech scholar Nadine Strossen: Rutherford school board violates law by removing books Speaker Jessica Bruce urged the library board members to focus on the mission of the library system "to improve lives and empower its communities to explore, imagine and engage by providing information and technology." "Your job is to represent the community and everyone in it," Bruce told the board. "Everyone. That includes those of us in opposition. Each book the board has banned has been because of that book's LGBTQIA+ relationship and ties to the community. Your actions are not protecting any child. In fact, you are actually putting an entire demographic of children at danger." Free speech issue: Rutherford library officials draw national opposition for removing books on transgender issues The library board also heard from Tatiana Silvas, a 10-year English teacher for Rutherford County Schools. "I am a passionate lover of books and their impact," said Silvas, who teaches at Stewarts Creek High in southwest Smyrna. "However, I am always in support of a parent's right to choose what their child reads in my classroom." Censorship: Rutherford schools removal of 160 more books draws opposition from 1st Amendment advocates Although a supporter of parents making decisions on what their children read, Silvas said board members making decisions on removing books "seems excessive." "The narrative of obscene content in our libraires is one perpetuated by certain board members and their army of community members," Silvas said. "This group has also pushed the Rutherford County School Board into a legal battle with the ACLU, something they were warned of by a letter on September 16, 2024." 'We are banished' Rutherford schools book banning upsets free speech advocates Silvas noted that the library board members have received warnings from national free speech organizations about the March decision to remove books. Other communities, Silvas said, have faced thousands of dollars in costs to defend censorship decisions, including in Escambia County, Florida, and Crawford County, Arkansas. "With our budget of $4.2 million each year, just one lawsuit could pull over 11% of our annual budget," Silvas said. "This means that Rutherford County taxpayers will foot the bill if you choose to go to trial with this lawsuit and lose." Censorship lawsuit: ACLU files First Amendment lawsuit against Rutherford school board for book bans Prior to rescinding the March decision on removing books on transgender topics to protect children, the majority of the board in a 5-3 vote backed York to be the next chairman. York had the support of board members Marzee Woodward, Susan Quesenberry, Piazza and Sam Huddleston, who's also Murfreesboro assistant city manager. All of them previously voted in favor of the March decision to remove books on transgender topics to protect children. Fellow board member Kory Wells called for the minority position of having Lisa Brewer, who's also the elected Smyrna Town Court clerk, become the chairwoman of the board. Brewer also had the backing of vice chairman Rollie Holden to be the next leader of the board. Wells suggested that York and herself as outspoken advocates on opposite sides of the transgender book issue would not make for the best leaders of the board. 'Deeply concerned': Removing transgender books affects Rutherford library director search Board members and audience members should be "treating each other as neighbors" and "go sit with somebody on the other side," Wells said. "That's our job," Wells said. Wells also noted that the board has already faced $8,000 in legal fees because of the March decision to remove books on transgender topics to protect children. King, the board's current chairman, abstained from voting on his successor for the library board. Board member Benjamin Groce of Murfreesboro was absent from the June 2 meeting because of his legal work with the Smyrna government. In March, Groce joined Wells and other members of the minority vote to oppose removing books on transgender topics. Groce mentioned being an attorney and officer of the court with concerns about supporting unconstitutional positions. August 2023 decisions by library board: Library supporters upset by board pulling 4 books say they're 'fighting against censorship' Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@ support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription. This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford library board rescinds decision to remove transgender books
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Removing transgender books affects Rutherford library director search: 'Deeply concerned'
Rutherford County library officials lost a consultant for a director-search after deciding "to protect children" by removing books on transgender topics. The Rutherford County Library System Board had been working with Deiters & Todd Library Consulting in Chicago to pursue director applicants to replace Rita Shacklett, who retired early in 2024. First Amendment issue: Divided Rutherford County Library System Board bans transgender books 'to protect children' The consulting firm's services remained prior to the March 17 majority decision in a 5-3 vote to "remove material that promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes transgenderism or 'gender confusion' in minors." The same five in the majority of the board also voted to remove the picture book, "Me & My Dysphoria Monster" from the library system. The book is by author Laura Kate Dale and Illustrated by Ang Hui Qing. "Deiters & Todd stepped away from the search because of recent actions taken by the board," consulting firm partner Jim Deiters told The Daily News Journal. "As working librarians, we were deeply concerned by those decisions," said Deiters, adding that his firm returned the initial payment for the search to the library board. "Not an easy thing to do, but the right thing." Library board chairman Phil King said a search committee soon will move ahead to examine applicants for the system's director job. 2023 book banning decisions: Library supporters upset by board pulling 4 books say they're 'fighting against censorship' The board on Monday met in private executive session in Murfreesboro with Nashville attorney Robert "Bob" Burns "to discuss and seek input from counsel" pertaining to decisions to remove the books in question, he confirmed. While the meeting took place within a conference room of the library system's administrative offices, two protesters upset by the decisions to remove books stood outside by the edge of the parking lot holding signs. The sign Jessica Robertson of Murfreesboro offered the following message: "EVERBODY BELONGS AT THE LIBRARY." "I don't know why they are taking books off the shelf that represent people who exist in this world," Robertson said. Robertson recently told the board during the public comment part of the March 17 meeting that she's the mother of a transgender child. Complaint upsets officials: Speaker complaint on book on transgender topic disrupts Murfreesboro school board meeting Fellow book-freedom advocate Heather Ahmie of Rutherford County held a sign saying, "No room for BIGOTRY on our Shelves." "Where does it end?" Ahmie told The Daily News Journal. "You can't start erasing people from the public library, which is there for everyone." The board member's private executive session for legal counsel took place about a week before they meet next at 5 p.m. April 21 at Smyrna Public Library. The meeting agenda is yet to be announced on the library system's webpage. 'It was a hard decision': Murfreesboro school board bans book on transgender topic after December meeting disruption The library board officials also have also faced complaints about the book removal decisions in letters from three national free speech advocacy organizations: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in Philadelphia. National Coalition Against Censorship in New York; The Freedom to Read Foundation in Chicago. Free speech challenges: Rutherford library officials draw national opposition for removing books on transgender issues Burns, the library board's attorney, told The Daily News Journal that he thought the letters were reasonably well-written. "I reviewed and considered some, but not all, of the information and points contained in the letters," Burns said. 'We are banished': Rutherford County Board of Education book banning upsets free speech advocates The letter from the Freedom to Read Foundation came from Deborah Caldwell Stone, the organization's executive director. Stone questioned why the board would remove books based on "moral and religious beliefs" of individuals and organizations, "even though other parents believe these books are important and valued reading materials for their children." "Such viewpoint discrimination is both unconstitutional and problematic for public institutions, ascourts have consistently held that restricting intended readers' access to materials based on viewsexpressed in the books violates the First Amendment rights of library users of all ages," Stone said in her letter. "The First Amendment protects each person's right to access and read any book in a public librarythat a reasonable person would view as having literary, artistic, political, or scientific value,whether for an adult or for a minor." More book banning decisions: Rutherford schools removal of 160 more books draws opposition from 1st Amendment advocates Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@ To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription. This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Banning transgender books affects Rutherford library director search
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why library books about transgender people are under fire in these two Tennessee counties
Following a record-breaking year of book bans across Tennessee, two Tennessee counties are fighting to completely remove library books that reference youth transgender issues, claiming they promote 'gender confusion.' The Rutherford County Library System Board passed a policy on March 17 that required the removal of all material from county libraries that 'promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes transgenderism or 'gender confusion' in minors." Meanwhile, Sumner County officials are following the same lead, with a nearly-identical change proposed to their Collection Development Management policy that will ban anything in county libraries that makes 'mention of pertaining, promoting, or subjecting a minor to transgender or gender confusion ideology.' The changes also remove a number of references in the original library policy to creating 'balanced' collections, removal of the term 'constitutionally protected' materials, a ban on interlibrary loans of books that include minor transgender topics, and a ban on the usage of the American Library Association's resources for book curation. It is set to be presented to the board for vote at the Wednesday evening meeting on April 9. On Tuesday, a letter from the Hendersonville Public Library Director Alycia Neighbours leaked on social media announced her resignation, citing numerous policy changes and the "increasing demand to enforce policies that undermine both our Friends of the Library and the integrity of our collection." "It is clear I can no longer, in good conscience, continue in this role," she said. In a separate, public social media post, Neighbours said the letter was an "unedited draft," which was "meant solely for my governing board, sent from my personal email to my work email for editing, but was somehow shared publicly." "Some people assume my resignation was because of 'this policy' or 'that issue,' but the truth is the work of a library director is far more complex than any single policy issue," she said in her post. A number of major First Amendment organizations, including the National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN America and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, are pushing back against the Rutherford County policy, calling it 'viewpoint discrimination' and 'highly problematic.' 'As a federal appeals court once put it, a 'library is a storehouse of knowledge' — not a storehouse of government-approved ideas,' FIRE Director of Public Advocacy Aaron Terr said. 'Rutherford County should quickly turn the page on this ill-conceived attempt at censorship and restore the public's access to ideas of all stripes, no matter how objectionable some might find them.' The policy passed in a contentious Rutherford County meeting last month. Board member Cody York, who proposed the policy, said the aim was to "protect children." Heather Cook, a Rutherford County resident who spoke at the meeting, said she was emulating St. Patrick by "shining a light into the darkness" and "standing for the truth in opposition to the deception of transgender ideology and gender confusion, which ultimately leads to gender dysphoria and the mutilation of our children." "Evil is being accepted as good, and good is being called evil," she said. The move is unique among previous book-banning attempts, Terr said, because it isn't intended to just age-restrict books from minors, but rather from all readers. 'This is censorship, plain and simple,' he said. 'The board is removing books based solely on their viewpoint or perspective, and that violates the First Amendment. The government cannot empty public libraries of books that promote 'transgenderism' any more than it could ban all books that promote traditional gender roles, Christianity or capitalism, or any other idea." 'Libraries don't exist to reflect the views of whoever happens to be in power,' he said. 'They exist to serve the public's right to freely access ideas and information.' While the general trend of book bans — both in Tennessee and across the nation — is to remove books that are considered sexually-explicit, Terr said this policy doesn't even attempt to cloak itself in such claims. 'I think what some people might have in mind is that children's books that feature transgender characters, or books for young adults that feature transgender characters which might have some sexual passages in them are unprotected,' he said. 'But even those are protected by the First Amendment. And when the government starts picking and choosing what views are acceptable for library shelves, it's no longer a library. It's a propaganda factory.' The removal and targeting of LGBTQ+ books facing accusations of being sexually explicit is a 'growing trend' across the nation, Terr said. More: Race, sex and the Holocaust: As book bans grow across the state, some genres see more bans 'Efforts to restrict library content often take aim at controversial or politically sensitive topics like race and gender,' he said. 'So what's happening in Rutherford County fits squarely into that larger picture. There's a fine line between making a bona fide determination of age appropriateness and removing a book out of hostility to the ideas or perspectives that it contains.' This fine line is addressed in the Rutherford County School Board's policy manual, which states 'Individual censorship may be exercised within the scope of the individual choosing materials for check out, but censorship or withholding of library materials for others within the community is not accepted within the institution of the public library.' This policy is directly violated by the board's new decision, Terr said. 'Nothing in the board's publicly available policies allows for proactive removal of an entire category of books, let alone removal based on disapproval of a particular viewpoint,' he said. 'It's really no different than if they decided on their own to remove all books that promote gun ownership, or all books written by Republicans or Democrats. It's not the viewpoint that matters—it's the fact that they're discriminating against any viewpoint at all.' More: 'Not enough kids in these meetings': Students weigh in as 1,100 books banned in Tennessee Christine Emeran, the Youth Free Expression program director for the National Coalition Against Censorship, also criticized the county for ignoring its board policies. 'It is obviously highly problematic for board members to decide when and if they must comply with district policies, regardless of their intentions,' she said. 'It is particularly problematic for them to ignore reconsideration procedures, because doing so exposes the board to potential legal liability.' With news that Sumner County is proposing a nearly-identical policy, Terr said it is important to stand up to such policies. 'If one county or city gets away with it, then nearby cities and counties may feel like they have permission to do the same thing,' he said. Neither Rutherford County Library System board members nor Sumner County Library Board members responded to requests for comment. The USA TODAY Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@ by phone at 931-623-9485, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Library books about trans people under fire in two Tennessee counties
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Divided Rutherford County Library System board bans transgender books focused on minors
Divided Rutherford County Library System Board members both angered and pleased a packed audience Monday by voting to remove books that "promote" transgender issues pertaining to minors. The majority of the voluntary board followed the lead of appointed member Cody York to "remove material that promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes transgenderism or 'gender confusion' in minors." "We need to protect children," York said with the support of about half of those in the audience. The Rutherford County Courthouse drew over 200 people on both sides of the issue, filling audience seats and lining the meeting room floor and balcony. They applauded, cheered, whistled and shouted — for and against — as speeches were given. Jessica Robertson of Murfreesboro was among 10 speakers during public comment to address the issue. She voiced her agreement with audience members holding signs that said, "Leave it on the shelf." "As the mother of a transgender child, the attempted erasure of my child in a public setting such as the library by members of this board is deplorable," Robertson told the board. "I am outraged by the audacity in the belief that this action item is acceptable in any way." Six out of 10 speakers opposed removing the books from the shelves. Robertson wore a T-shirt with words that say, "All Genders are Valid." She sat in the audience next to a fellow book freedom supporter Heather Ahmie, who held a sign with words and letters in different colors to tell the board this message: "More Pride, Less Prejudice, Ban Bigotry, Not Books." 'We are banished': Rutherford schools book banning upsets free speech advocates Many in the audience applauded and cheered for the comments and decisions of York and the majority of the board. Fellow library board members who agreed with York in removing the books are Marzee Woodward, Dina Piazza, Susan Quesenberry and Sam Huddleston, who's an assistant city manager for Murfreesboro. Three board members opposed the decision: Kory Wells, vice chairman Rollie Holden and Benjamin Groce, a Smyrna attorney who mentioned concerns about the book removal decisions being unconstitutional. Chairman Phil King abstains from voting unless there's a tie. Prior to the vote to remove books about "transgenderism," the same five majority of board members also voted to remove the picture book, "Me & My Dysphoria Monster" from the library system. The book is by author Laura Kate Dale and Illustrated by Ang Hui Qing. Wells and Groce opposed the removal of the book. Holden abstained. First Amendment issue: Library supporters upset by board pulling 4 books say they're 'fighting against censorship' Public comment speaker Robertson also questioned the board's use of "transgenderism" in banning books. "The word 'transgenderism' is considered derogatory, but you may already know that and that's why you chose to use it," Robertson told the board. "Now I am going to define the word bigotry as found on the Oxford Languages website: 'Obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction, in particular prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group." The decision by the board also offended Chris Sanders, executive director of two advocacy groups promoting equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, Tennessee Equality Project and Tennessee Equality Project Foundation. "We used to talk about an informed democracy," Sanders said. "Last night's actions by the Library Board indicate some people in positions of authority are abandoning that idea by removing books about a whole group of people. The public deserves accurate information, particularly about trans people right now because of the concerted efforts to vilify them." This is a developing story. Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@ Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription. Kory Wells This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford County Library System board bans books on 'transgenderism'
