Georgia Librarian Fired After Kid Chooses LGBTQ Book For Summer Reading
Lavonnia Moore says she was just following the library’s mission to serve everyone—but it wasn’t enough to save her job.
For 15 years, Lavonnia Moore welcomed her community into the Pierce County Library in Blackshear, Georgia. She began her career shelving books as a part-time clerk and worked her way up to branch manager. Moore didn’t have a library science degree, but she had something arguably more valuable: a deep belief that libraries are meant to serve everyone.
That belief is what cost her the job.
On June 18, Moore was called into her supervisor’s office and told she was being terminated. The reason, she was told, was a book—a children’s picture book titled When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, placed in a summer reading display themed “Color Our World.” Moore said a child had picked the book, which is about a transgender boy preparing for the arrival of a new sibling. She didn’t think twice.
“All I saw was Aidan becoming a big brother,” Moore told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “I saw a family with a kid wearing a rainbow sweater and the mom pregnant. It was a mixed family. I was like, ‘OK, sure, put it on the table.’”
Related: Bookstore Chooses Principles Over Profit And Removes Harry Potter Series
The display was part of a broader effort to get kids engaged with the library’s summer reading program. Moore invited families to find colorful items like books, games, and even a box of crayons.
“There were books, DVDs, games, and each and every one of them had at least a hint of a rainbow on it,” she said. “Because all the kids went to find rainbows. I was just happy that the kids knew where the books were. They even took the time to go into the card catalog to find books.”
But soon after the display went up, a local religious group called Alliance for Faith and Family began an online campaign against the book’s inclusion. In a Facebook post, they called the book “mental manipulation” and urged followers to email library staff and county commissioners to “take a stand against promoting transgenderism,” according to PBS.
Moore said she never intended to push any ideology.
“The library is for everybody,” she said. “You should be able to go into any library and feel welcome or at least find something that you will enjoy reading, doing or any resources.”
She had never received disciplinary warnings or poor performance reviews. Her contract was “at-will,” and she said she was dismissed without any formal investigation or warning.
“It was a shock. I was shocked. I said ‘OK.’ And I broke down,” she said. “In my mind, I was thinking to myself, ‘I was not going to tell a child no.’”
Related: Supreme Court Allows LGBTQ+ Book Opt-Outs In Schools, Sparking National Debate On Parental Rights
Todd Cates, a Georgia school librarian and winner of the Georgia Library Media Association’s Intellectual Freedom Award, wasn’t surprised by the campaign against Moore.
“They latch onto a book based on the cover, based on the title, based on the topic,” he said. “They raise a stink, and politicians respond to stink.”
He called When Aidan Became a Brother completely appropriate for the display.
“That’s the fundamental mission of every library. We represent all members of our community.”
Moore has launched a GoFundMe to cover legal expenses. So far, she has raised over $11K of her $16K goal. “I am currently seeking legal support because my rights were violated, and I deserve justice for what was taken from me,” she wrote on the fundraising site. “This was not just a job; it was my calling.”
