Tennessee Librarian Defies Order To Relocate Queer Books From Shelves
The Rutherford County Library System board is considering firing Director Luanne James after her refusal to relocate more than 100 LGBTQ+ titles from youth to adult section.
Feature Image: via Getty Images (photo by d3sign)
On Monday, March 16, amid a packed audience, the Rutherford County Library System Board voted to relocate more than 190 books from children and teen sections to adult shelves. Two days later, the library director responded with a letter—and her absolute refusal to follow the order. Citing the U.S. Constitution, Luanne James, Director of the Rutherford County Library System (RCLS), wrote: “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 Board’s order specifically targeted over 100 LGBTQIA children’s titles. She called this a “clear act of viewpoint discrimination” in her letter, and affirmed her obligation to protect public access to books, and to uphold the core tenet of the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics.
Image: downloadable pdf of email via publicly available reports
The Board’s impetus for probing library content: an October 31, 2025 order from Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, who launched a review of all materials in the juvenile children’s sections. The purpose was to “identify any materials that may be inconsistent with Tennessee age-appropriateness laws, in violation of any federal law, including President Trump’s Executive Order, or otherwise contrary to any other applicable state or federal laws.”
It should be noted that Executive Orders are not legislation, but as seen in this case, can serve to fuel agendas and create the sense that there is a ‘requirement’ in the absence of actual law. They can, however, guide federal agency decisions, including how agencies choose to spend funds.
According to local reporting, Tre Hargett’s plan was exposed when three letters were sent to multiple libraries in the Stones River system, which spans over half a dozen counties. “Library decisions should be shaped by the values of the library’s community as well as the fiscal limitations that require tough decisions about how to spend finite dollars over an almost infinite number of books,” reads one letter, according to Nashville Scene. The letter reportedly referenced a specific book, Fred Gets Dressed, which features a boy who tries on his parents’ clothes, which was also targeted in a 2002 book ban attempt in Kansas.
Image: Fred Gets Dressed by New York Times bestselling author Peter Brown
Fortunately, while institutions are now routinely threatened with the withholding of funds in an effort to diminish diversity and equity, we’ve also seen movement within the courts to shut down these efforts. Even as the Tennessee Secretary of State issued threatening letters to school libraries, that same month, as reported by GO, a federal judge ordered the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to immediately restore the roughly 600 books it had scrubbed from Defense Department K-12 public schools that serve 67,000 children of military personnel – and to cease from removing more.
“Public libraries serve as vital repositories of diverse ideas, both popular and unpopular. 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. Our libraries are funded by and for the citizens; therefore, the right to access information—free from government interference—is a protected hallmark of our democracy,” wrote Luanne James.
According to reporting by WKRN News 2 last December, James claimed that RCLS Board Chair, Cody York asked her to remove multiple books from libraries and asked for personal info on library patrons: “Names of the patrons, their addresses, their ZIP codes, their barcodes, how many children and how many adults were in each household and what they were checking out.” She also alleged that York had checked out books he wanted banned and kept them for so long that they were marked ‘lost’ and then removed from the system. WKRN reported that local advocacy group Rutherford County Library Alliance believed that missing and removed books included included Forever by Judy Blume, The Antiracist Kid by Tiffany Jewel, and The Antiracist Kid by Tiffany Jewel. York denied the allegations.
James originally stepped into the role of Library Director on July 28, 2025. At the time of hire, RCLS noted her strong background in public administration, grant writing, passion for public libraries and wealth of experience. She brought over 25 years of public library service experience to RCLS, and has held, directorships in Texas and South Carolina, most recently in Fort Mill, SC, where she managed the grant program, system wide statistic collection, and created and updated the library system’s strategic plan. Today, she is at risk of losing her job.
