Wyoming Librarian Fired Over LGBTQ+ Books Wins $700,000 Settlement

October 9, 2025 Dan Tracer

The settlement caps a multi-year dispute over book censorship and free speech.

Featured image: Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Terri Lesley, the former director of the Campbell County Public Library in Wyoming, has reached a $700,000 settlement with county officials nearly two years after she was fired for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books from the library’s shelves. Her case, which centered on free speech and government retaliation, ends a long legal dispute over her removal.

“It’s been a really long journey,” Lesley told Wyoming Public Media. “It’s been hard, very hard, to go through, and it just feels glorious to be past it and to have what I feel is the right resolution.”

Lesley worked in the Campbell County Public Library System for nearly 30 years and served as its executive director for more than a decade. The trouble began in 2021 when the library recognized Pride Month in a social media post and kept several LGBTQ+ titles available to young readers. Some local residents accused the library of promoting inappropriate content and demanded the books be taken off the shelves. Lesley declined to do so.

“I just wanted to do what any librarian would do in my shoes and just protect the access,” she said. “But as things went along, it got tougher and tougher. We had two years of conflict on this topic.”

By 2023, the conflict had reached a breaking point. Lesley was fired in July of that year, prompting her to file a lawsuit against Campbell County, its commission, and its library board.

“Instead of rejecting this campaign of fear and hate, Defendants aligned themselves with it,” the complaint stated. “Defendants continually subjected Ms. Lesley to a hostile work environment and ultimately terminated her because she refused to remove the books that a narrow subset of residents challenged for their LGBTQ+ themes.”

The county denied the allegations, saying Lesley’s dismissal stemmed from performance concerns unrelated to the book controversy. “Lesley was not terminated because of any association with LGBTQ+ people,” officials said in court documents. “There were multiple, legitimate, non-retaliatory rationales for Lesley’s termination.”

The settlement agreement specifies that the county is not admitting fault. But even without a formal admission of wrongdoing, Lesley sees the outcome as validation of her decision to stand by the library’s collection. “I do feel vindicated. It’s been a rough road, but I will never regret standing up for the First Amendment,” she said.

Her attorney, Iris Halpern, said she hopes the case serves as a reminder to public officials about their constitutional responsibilities. “We hope at least that it sends a message to other library districts, other states, other counties, that the First Amendment is alive and strong and that our values against discrimination also remain alive and strong,” Halpern told AP. “These are public entities, they’re government officials, they need to keep in mind their constitutional obligations.”

“Elected and appointed officials need to represent the interest of their entire community, not just a small band of activists,” Halpern added.

While the settlement resolves her lawsuit against the county, Lesley still has an ongoing case against three local activists—Hugh, Susan, and Kevin Bennett—whom she accuses of leading the campaign to oust her. That separate lawsuit includes claims of defamation, conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and is scheduled for trial in March.

For Lesley, the experience has reaffirmed why libraries exist in the first place. “It feels good to have stood up for intellectual freedom,” she said. “And for all citizens to have that right.”