Librarian Luann James Fights Censorship Demands of Rutherford County Library System’s Board
Rutherford County Library System (RCLS), located southeast of Nashville, Tennessee, has been under fire for years. The board voted to ban all trans books for minors in the library earlier this year, and the board of the Lineburgh Public Library–one of their branches–voted to remove “transgenderism” books just weeks before the county’s board made the decision. Months after passing their anti-trans book policy, the RCLS decided to overturn it. That decision was not based on a change of heart but rather fear of litigation. Spend a little time with the board meeting minutes over the last several years, and you’ll see nearly every meeting has started with people asking to stop book bans, those asking for book bans, and the board needing to address whether or not they’d be removing books from the public library. Those unfamiliar with the area may recall that in 2023, the town of Murfreesboro, located within Rutherford County, passed an anti-LGBTQ+ law that banned “indecent exposure, public indecency, lewd behavior, nudity or sexual conduct.” “Sexual conduct” in the law included any displays of homosexuality. …


