The Rutherford County Library System (RCLS) Board voted 8-3 Thursday to terminate Library Director Luanne James after she refused to restrict access to 132 LGBTQIA+ titles, citing First Amendment protections.
Chairman Cody York called the special session following James’ defiance of a March 16 board directive to move the titles from the children’s section to the adult section. Before the vote, James addressed the board directly: “I will not change my mind.”
Board members Allison Belt, Angela Fredrick, and Lynn Reynolds voted against the termination. As the result was announced, the crowd erupted in chants of “I stand with Luanne.”
The firing has raised significant financial concerns. The RCLS budget includes no provision for legal fees, and the library’s insurance policy explicitly excludes coverage for illegal board actions, including wrongful termination. Vice President of the Rutherford County Library Association Keri Lambert pointed to a costly precedent: “It cost the Campbell County Public Library system in Gillette, Wyoming $700,000 when they terminated their library director for the exact same issue.”
Adding to the controversy, public records show York recruited attorney Larry Crain — whose firm charges $400 per hour — without notifying fellow board members, who only learned of the hire through media reports. Board member Reynolds called the move inappropriate, criticizing Crain as representing only “right Christian Nationalism.”
Linebaugh Library Manager Mindy Barrett will serve as temporary director while a hiring search begins.
The termination is the latest flashpoint in a months-long dispute that has drawn packed public meetings and intense community debate. James’ firing drew swift condemnation from local advocates. “What we witnessed here today was an act of pure heroism,” said Colin Willumson of Murfreesboro Indivisible.
The book restrictions are part of a broader national trend. According to PEN America, nearly 23,000 book bans have been documented across 45 states since 2021.
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