Wyoming: Campbell County Librarian Fired After Defending LGBTQ+ Books Wins $700,000 Settlement

From Wyoming Public Media:

Campbell County has agreed to pay $700,000 to Terri Lesley, its former library director, according to a settlement agreement shared with Wyoming Public Radio.

Lesley alleged in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that the county removed her for defending LGBTQ+ materials. The county denied her allegations.

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Lesley had worked in the Campbell County Public Library System for almost 30 years, serving as its executive director for more than a decade. She became the target of angry local activists for recognizing Pride Month in a 2021 social media post and later refusing to remove books about LGBTQ+ youth from the children’s section.

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

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“I do feel vindicated. It’s been a rough road, but I will never regret standing up for the First Amendment,” Lesley said.

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The books objected to in Gillette included “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “How Do You Make a Baby” by Anna Fiske, “Doing It” by Hannah Witton, “Sex is a Funny Word” by Corey Silverberg, and “Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy” by Andrew P. Smiler.

“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,” said Lesley’s attorney, Iris Halpern. “These are public entities, they’re government officials, they need to keep in mind their constitutional obligations.”

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