Fired for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books, Tennessee librarian says she’d do it again

A Tennessee library director fired this week after refusing to relocate LGBTQ+ books from a children's section says she stands by her decision, and sees her dismissal as part of a broader, deeply troubling shift in which public institutions are being dragged into political fights.

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Luanne James, the former director of the Rutherford County Library System, spoke publicly for the first time since her termination in an interview with Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV-TV, explaining that her choice was not so much defiance as a professional duty.

"I had no choice. I had to do what I had to do," she said.

James’s tenure ended abruptly after just eight months when the Rutherford County Library Board voted to terminate her for refusing to move 132 LGBTQ+-related titles from the children’s section to the adult section, a relocation board members said was necessary because they deemed the materials inappropriate for younger readers.

Related: Tennessee board fires library director who refused to comply with LGBTQ+ book purge

Related: ‘I will not comply’: Tennessee librarian refuses to move LGBTQ+ books

For James, the directive raised concerns far beyond shelving decisions. It reflected, she said, a growing effort to transform libraries from institutions grounded in access and professional standards into arenas for ideological enforcement.

"I think they are politicizing librarians and that is not what we signed up for as librarians," she said. "In my 25 years, I've only experienced this since after COVID. I've never seen anything like this until recently."

Her firing comes as public libraries across the country have become focal points in disputes over LGBTQ+ representation, parental rights, and the limits of government authority. In Tennessee, those tensions have been sharpened by state-level intervention: last year, Secretary of State Tre Hargett ordered regional libraries to conduct sweeping reviews of their collections to ensure compliance with state and federal law, prompting Rutherford County libraries to close for a week while officials conducted an "age-appropriateness" review.

Free expression advocates rallied quickly behind James. In a statement shared with The Advocate, PEN America condemned the board's decision and praised James for refusing to comply.

"Luanne James was voted out of her library director position for refusing to move LGBTQ+ books into the adult section," said Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America's Freedom to Read program. "With a firm: 'I will not comply,' Luanne demonstrated her deep commitment to the freedom to read and the principles of librarianship at a steep cost. Her story will echo from the Courthouse in Murfreesboro, TN, across the county, as emblematic of the fight against censorship and suppression."

Related: Tennessee whistleblower says library board chair sought private data as part of state's book purge

Related: Tennessee library board meets to weigh firing librarian who refused LGBTQ+ book purge

The Rutherford County Library Board is expected to meet next week to discuss appointing an interim director. What happens to the 132 books at the center of the dispute, and whether James's removal settles or deepens the conflict, remains unclear.

James said she has no regrets.

"I would not change my mind. I would make the decision again, the same decision," she said. "If this makes a difference for our librarians across the country, then I'm glad. I'm uncomfortable, but if it makes a difference for the librarians and this finally comes to a stop, then I'm okay with that."

Her case reflects a pattern documented widely in recent years. As explored in the documentary The Librarians, many public librarians say they did not seek out political conflict but found themselves thrust into it as book challenges surged, particularly targeting titles about race and LGBTQ+ lives. The film depicts librarians across the country facing harassment, job threats, and mounting pressure from coordinated campaigns, even as they describe their work as a defense of First Amendment principles and the public's access to information.

According to WSMV, James has retained an attorney and is considering her legal options.

"I'm very disappointed," she said.