Arkansas county fired this librarian for opposing LGBTQ+ book censorship. Now it must pay $275K

An Arkansas county has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a librarian who said she was fired for opposing efforts to remove books from the children’s section.

The ACLU of Arkansas announced the settlement with Saline County officials. The civil rights organization sued on behalf of Patty Hector, the former director of the county library system, after she was fired in 2023 for criticizing an ordinance requiring books with “sexual content or imagery” to be moved out of the children’s section, according to the Arkansas Advocate.

Hector said the settlement vindicated her stance.

“Standing up for the freedom to read cost me a job and a career I loved, but I never believed that staying silent was the answer,” she said. “Libraries belong to everyone, and librarians should be able to serve their communities according to professional standards without fearing political retaliation. I hope this settlement sends a message to librarians and other public servants across Arkansas that their voices and their constitutional rights matter.”

Related: Beloved Georgia librarian fired after child chooses book with transgender character for library display

Hector’s termination occurred amid a nationwide conservative campaign to restrict access to books, many of them with LGBTQ+ themes. At the time, Hector said books should not be deemed inappropriate for children simply because they include subjects such as LGBTQ+ representation. “It’s not illegal to be gay or trans,” she said at a public hearing.

When the Saline County Quorum Court approved the ordinance, Saline County Judge Matt Brumley specifically criticized Hector for her public stance. “Saying that there’s nothing wrong with those books after being asked if you’ve read those books — it’s tough for me to put together, and I hope it wouldn’t be the message from this board,” Brumley said, the Arkansas Advocate reported at the time.

ACLU officials said the settlement should compensate Hector for the cost of opposing censorship while warning governments against retaliating against protected speech.

“Patty Hector stood up for the idea that censorship is wrong and that libraries serve all members of their communities, not politicians. For that, she paid an enormous personal price. This settlement provides meaningful relief for Patty. It should also serve as a warning. Public employees have constitutional rights, and political disagreement is not a license to punish them for protected speech. We will defend intellectual freedom and will defend librarians from attack,” said John Williams, legal director of the ACLU of Arkansas.

“Saline County in particular should take notice. The County is currently asking its voters to slash approximately $1.7 million from its library’s budget. Any librarian who opposes this cut should feel free, like Patty, to speak out against it in their personal capacity. And the ACLU of Arkansas will defend any librarian whom Saline County tries to punish for their speech on this topic.”

Related: ‘The Librarians’: Meet the heroes fighting against conservative book bans in the South

Brumley said in a statement that the county agreed to the settlement rather than risk costlier litigation.

“The people of Saline County elected me to make tough decisions, take responsibility for those decisions, and look out for their interests. That includes protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring appropriate oversight of county departments, including the Saline County Library. The Quorum Court passed legislation to ensure the county judge has oversight of the library and is ultimately accountable to the people of Saline County,” he said, as reported by CBS affiliate KTHV.

“After taking into account the actions that have taken place over the last couple of years, the advice of legal counsel, and ultimately the dollars and cents involved in continuing this litigation, I have reached an agreement in principle to settle a lawsuit filed by the former library director arising from her termination. The County disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit and was prepared to go to trial.”

Hector will receive $225,000 under the settlement, while the remaining $50,000 will cover legal fees.