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The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
This week, the Rutherford County Library Board went back on their March 17th decision to remove materials promoting, encouraging or advocating for transgenderism and any materials that could create gender confusion for minors.
The board’s decision to remove these books received praise from some local residents and condemnation from others, drawing national attention from free speech rights organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) in Philadelphia and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) in New York.
FIRE Director of Public Advocacy Aaron Terr even wrote in a letter to the Rutherford County Library System (RCLS), that the board was violating the 1st Amendment and their own policy with the decision.
On April 16th, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and PEN America filed suit against the Rutherford County Board of Education on behalf of three local families over the March decision to remove and restrict access to over 145 titles in school libraries across the county in compliance with the Age Appropriate Materials Act.
The lawsuit alleges that recommendations from a website linked to conservative group Moms for Liberty influenced the board to remove and restrict the materials without reading them and that the book removals violate the 1st Amendment.
“Book bans are a clear violation of the First Amendment, effectively gagging authors and denying students the opportunity to read, debate, and learn from crucial, acclaimed, and historical works,” said PEN America co-counsel Kerry Knox. “Denying Tennessee students access to the same materials as their peers puts them at a significant disadvantage as they develop into future community leaders.”
During a June 2nd meeting, the Library Board voted in favor of rescinding their previous decision.
Legal counsel reportedly advised the board to do so due to the chances of them losing the lawsuit at hand.
Tatiana Silvas, a 10-year Rutherford County English teacher who previously spoke in opposition of the board removing transgender materials, noted the cost of the lawsuit.
“With our budget of $4.2 million each year, just one lawsuit could pull over 11% of our annual budget,” said Silvas. “This means that Rutherford County taxpayers will foot the bill if you choose to go to trial with this lawsuit and lose.”
Prior to going back on the March decision, the board voted for Cody York to become the next chairman by July with a 5-3 majority.
York was a major advocate of the March decision and had previously promised that in this role he would lead the board in creating new policies to protect children.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
4 Responses
Libraries are for ALL people, not just social conservatives. LGBTQ+ people should be able to go the library and read about our history. Black Tennesseean should be able to go to the library and read about the history of the modern civil rights movement. And if someone has a transgender friend, family member or co-workers and wishes to understand that person better, they should be able to go to the library and find books on the subject.
God’s counsel apparently doesn’t mean much to you but on the off chance you might care;
Top 10 Bible Verses about Homosexuality that children should know;
Leviticus 18:22 ~ You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 ~ If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Jude 1:7 ~ Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
Romans 1:26-28 ~ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Genesis 2:24 – Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Mark 10:6-9 ~ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Timothy 1:8-11 ESV – Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
1 Corinthians 7:2 – But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
But…. you don’t need a bunch of library books that are accessible by children about LGBTQ+. LGBTQ+ are not normal people and it’s allowing young children access to LGBTQ+ smut and unnatural sex acts is trying to normalize LGBTQ+. These identities are, in fact, quite abnormal and display the LGBTQ+ mental illness. LGBTQ+ materials, particularly those with explicit content or complex themes are not suitable for young children. They have topics that will confuse or overwhelm kids who lack the cognitive or emotional maturity to process them. Allowing unrestricted access to this in public libraries is undermining parental ability to guide their child’s moral or ideological upbringing. LGBTQ+ content conflicts with traditional family structures or moral teachings.
LGBTQ+ is out of touch with norms and has a specific agenda to promote the small percentage of the mental ill gay message.
And as far as blacks wanting to read the “history of the modern civil rights movement”….that would be a good thing but not likely…. the Democrat Party has had their knee on the neck of blacks with mass misinformation including civil rights their entire life. Blacks are slowly waking up since they see the BS their feed and see illegal migrants taking their place as the new voting block/victim of the DNC.
Someone needs to remind Rutherford County Library Board members what the second amendment is for…………….