A School Librarian is Suing the Right-Wing Activists Who Tried to Harass Her
In the midst of a nationwide assault on LGBTQ+ books and authors, a school librarian is fighting back against accusations that she’s guilty of “grooming” children merely for championing inclusivity.
Amanda Jones, a middle school librarian in Denham Springs, Louisiana, filed a complaint last Wednesday in Louisiana’s 21st Judicial District Court against the Facebook page “Citizens for a New Louisiana” (CFNL), as well as its operator, Michael Lunsford, and a separate Facebook user, Ryan Thames. The 14-page document details how the defendants repeatedly defamed Jones on its Facebook page, claiming that she is a “criminal and a pedophile — one who supports dissemination of ‘pornographic materials’ to elementary school children.’”
The claims made on the page followed comments by Jones at a July 19 meeting of the Livingston Library Board of Control, which governs the libraries of the Livingston Parish area, near the capital city of Baton Rouge. The meeting was called by board member Erin Sandefur, who asked her colleagues to look into books with “inappropriate” content. That included a list of eight books, including It Feels Good To Be Yourself, a children’s picture book about a trans girl. During the public comment period of the meeting, Jones expressed concerns that book challenges “often target marginalized communities such as BIPOC and the LBGTQ community,” as well as books on sexual health and reproduction.
“All members of our community deserve to be seen, have access to information, and see themselves in our public library collection,” Jones said in remarks reprinted in the complaint. “Censoring and relocating books and displays is harmful to our community, but will be extremely harmful to our most vulnerable — our children.”
https://www.them.us/story/a-school-librarian-is-suing-the-right-wing-activists-who-tried-to-harass-her
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