Rutherford County's library system bans four books with LGBTQ+ themes after a Murfreesboro 'decency' ordinance

Rutherford County’s library system board voted to remove a total of four books from its shelves during a meeting Monday evening. All of them were young adult books that included LGBTQ+ characters or themes.

Initially, two books had been slated for potential removal. But two additional titles listed in the meeting agenda as “recommend no change” also got banned.

Screen capture from Rutherford County Library System board meeting agenda

The books getting pulled from shelves include:

The library board’s vote comes after Murfreesboro passed a “decency” ordinance. The measure allows authorities to remove printed materials from public spaces if they’re deemed “obscene or harmful to minors.”

In the week before the meeting, Matthew Fee and his wife started a petition that garnered more than 1,300 signatures. The petition advocates for the library to continue “offering a broad range of books that reflect and meet the needs of ALL members of our community.”

“When it comes to the library system, it really is up to each parent or family to determine what is appropriate for their kids. And not to, you know, impact everyone else,” Fee said.

Some residents staged a vigil after the board meeting to mourn “infringements on the First Amendment.”

At the time of publication, the Rutherford County Library System had not published the meeting recording. WPLN News reached out to the library system for comment on this story and did not receive an immediate response.

Filed Under: Education, WPLN News Tagged With: book bans, censorship, lgbt, lgbtq, libraries, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County

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