FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A previous library director from Wyoming, dismissed amidst controversy regarding books with sexual and LGBTQ+ content deemed inappropriate for children by some, leading to demands for their removal from youth shelves, will receive $700,000 following a lawsuit settlement.
Terri Lesley was dismissed from her role as the head of the library system in Campbell County, located in northeastern Wyoming, during 2023, after two years of disagreements over books at the Gillette library. Lesley filed a lawsuit last spring challenging her dismissal and reached a settlement with county officials on Wednesday.
“I do feel vindicated. It’s been a rough road, but I will never regret standing up for the First Amendment,” Lesley said.
A major coal-mining area on the Western high plains, Campbell County is among the most conservative areas in one of the most conservative states.
In her federal lawsuit against Campbell County, including its commissioners and library board, Lesley argued that public officials, by taking the side of those objecting to the books, violated her First Amendment rights.
The county refuted Lesley’s allegations, maintaining that her termination was solely based on her job performance and not related to the controversy over the books, according to court documents.
Patrick Holscher, a private-practice attorney hired by the county for the case, and County Attorney Nathan Henkes, were unavailable for immediate comment when contacted by phone on Wednesday.
The challenged books in Gillette were “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “How Do You Make a Baby” by Anna Fiske, “Doing It” by Hannah Witton, “Sex is a Funny Word” by Corey Silverberg, and “Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy” by Andrew P. Smiler.
“We hope at least that it sends a message to other library districts, other states, other counties, that the First Amendment is alive and strong and that our values against discrimination also remain alive and strong,” said Lesley’s attorney, Iris Halpern. “These are public entities, they’re government officials, they need to keep in mind their constitutional obligations.”
Halpern and her firm, Rathod Mohamedbhai in Denver, have supported fired library employees elsewhere in recent years. Under the settlement agreement, Lesley is dropping her lawsuit, though a separate lawsuit she has filed against three individuals who contested the books will continue.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency tasked with enforcing discrimination laws, allowed the lawsuit against the county officials to be filed based on an earlier EEOC complaint filed by Lesley.
