A former Wyoming library director has been awarded $700,000 after being fired for refusing to remove books with LGBTQ+ themes and information on sexual health.
Terri Lesley, who worked in the Campbell County Public Library system for nearly 30 years, was dismissed in 2023 after standing firm against pressure from county officials to ban certain books.
As part of the settlement, Lesley agreed to drop her lawsuit against the county, though a separate case against three individuals who campaigned for the book removals is still ongoing.
A Victory for Free Expression
Lesley’s lawyer, Iris Halpern, said the outcome sends an important message to other public institutions across the U.S.
“We hope it sends a message to other library districts, states, and counties that the First Amendment is alive and strong,” Halpern said.
“These are public entities — government officials — and they need to keep in mind their constitutional obligations.”
Lesley told the Associated Press she felt vindicated by the decision.
“It’s been a rough road, but I will never regret standing up for the First Amendment,” she said.
The Battle Over Book Bans
The Campbell County Library Board’s conservative majority voted to leave the American Library Association in 2022, a move that sparked widespread controversy. Shortly afterwards, board members pushed to remove several books from library shelves, including:
- This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
- How Do You Make a Baby? by Anna Fiske
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- Sex Is a Funny Word by Corey Silverberg
Other banned titles addressed sexual health and consent, such as Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy by Andrew P. Smiler.
A Growing Crisis in U.S. Libraries
Book bans have escalated sharply across the United States, especially in conservative-led states. Between 2024 and 2025, advocacy groups estimate nearly 7,000 book bans were enacted across 23 states, targeting around 4,000 unique titles.
In August, a federal judge in Florida struck down parts of a law restricting access to LGBTQ+ books in public schools and libraries, ruling that “none of these books are obscene” and that the bans were “unreasonable.”
