Lavonia Moore has devoted 15 years to nurture libraries in the countryside Georgia A place that all the patrons felt they saw. However, in the few hours of June, the career of a librarian was Political After she included the book, the rage and quiet manipulation among county officials was Transgender Government records show characters in public displays.
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Newly released records obtained and shared under Georgia’s Open Records Act Supporters Pierce County local government leaders reveal how quickly they moved, clearly adjusting to reveal that a small group of conservative activists fired Moore from her position in the public library after opposed the children Books About transgender children.
That’s what the catalyst was When Aidan becomes a brotheran award-winning picture book about a trans boy whose family is hoping for another child. Young readers chose books for their summer reading displays. Moore included that. However, its presence in the reading display sparked a modest wave of complaints, according to records, which led to her dismissal.
Among those involved in internal discussions about Moore’s future were Commissioner Troy Matox from District 1, Commissioner Randy Dixon from District 3, Commissioner Randy Dixon from District 3, Commissioner David Roman, County Manager Lapel Maddox, HR Elena Ryals and Library Board member Lana Blankenship.
Related: Beloved Georgia Librarian was fired after a child chose a book with a transgender character for library display
All complaints about Moore were filled with powerful, religiously charged points and anti-trans stories that were circulated in the right-wing circles from June 18th. In an email to county officials, Crystal Wynn, a local resident with an anti-LGBTQ+ activist history in the area, wrote that the library is promoting “spiritual manipulation of children (and still known today).”
Within 90 minutes, Roman replied, “Thank you. I’ll be stopping by after lunch today. I’ll be discussing this issue further.”
At 11:18am, Jackie Bennett wrote: Roman offered his contract and responded to “Yes, Sir” at 11:45am.
Kim Strickland urged, “Don’t let harmful ideologies access our children with our watches.” Meanwhile, at 9:25am, Christopher Dardis said, “It’s a book my family picked up based on covers. I can’t believe I need to be vigilant and go to this library.
“Yes, I agree,” Roman responded at 11:47am, a minute after Dardis emailed Roman. Dardis sent the same email to Matox. By evening, Matox had returned Dardis and at 6:12pm, he said, “Status.” [was] I took care of it. ”
Behind the scenes, the documents show a surge in activity throughout the day. Maddox shared a screenshot of a conservative call from social media to action against Moore, with Blankenship replied, “Yes, I’ll delete her soon.” That afternoon, at 1:40pm, Blankenship texted Maddox. “I spoke to Jeremy. He wanted support from the board. I told him I supported the decision 100%. They fired her.”
Blankenship was also involved in a quick exchange with the county personnel representative at 8:31am on June 18th. “She needs to go right away.”
Lyals said, “I agree! And it’s a slap for you, as you worked so hard to maintain peace and make things work.
Lyal also distributed screenshots from the Alliance for Faith and Family. A local conservative group has accused them of purging LGBTQ-themed materials from the library. “Someone sent this to Randy,” she wrote, apparently referring to Dixon. Blankenship replied, “Raphael sent it to me. It all started with another book on display. She knows well.”
Internal communications paint pictures of officials who respond directly to political pressures rather than professional misconduct. Moore said on her part that she was told that she was only finished with “inadequate decisions within the scope of performing the duties.”
However, the controversy continued to grow. By June 20th, Jeremy Snell, director of the Three Rivers Regional Library System, had already emailed library board members to discuss “HR status regarding Mr. Lavonnia Moore,” asking if he was interested in calling the special meeting the following Thursday or Friday. He reminded the board that he retained the authority to vote for Moore to reinstate his position, saying, “At this point, we received a lot of communication about our return on the original matter earlier this week.”
Related: How library workers protect books, democracy and queer lives
Records obtained by Georgia Recorder Show that about four times more county officials who support Moore’s reinstatement have contacted officials of those who requested her to be fired.
However, Pierce County officials spoke of Moore’s termination as a deserved conclusion. Blankenship added to Maddox, “Don’t know what you want to do with me? I’m against reviving her,” and “I don’t know what it will do.” Then, “Thank you for the lecture. I’ll see what I can do to calm the situation down.”
On June 24th, Maddox texted her.[ped] This morning, about 15 customers use the library, according to the Pierce Library. “Blankship replied, “Good. Even bad news is good.”
Snell said later Georgia Recorder A regular library committee meeting was planned on July 15th, but due to the lack of quorum, it is likely that a special meeting will be scheduled instead.
Moore, who has been managing the Pierce County Public Library for five years, supports displays created by local families as part of Georgia’s official summer reading theme, Color Our World, claims to simply follow the policy.
“I wasn’t going to tell a kid no,” Moore said earlier. Supporters. “I was happy that the kids were reading, they were happy that they were engaged in their library.”
On June 25th, Snell received a formal notice from Moore’s attorney Wade Herring, informing staff about the illegal dismissal case and instructing staff to keep all relevant records.
Georgia Recorder On June 26, library board member Laci Gillis Tippins reported resigning, citing “recently developed political controversies” and overwhelming professional commitment. “I hope that the current political situation will calm down, all conflicts will be resolved quickly, and that the library will flourish and prosper again,” she writes.
Moore launched a gofundme campaign that He raised over $25,000 to cover his legal costs and living expenses. Herring suggests that her dismissal could be related to both First Amendment Protection and Title VII Employment Act. Herring has since declined further interviews and spoke Supporters“The document speaks for itself, and I don’t do interviews.”
Moore’s case unfolds against the backdrop of a nationwide surge that is about to be removed LGBTQ+ Books from schools and public libraries. The American Library Association has reported a record number of challenges in LGBTQ+ titles in recent years.
glaad He condemned Moore’s firing, saying, “No one should lose his job to do his job.”
On July 8th, Snell responded Supporters“We cannot currently comment on this issue in consultation with our legal counsel,” the request for comment wrote.
Supporters We also contacted Lyals, Matox, Roman, Dixon, Maddox and Blankenship for comments. Although Lyals has not responded, an automated email response showed that she has not left the office until July 14th. Others did not reply.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
