The Sumner County Library Rules and Policies Committee voted on July 3 to forward proposed changes to the county Collection and Development Policy to the full library board, including language that would bar materials the committee describes as "transgender and gender confusing" from areas accessible to minors and require library directors to keep challenged material out of reach.

Public commenters, several of whom identified themselves as local parents or library patrons, urged the committee not to remove or relocate materials that include transgender characters or subject matter. Jessica McKinney, a Hendersonville resident, told the committee: "This is censorship of ideas based on the opinions of the board members." Mandy Cook, who said she uses library books to teach her child about anatomy and consent, warned that moving books out of the children's section would make them difficult to access: "you might as well be placing it on the moon," she said. Brooklyn White, another resident, raised concerns that restrictive language could unintentionally limit material about intersex conditions and chromosomal variations.

Why it matters: the proposed edits add a subsection titled "transgender and gender confusing materials" and emphasize that the library board — citing state statutes — has authority to remove or order removal of material it finds in violation of state or local law. The draft directs library directors to ensure that material deemed inappropriate for minors is not within reach of children, to create separate cataloging and access processes where needed, and to notify the board if a challenge occurs. Committee members also proposed language that would prohibit payment of dues to the American Library Association, citing a memo from Tennessee Secretary of State Trey Hargett.

Committee discussion focused on how the policy would be implemented. Committee members said they intended the changes to allow directors discretion in how materials are shelved or restricted and to protect the library system's compliance with state law and continued eligibility for state funding. The committee repeated that decisions about removing or restricting materials rest with the board as the governmental body and with library directors for day-to-day implementation; one member told directors the board "shall have full authority under TCA 10-3-8104 to hold the library director accountable." Committee members also discussed clarifying procedures for authors who request book-signing events (the director will determine initial interest; authors would then complete a facility-usage application and promotional materials would be routed to the board for approval).

Votes at a glance: the committee recorded several voice votes during the meeting. Motions relevant to this article included:
• Motion to send the amended Collection and Development Policy, with the new "transgender and gender confusing materials" language and related implementation steps, to the full library board for a vote; mover: Chair (unnamed); second: Erica Vanley; outcome: forwarded to full board by voice vote; no recorded opposition.
• Motion to send an amended Book Signing Policy (changing the pathway so authors first contact library directors, require a facility-usage application, and remove language giving the board informal email veto authority) to the full library board for approval; mover: Mike (last name not specified), second: Erica Vanley; outcome: forwarded to full board by voice vote; no recorded opposition.
• Motion to approve the Computer Use Policy for another year (annual review); outcome: approved by voice vote; no recorded opposition.
• Routine approvals (agenda and minutes for April 2, 2025) and other procedural motions were passed by voice vote; no recorded opposition was voiced in the transcript.

What the committee decided next: the committee voted to forward the proposed Collection and Development Policy changes and the revised Book Signing Policy to the county library board for consideration. The full board will review the packages and vote at a future board meeting; the committee did not adopt the policy language as final county policy during this session.

Implementation and outstanding questions: the draft assigns operational responsibility to library directors — including creating separate cataloging or behind-the-counter access and notifying the board within 24 hours of a challenge — but leaves several details to staff, including the exact cataloging processes, how age-appropriateness will be determined in specific cases, and how enforcement would interact with state or federal court actions. The committee cited state law during debate and noted possible implications for state funding; committee members said they sought legal input on what could and could not be done outside of a public meeting.

Next steps: the package of edits will go to the Sumner County Library Board for a formal vote. Directors and staff will likely be asked to supply implementing procedures and examples of catalog placement or restricted access before the board vote.