Anderson County library board orders review of juvenile-section titles and votes to remove books it deems to promote "gender ideology"

The Anderson County Library Board voted Thursday night to hold juvenile-section books identified by librarians and community reviewers for board consideration and later approved a separate motion to remove titles it deems to "promote gender ideology." The decisions followed a 30-minute public-comment block in which residents both defended librarians and urged removals of specific titles.

The vote to hold flagged juvenile titles pending board review came after trustee Jess Ann Cole moved that "books in the juvenile section . . . be reviewed to be in compliance with President Trump's executive order, Secretary of State Hargett's directive, and the Tennessee age-appropriateness law," and that any titles found not in compliance be held off circulation until the board could examine them. The chair clarified that the Secretary of State letter asked libraries to make sure flagged titles were not shelved in children's sections; many trustees framed the issue as age-appropriate access and compliance with recent state guidance. The motion to hold flagged juvenile titles passed on a hand vote; the chair announced six members in favor.

Why it…