Wyoming library director fired amid book dispute reaches $700,000 settlement

[mahatmakanejeeves]

U.S. NEWS
Wyoming library director fired amid book dispute reaches $700,000 settlement

"It's been a rough road, but I will never regret standing up for the First Amendment," Terri Lesley said.

Oct. 8, 2025, 11:16 PM EDT / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A former Wyoming library director who was fired amid an uproar over books with sexual content and LGBTQ+ themes that some people complained were inappropriate for youngsters and who sought their removal from youth shelves will be paid $700,000 after settling a lawsuit.

Terri Lesley was fired as the library system director in northeastern Wyoming's Campbell County in 2023, two years into the book dispute at the library in Gillette. Lesley sued last spring over her termination and reached the settlement with county officials Wednesday. … "I do feel vindicated. It's been a rough road, but I will never regret standing up for the First Amendment," Lesley said. … Under the settlement, the defendants do not admit wrongdoing, Wyoming Public Media reported. … 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.


————— Campbell County Public Library in Wyoming.Google Maps

Public officials there sided with the book objectors and violated Lesley's First Amendment rights, Lesley claimed in her federal lawsuit against Campbell County, including its commission and library board. … The county denied Lesley's claims. Only Lesley's performance — not the dispute over the books — played a role in her dismissal, the county argued in court documents. … A private-practice attorney hired by the county for the lawsuit, Patrick Holscher, and County Attorney Nathan Henkes didn't immediately return phone messages Wednesday seeking comment.

The books objected to included "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.

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[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Fired Wyoming librarian hopes $700,000 settlement deters conservative lawmakers. They say it won't.

WYOMING
Fired Wyoming librarian hopes $700,000 settlement deters conservative lawmakers. They say it won’t.

by Wyofile
2 days ago

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By Andrew Graham

The Gillette librarian who this week settled a lawsuit against Campbell County over her July 2023 firing for a $700,000 payment says she hopes Wyoming lawmakers take note of the hefty sum. … Terri Lesley sued in April, alleging the Campbell County Public Library System Board of Trustees violated her First Amendment right to free speech and dismissed her in retaliation for her opposition to efforts by local conservatives to control where LGBTQ-centered books appeared in the library.

“My hope is that this will be a deterrent,” Lesley told WyoFile on Thursday, “that we can shut down all these censorship efforts in Wyoming and beyond.” … But two Wyoming Freedom Caucus lawmakers who want the Legislature to weigh in on library materials statewide were quick to dismiss the idea that the hefty settlement should serve as a warning. The settlement does not include an admission of guilt by the county or trustees, they said, and is a separate matter from their legislative efforts.

The lawsuit Lesley settled this week was one of two she’s brought since her firing, with the second coming against members of a family, the Bennetts, who had prominently advocated for her removal as library director. … That lawsuit remains ongoing. Both suits were filed in federal court.

The Gillette News Record broke the story Wednesday and it quickly became a national news story. That news came just days ahead of a pivotal legislative committee hearing in Wyoming’s ongoing political debate over who should control access to library books. Lawmakers on the Joint Judiciary Committee will vote Monday on whether to bring a bill to the 2026 legislative session that would impose steep fines on public libraries and schools that leave books containing sexual material in places accessible to minors.

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