Transgender book got Georgia library manager fired, suit says
A Southeast Georgia county and library system are being sued by a local woman who alleges they fired her as the manager of the county’s public library because she allowed a book about a transgender child to be part of a display.
Blackshear resident LaVonnia Moore filed her complaint Monday in federal court in Waycross against Pierce County and Three Rivers Regional Library System, claiming they violated her civil rights. She wants compensation for lost wages and benefits and emotional pain and suffering, among other things.
County and library system leaders have not officially responded to the suit.
Moore alleged she was fired by the library system in June last year at the direction of county commissioners because she let a book titled “When Aidan Became a Brother” be part of a library display. The 2019 book, by Kyle Lukoff, is about a transgender boy and his family.
Moore said she invited local parents and children to select books from the library’s collection to display in celebration of Georgia’s 2025 summer reading program. She said a child selected the children’s book for the display, which was shown in a public social media post.
Conservative community members complained to county commissioners about the book’s inclusion in the display, and the commission threatened to withhold funds from the library system unless it fired Moore, according to her complaint.
“Because Defendants fired Moore, she lost her job, her group benefits, the source of her income and benefits, her vocational identity, and her purpose, with the attendant embarrassment, humiliation, isolation, and financial hardship, including health costs and lost retirement,” she said in the suit.
Moore’s attorney did not comment on the case. Pierce County’s attorney, its five commissioners and the library system’s executive director, Jeremy Snell, did not respond to questions about it.
Snell said in June last year that the display of the “inappropriate” book was the reason for Moore’s termination, The Blackshear Times reported.
The latest published minutes of the library system’s board meeting from May this year show Snell “gave an update” on Moore’s case and an unrelated litigation matter, but no details are included.
In the lawsuit, Moore said the county withdrew its library from a neighboring system in 2024 after a location in another county displayed a Pride flag and a mural that said “Libraries are for everyone” with a rainbow-painted heart.
Moore said in her lawsuit that she filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the county and library system within 180 days of her termination on June 18, 2025. She said the EEOC recently issued her a right-to-sue notice.
In an associated fundraising campaign, Moore, who said she worked at the library for 15 years, has received more than $35,000 in donations.
“I feel heartbroken,” Moore wrote on her fundraiser webpage. “Not just because I lost a job—but because I lost it for doing what librarians are supposed to do: create a space for everyone. I stood by our mission. I followed policy. I led with love. And now I am out of work for it.”
The Pierce County library’s public Facebook page shows several comments supporting Moore and condemning the decision to fire her.
In a public Instagram post celebrating Moore’s dismissal, a group of conservative community members thanked the county commissioners and library system for “quickly addressing our concerns.” The group did not respond this week to questions.
The book at the center of the controversy is still available at the Pierce County Public Library, according to its online catalog.
In her fundraiser, Moore said the book is “an award-winning, age-appropriate story about love and acceptance in a family with a transgender child.” She said libraries should be spaces for everyone.
“I want the world to know that this was not about a book; it was about bias,” she wrote. “This was not about poor performance. It was about political pressure. It was not about leadership or decision-making. It was about bullies and cowardice. This was not right, and it cannot stand.”