Librarian Fired for Defending LGBTQ+ Books Will Be Paid $700,000 Settlement

Librarian Fired for Defending LGBTQ+ Books Will Be Paid $700,000 Settlement

Terri Lesley said she hoped the move would be a “deterrent” to others fighting the First Amendment.

Fired library director wins $700K settlement after dispute over LGBTQ children's books · American Wire News

A Wyoming library official who was fired over refusing to remove certain children’s books has won a $700,000 legal settlement. “Terri Lesley, who served as executive director of the Campbell County Public Library System in Gillette, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in April 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming alleging she was unlawfully fired in July 2023 for refusing to remove or relocate books with LGBTQ content fro…

Wyoming library director receives $700K settlement following LGBTQ books dispute firing

Terri Lesley awarded $700,000 settlement from Campbell County after alleging discrimination and retaliation for defending LGBTQ+ books in library youth sections.

Former Wyoming Library Director Fired Amid Book Dispute to be Paid $700k in Settlement

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 la…

‘I Feel Vindicated’: U.S. Librarian Wins Settlement After Defending LGBTQ+ Titles

Former Campbell County Library director Terri Lesley has been awarded $700,000 after being fired for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books, in a case hailed as a victory for free speech and inclusion.