In rare move, school librarian fights back in court against conservative activists

[swag]

Source: NBC News

Aug. 13, 2022, 3:10 AM PDT
By Tyler Kingkade

A Louisiana school librarian is suing two men for defamation after they accused her of advocating to keep "pornographic" materials in the parish library's kids' section. It's a rare example of an educator taking legal action against conservatives who use extreme rhetoric in their battle against LGBTQ-themed books.

Amanda Jones, a librarian at a middle school in Denham Springs, Louisiana, filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday, arguing that Facebook pages run by Michael Lunsford and Ryan Thames falsely labeled her a pedophile who wants to teach 11-year-olds about anal sex.

Jones, the president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians, was alarmed and outraged by the verbal attacks, which came after she spoke against censorship at a Livingston Parish Library Board of Control meeting. She said she’s suing the two men because she’s exhausted with the insults hurled at educators and librarians over LGBTQ materials.

“I’ve had enough for everybody,” Jones said in an interview. “Nobody stands up to these people. They just say what they want and there are no repercussions and they ruin people’s reputations and there’s no consequences.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rare-move-school-librarian-fights-back-court-conservative-activists-rcna42800

[murielm99]

1. Libraries and librarians are being

attacked all over the country. It is an organized effort.

Don't underestimate them. The American Library Association has been fighting back since 1939. They fought back before the McCarthy era and after. Librarians are tough.

The archivists are standing up to trump and company. They are librarians, too.

I am a retired librarian. Whenever my son attended a new school or worked in a place that had a library he would take me to meet the archivist. He knows how to make friends with the right people.

[NJCher]

39. Truer words

knows how to make friends with the right people.

Were never spoken.

All my life, I have had a librarian friend, in one form or another. Maybe a public librarian, a university librarian, a corporate librarian, a school librarian…

Essential, valuable friends.

At the base of every librarian, I believe: they just want to help.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Conservatives

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/8/26/2048394/-Republican-Sexual-Predators-Abusers-and-Enablers-Pt-26

[FakeNoose]

23. This is a monthly (or bi-monthly) series covering Repukes doing ba-a-a-ad things

Here's most recent update from a little over a month ago:
(link) https://www.dailykos.com/blogs/CajsaLilliehook

[cstanleytech]

38. Wasn't there also a prostitution ring involving White House interns or something during the Reagan

administration from within the White House itself that was largely covered up?

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Hooray for Ms. Jones!

“The citizens of our parish consist of taxpayers who are white, Black, brown, gay, straight, Christian, non-Christian — people from all backgrounds and walks of life, and no one portion of the community should dictate what the rest of the citizens have access to,” Jones said at the meeting. “Just because you don’t want to read it or see it, it doesn’t give you the right to deny others or demand its relocation.”

Absolutely!! And if the zealots don’t want to read a certain book, they don’t have to read it. Why do they get to dictate what everyone else reads? And why do they get to defame good people with no consequences?

[BlueIdaho]

4. Librarians have always been

Champions of free thought and free speech. They deserve our support.

[Marthe48]

5. Good for her

the men can go f**K themselves.

[Shrike47]

6. She gets our support. May those men rot.

[modrepub]

7. Is Maintaining A No Read List For These Zealots A Crazy Idea?

Instead of removing material from the library why not just maintain a list of books parents don't want their kids to read? If the parent want's to keep the book out of their kids hands then fine knock yourself out. The rest of us would just like to let teachers and librarians do what they are trained to do without micromanaging. Our education system is in a heap of trouble because of hyperactive parents.

[murielm99]

40. No.

We call that labelling. Librarians do not keep books in separate locations or set aside special lists for people. Kid can come to the library to read or browse if their parents allow it. The parents have to monitor their children's reading in their own ways. It is not up to anyone else. I don't care if it is the public or the school library. The materials should be there for everyone. The parents need to monitor their own children. They do not get to monitor the library or anyone else.

[mainer]

8. Her gofundme page for legal fees:

https://gofund.me/0a5e7d32

[Tommymac]

10. Donation sent. Has raised $28000+ of $20000 goal. WooHoo!

I want her to get enough to be able to legally bury those assholes so the rest of their lives are totally fucked and ruined. No compassion here.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

26. As of 12:25 pm West Coast time Saturday there has been $35,000 donated.

I imagine that amount will grow exponentially as the story gets spread to more and more news outlets. Let's go for $100,000!

[Wishful-Thinking]

16. Glad to donate this morning!

We need more brave souls like this young woman.

[tanyev]

9. Bravo!

It’s a royal pain to have to do it, but we need more of this.

[housecat]

13. Yes we can!

[iluvtennis]

11. So DISGUSTING this woman is being treated like this. Happy to read she is suing them. They

need to be held accountable for their lies.

[The Jungle 1]

12. My local community has brought in the ACLU to counter the right wing nuts.

Pennridge school district

[aka-chmeee]

14. Amanda Jones is some kind of wonderful. nt

[Hstch05]

28. I see what you did there ;) NT

[Warpy]

15. Pretty clear case of slander

and I don't think she needs to prove malice on their part, the fact that they're going after a person instead of specific works with specific passages they don't like (not that they've ever read any of them) indicates they want to destroy her career and standing in the community.

I hope more courageous people stand up, both plaintiffs and lawyers willing to work on contingency.

Sue enough of these vinegar faced busybodies, especially the magachurch preachers riling them up, and it might have a chilling effect on the Christian pursuit of minding everybody's businees but one's own.

[jaxexpat]

17. Some QaAnonista are about to get the loudest "SHHHHH" ever heard outside the reference section.

Do not mess with librarians. They KNOW the Dewey Decimal System like the backs of their hands.

[BonnieJW]

18. This reminds me of a dystopia novel I read too many years ago

to remember the title. Due to a natural catastrophe, life resembled the early 1800s. No electricity, running water, cars, etc. The hub of the community became the public library. People had to learn how to take care of themselves, how to grow food, how to raise animals. The library was crowded every day and the librarians were the most respected individuals in the town.

[MissMillie]

19. She's a hero.

Someone should find out who her attorney is and see if we can get a link to support her law suit.

[Mr.Bill]

20. It's funny how much energy they are expending

to purge libraries of material that is readily available on the internet to any child with computer access.

[FakeNoose]

24. Librarian Amanda Jones is a badass

Thank you Ms. Jones for sticking up for librarians everywhere!

v

[yankee87]

25. Great Tactic

The way this is being done is fantastic. Going after the money is always an effective way.

[Evolve Dammit]

27. Stop calling them "Conservatives" FCS. They are domestic terrorists. Nothing conservative about them

Total misnomer.

[andym]

29. Librarian advocates "dirty books: Chaucer, Rabalais, Balzac"-Music Man

musical depicts 1910s-- song is Pick A Little

---
the more things change...

[ZonkerHarris]

30. this is an important story

[TexasBushwhacker]

31. The first amendment is every bit as important as their beloved 2nd amendment

If they don't want THEIR children to read certain books, don't let them! I mean shit, have they even read THE BIBLE? All of it, not just the parts their pastor cherry picks?

[StephanieDubois]

32. Good

I am glad they are standing up for what's right.

[IcyPeas]

33. this sentence:

“I’ve had enough for everybody,” Jones said in an interview. “Nobody stands up to these people. They just say what they want and there are no repercussions and they ruin people’s reputations and there’s no consequences.”

AMEN!

[lambchopp59]

34. Guuuh. We're supposed to be so far past this...

[DFW]

35. If she needs help with her legal fees, I hope she posts where we can contribute

I'd be happy to support a cause like that.

[GreenWave]

36. The Cons are after schools and libraries.

Disgusting how they behave like book Nazis.

[The Wizard]

37. They must be neutered