Lawsuit: Kansas board fired librarians for rainbow display

[babylonsister]

Lawsuit: Kansas board fired librarians for rainbow display
Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 7:30:18p EDT
Walter Einenkel


Two librarians and two patrons are suing the Kansas town of Sterling and its public library board after the librarians claim they were fired for a display that included symbols celebrating diversity and promoting autism awareness. You read that right. The lawsuit says the Sterling Free Public Library’s eight-member board violated the First Amendment rights of former Carnegie Library Director Kari Wheeler and her assistant, Brandy Lancaster.

The defendants are the library’s board of directors, the city of Sterling, its mayor, and two library board members. The two patrons suing alongside the librarians are Samantha Corwin and Audra Asher, both of whom are neurodivergent.

When the board fired the two librarians in July, it vaguely said they had lost confidence in their ability to do their jobs. At the time, Wheeler told local news station KWCH that she didn’t think that excuse had anything to do with anything, explaining that a small “diversity” display she had put up in June was seen by Library Board Vice President Michelle Miller—and the rainbow colors in it set Miller off.

“But I was told to take it down because it has a rainbow infinity flag,” Wheeler said. “June is National Gay Pride Month and I was told that this was not appropriate t[o] post. And I said, ‘it’s not about any of that.’ I said, ‘it’s about autism,’ and so I didn’t see the problem with posting it.”

And there’s more.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/14/2193273/-Kansas-librarians-say-they-were-fired-for-rainbow-display

[marble falls]

1. The board will come to regret this. Where's the ACLU?

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

I'm so tired of these people.

[madaboutharry]

3. They are so twisted up in hate, they got the target of their bullying wrong.

I loathe these haters.

[msongs]

4. heard somewhere the lord sent a rainbow as a blessing of some sort nt

[BOSSHOG]

5. Fomented by trump, the stupid people he loves

Doing his bidding.

The message that isn’t connecting, when non stupid people no longer have freedom, neither do stupid people. Stupid people have yet to figure that out. On purpose.