Arkansas county fired this librarian for opposing LGBTQ+ book censorship. Now it must pay $275K

An Arkansas county has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a librarian who said she was fired for opposing efforts to remove books from the children’s section.The ACLU of Arkansas announced the settlement with Saline County officials. The civil rights organization sued on behalf of Patty Hector, the former director of the county library system, after she was fired in 2023 for criticizing an ordinance requiring books with “sexual content or imagery” to be moved out of the children’s section, according to the Arkansas Advocate.Hector said the settlement vindicated her stance.“Standing up for the freedom to read cost me a job and a career I loved, but I never believed that staying silent was the answer,” she said. “Libraries belong to everyone, and librarians should be able to serve their communities according to professional standards without fearing political retaliation. I hope this settlement sends a message to librarians and other public servants across Arkansas that their voices and their constitutional rights matter.”Related: Beloved Georgia librarian fired after child chooses book with transgender character for library displayHector’s termination occurred amid a nationwide conservative campaign to restrict access to books, many of them with LGBTQ+ themes. At the time, Hector said books should not be deemed inappropriate for children simply because they include subjects such as LGBTQ+ representation. “It’s not illegal to be gay or trans,” she said at a public hearing.When the Saline County Quorum Court approved the ordinance, Saline County Judge Matt Brumley specifically criticized Hector for her public stance. “Saying that there’s nothing wrong with those books after being asked if you’ve read those books — it’s tough for me to put together, and I hope it wouldn’t be the message from this board,” Brumley said, the Arkansas Advocate reported at the time.ACLU officials said the settlement should compensate H