A library director has resigned from his post in small-town Tennessee after an uproar over a display of LGBTQ+ books.
Now, the Maury County library board is frantic to find a replacement for Zachary Fox, whose supporters say he was targeted and bullied as part of a right-wing pressure campaign.
Tensions started to rise in June when the Maury County Public Library arranged LGBTQ+ books on a shelf near the front for Pride Month. Library board member Joel Friddell told The Daily Beast people took issue with the location of the display, claiming it was too close to children’s books.
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“It was not in the children's library. It was in the front part of the library, but a good 20 feet or more away from the entrance,” he said.
Friddell added that the library was simultaneously running its Summer Feed Program, a campaign that offered free lunches for children who may not have had access to food.
“We served more than 800 of those meals during that same period of time,” Friddell said.
Apparently, some community members didn’t like that the LGBTQ+ books were in the same vicinity as the free lunch program. But Friddell said no one filed any formal complaints with the library. Instead, people took to social media to voice their frustration. And according to Friddell, the board addressed the community’s concerns in a meeting the following month, and even reviewed the books and found no issue.
“All displays need to be thoughtful and cognizant that people coming through the library are going to be different ages, different backgrounds, and so we need to make sure that our displays reflect that,” Friddell explained. He added that the board takes photos of displays, so it can immediately fall back on visual receipts if any concerns are expressed.
However, community members continued to rail against Pride books in the library on social media.
And those taking part in the pressure campaign soon began claiming the books were an active threat to children.
“It’s not about freedom; it’s about filth,” Charlsie Estes said at the September meeting. “Just as our ancestors fought to abolish slavery…Nazi-world domination, and struggled for civil rights, our resolve to protect our children is no less vital, urgent, or passionate.”
“Look into Maury County Library and what the citizens of that county are doing to be involved in their community! They discovered over 25 books of sexually explicit nature marketed to 12 year olds which are against the law!” Theresa Deal posted on Facebook on Sept. 28, blaming Fox for the library’s so-called agenda for children. “Director Fox…needs to let us know why he felt the need to push the Gay Pride Month agenda to our minors 12-18!”
After ongoing cries for him to quit, the library board grudgingly accepted Fox’s resignation as Maury County Public Library director during its monthly meeting Wednesday. Friddell said the meeting was so packed that it teetered on breaking the fire code.
Protesters kept raising their voices, but counter-protesters in support of LGBTQ+ books and Fox also clocked in.
“Zac was an inspiration to many in this community,” said speaker Lukas Banks. “The majority of this community does not support censorship, regardless of what the loudmouths say. Zac knew this, the board knows this, and Zac knew…what it took to run a library, reaching to the community and prioritizing those who wish and seek to learn knowledge.”
Fox, who led the library for three years, also co-operates Bad Idea Brewery in the county, which held a family-friendly drag brunch in October 2021. Friddell told The Daily Beast he believes this is what prompted the initial pushback from far-right activists.
Residents who turned up at the meeting in support of Fox also appeared to see a connection between the drag brunch and the campaign for Fox’s ouster.
“I have never been sexually assaulted at a drag show, but I have been at church—TWICE!” a woman yelled to the board in a speech captured by local news outlet WSMV4 Nashville.
“This is yet another embarrassment for Tennessee,” David Shelton wrote on Facebook after the meeting. “[B]ully[ing] librarians over LGBT books in the 21st century is as apalling [sic] as it is atrocious. …Kids… read. Read every book you can get your hands on. Read the stories you want to read. Learn about the world outside your circles. Learn about adventures of people that look different than you. Read stories about lgbt kids and their struggles.”
Friddell said Fox had done a great deal of good for the community as the director of Maury County Public Library. He came up with events during the pandemic to keep children engaged during a period of social distancing, Friddell said. He held book reviews, movie reviews, and created safety protocols for books to be picked up and dropped off at the library.
“Zach even sat down and read books to kids on Facebook Live with his dog, and it was hugely successful,” Friddell said.
Now, Friddell says the board has to go through the process of finding someone as dedicated and qualified as Fox.
Fox did not immediately return The Daily Beast’s requests for comment Friday.
