Library Board in Wyoming FIRES Library Director over refusal to remove obscene books for children.

Unhinged pro-pornography leftists fill Library Board meeting to intimidate officials before vote.

Library Director blames MassResistance in rant at Board meeting.

August 1, 2023

Library Director (far left) looks on while Board members vote 4-1 to fire her - in front of room full of angry leftists. [All photos by MassResistance except where noted.]

[Caution: Some descriptions of the library books are graphic and sickening.]

Most Library Boards around the country refuse to protect children from obscene materials that their library staff brings in. Others want to protect children but are afraid. However, more are beginning to step up and take action.

On July 28, the Campbell County, Wyoming Library Board fired their Library Director over her refusal to remove pornographic books from the children’s and teen sections of the library.

For nearly three years, Wyoming MassResistance parents in Campbell County had been coming to the meetings and complaining about the graphic sexual materials available to children in the library. But the Library Director, Terri Lesley, was arrogant and condescending about keeping the materials there – as this interview with her from 2021 demonstrates. For years she had the support of a Library Board with a leftist majority and could thumb her nose at the parents. But that changed last fall after the County Commission appointed a conservative majority to the Board.

A new policy approved to clean up the library

On June 8, 2023, as MassResistance recently reported, the new Library Board approved a revised Collections Development Policy that does the job. The policy applies the strong standards for obscene materials set by the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the CIPA protections do not violate the First Amendment, as leftist librarians like to claim. The new policy requires that all current materials that violate the obscenity standards must be immediately “weeded out” and that no new such materials may be brought in.

Library Director refuses to carry out the policy

At the Library Board’s July 24 meeting, there was discussion about the importance of carrying out the new policy without delay.

A Library Board member talked about a meeting she recently attended on child sex trafficking. She said that an alarming problem is that explicit children’s books like the ones in this library destroy a child’s concept of “private parts.” This desensitizes them to being touched sexually and makes them easier targets for sexual predators. That’s why these books need to be removed from the library – using the new policy. She said the Board wanted to see progress on that “weeding out” process from the Library Director.

But Director Lesley said that she would refuse to remove any books. Doing so would be, in her opinion, a First Amendment violation and she would be liable for a lawsuit. She further claimed that “there’s nothing in our collection that was obscene.”

Resign or be fired

It was clear that Terri Lesley was not going to follow the Library Board’s directive.

On July 27, the Library Board chairman and another member met privately with her and asked for her resignation. She refused to resign. So the chairman announced a special Library Board meeting for the following day, July 28, where they would vote to fire her.

Unhinged leftists pack the special Library Board meeting

As soon as the meeting was announced, Lesley apparently spread the word to pro-LGBT and pro-pornography leftists (including the local Democrat Party) to come and harangue the Board.

At the July 28 meeting, over 150 leftists crammed into the room. About 35-40 local pro-family people also came.

As the meeting was about to begin the room was crammed with (mostly) leftists ...

... people even stood along the sides and in the back.

Of course, they brought their foul signs defending porn in the library. [Photo: Gillette News Record]

It was obvious from the cars in the parking lot that many of the leftists were from other places such as Laramie – four hours away – and other counties. When the meeting started they became loud, disorderly, and profane. It’s creepy that people will get into their cars and travel to a public meeting in order to push pornography and graphic sexuality on other people’s children.

The pro-pornography leftists even held signs outside as people were entering the Library Board meeting. [Photo: County 17]

The Library Director makes a statement

Before the public comment began, Terri Lesley was allowed to read aloud a prepared statement. It was very unprofessional. It was mostly a nasty, rambling attack on the Library Board for adopting what she considers such a terrible policy.

Library Director Terri Lesley reads her public statement during the Library Board meeting. Note that she's facing the audience, not the Board members. [Photo: County 17]

She angrily repeated her absurd assertion that none of the books in the library are obscene or harmful to children, and that removing them would invite a First Amendment lawsuit. She said it was thus impossible for her to do what the Board wants, and that “book challenges” should be left to individual people instead. She also insisted that it can’t be determined what’s “obscene” – even though the policy uses the definitions in the federal statute which seem to work fine across the country.

She ranted about how MassResistance helped create a “lack of transparency” and “lack of structure” for the library staff by bringing in the pro-bono legal group Liberty Counsel to help the Library Board craft the new policy. She also grumbled that MassResistance has “suggested that other libraries around the country follow this procedure ... as a way of skirting First Amendment restrictions.”

Bizarre statements by leftists during public comment period

Both sides participated during the public comment section. It was a ghastly experience to listen to.

One MassResistance mother described a few of the books for children and teens that she saw in the library:

Another mother described a book in the library for teenagers about a boy having oral sex on a girl having her period, and coming up with a bloody face.

Wyoming MassResistance mother reminds the Board - and everyone in the room - what those toxic books for children actually contain.

But most of the testimony was by the leftists who came. It was very bizarre and even frightening. One by one, they defended the books and supported Terri Lesley for having the books in the children’s and teen sections. They were passionately against removing any of them.

One woman said that the graphic books were a necessary learning experience. “I need these books. Allow me to raise my child the way I want to.” Another woman stated that sex books don’t hurt children or cause them to be prey for sexual predators.

Several said that Lesley and her library staff are “professionals” who shouldn’t be interfered with. One actually insisted that the books make the library a “safe environment.” Another said that Lesley was “an inspiration.”

One man made a speech saying that keeping pornography from children was the same thing as Nazis burning books.

This weird leftist said the books are "needed" to raise her child. She called Terri Lesley "an inspiration."

Thirty-one people signed up to testify, but after the 12th person – a leftist – swore at the Board members, the chairman shut off the rest of the public comments. Luckily, the Board was not intimidated by any of it.

The board votes to fire the Library Director

Then the Board left the room for an Executive Session to discuss the “personnel matter.” They came back, called the meeting back to order, and voted 4-1 to fire Terri Lesley. She had been a Campbell County library employee for 27 years and Library Director for 11 years. Since Wyoming is a hire-at-will state, the Board did not have to give a reason.

Then the meeting was adjourned. The leftists all stood up and loudly applauded Lesley for her “good work” and shouted profanities at the Library Board members.

When the meeting ended most of the leftists stood up and clapped for Lesley. Several shouted profanities.

Final thoughts

This needs to happen across America!

We keep telling people that the problem isn’t the bad books. The books don’t come into a library by themselves. They are brought in by bad people – who need to be fired.

For some frightening reason, a large number of libraries have attracted dysfunctional and sexually deviant people who should not be around children. Then as library employees they are driven further by the poisonous American Library Association’s stream of sexual propaganda – which normal people would simply ignore.

As mentioned above, it’s particularly creepy that leftists will get in their cars and drive to a Library Board meeting in order to passionately push for pornography for other people’s children. They know that anyone who wants these disgusting books can easily buy them online. But these people want them in the public libraries so everyone’s children will be affected by them. They are sick people – and there seems to be an alarming number them.

We’re proud of the large of number of Wyoming MassResistance parents in Campbell County who have kept this battle going for more than two years through thick and thin! Despite relentless opposition, major feats have been accomplished. And we are thrilled with the principled members of the Library Board who put the welfare of children first!