LGBTQ-Themed Kids’ Books Suit Advances Against Arkansas Library

Library patrons can proceed with their suit alleging an Arkansas county system infringed their First Amendment rights by moving children’s books with LGBTQ+ themes from the children’s area into a special section where they can only be accessed with adult supervision.

Plaintiffs Rebecka Virden, Nina Prater, and Samantha Rowlett raised plausible claims that the library restricted their right to receive information and violated the establishment clause by isolating the books for religious reasons, the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas said.

The plaintiffs alleged that under a policy implemented in late 2022 or early 2023, library branches ...