Lawsuit: Kansas board fired librarians for rainbow display
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.
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.
