A Georgia librarian has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was fired after a trans-inclusive children’s book, When Aidan Became a Brother, was included in a summer reading display.

LaVonnia Moore is suing Pierce County and the Three Rivers Regional Library System in the Southern District of Georgia. In her complaint, Moore alleges her termination violated her civil rights, including discrimination based on race, sex and religion, and the alleged deprivation of free speech, due process and equal protection.

The case centres on When Aidan Became a Brother, a picture book by Kyle Lukoff that has won awards and is about a transgender boy. Moore’s complaint alleges she was fired after 15 years of employment for allowing the book to be displayed as part of a statewide summer reading programme. 

What does Moore allege happened with the book display?

In the complaint, Moore alleges she invited local families to select books with colourful covers from the library’s collection for a display. She alleges a family she described as gender-fluid selected When Aidan Became a Brother, and she allowed it to be included.

“I wasn’t going to tell the kid no,” Moore told The Advocate last year. “I was just happy the kid was reading, happy they were engaging in their library.”

The complaint alleges that Pierce County commissioners instructed the library system to dismiss her because of the decision, and that the system did so after being threatened with the loss of county funding. It also alleges an anti-LGBTQ+ activist involved with the Alliance for Faith and Family emailed commissioners calling the book “mental rape” intended to confuse children.

When was Moore fired, and what is she seeking?

The complaint dates the book selection to around 3 June 2025. It alleges Moore was fired on 18 June 2025, the same day it says officials exchanged emails about the display. The statewide programme’s theme was “Color Our World”.

Moore’s lawsuit also claims her dismissal left her humiliated and in financial difficulty, and says she is pursuing back pay, front pay, recompense for lost benefits, and damages for pain, suffering and mental anguish.

Public libraries across the US have become flashpoints in battles over book challenges and LGBTQ+ inclusion. In 2025, a former library director was awarded $700,000 after she was fired for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books in a separate case.