More than $127,000 has been raised in under a week to support a Tennessee librarian who was dismissed from her post after refusing to conceal LGBTQ+ books from young readers. The case of Luanne James, the former director of the Rutherford County Library System (RCLS), has galvanised advocates and drawn national attention to debates over book access.

The library board voted to terminate James's employment on 30 March. By the following day, a GoFundMe campaign was established to aid her family, swiftly exceeding its initial £100,000 target. The fundraiser highlights James's 25-year career in public libraries, during which she secured an estimated $6 million in grant funding for community projects.

"Luanne has dedicated nearly her entire adult life to public libraries, working tirelessly to expand free access to information, technology, and essential services," the campaign page states. It notes that the grants she obtained funded public programmes, improved computer access, renovated facilities, built a new library, and purchased a bookmobile and an accessible van for community outreach.

Organisers confirm that all donations will be used to cover her family's basic living expenses following her sudden job loss. The fundraiser has also become a platform for messages of solidarity from hundreds of donors.

"Our children need more people like you fighting for them!" wrote one contributor. Another added, "Thank you for defending LGBT people." A former school librarian called James "a guardian of the books," writing, "You were fired for acting as the professional in the field that you are... you are my hero."

The RCLS board has not publicly detailed the specific reasons for James's dismissal beyond the issue of book displays. The rapid financial and moral support for James underscores the intense feelings surrounding the incident, which is seen by many as part of a broader national trend of challenges to LGBTQ+ materials in public and school libraries.