Library boss is shelved
Axed over ‘politics’
After a Tennessee librarian was fired for sparking a disruption at an event by women’s sports activist Riley Gaines and actor Kirk Cameron, Gaines told The Post it’s all about politics and liberal activism.
Sumner County, Tenn., library director Allan Morales was axed in a 4-3 vote by the library’s board, after he and his staff allegedly created a ruckus at the Feb. 25 reading for kids.
“They were talking very loudly. They were slamming doors. Then all of a sudden they started blaring music and dropping books,” Gaines (inset) recalled.
“I don’t want to assume anything about anyone, but it seems like they were politically motivated and disagreed with our beliefs,” the 22-year-old told The Post. “There’s truthfully no other reason I can think of.”
Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, has risen to national attention for speaking out against trans female athletes competing in women’s sports. She previously swam against controversial trans athlete Lia Thomas and recently told The Post: “We are not moving forward. This is actually quite the opposite. We’re going back 50 years in time to before Title IX.”
She believes her views likely inspired the staff ’s disruption.
The incident took place in Gaines’ hometown in the Nashville suburbs when former “Growing Pains” star Cameron — who now writes children’s books with conservative and biblical messaging — was invited to join a reading at the local library.
Before the event, librarian Morales reportedly tried to get the venue moved and told the book’s publisher he was “concerned that you are bringing a movement to my library and all of the other things that come along with that.
“That’s not going to happen,” he allegedly warned in emails obtained by The Tennessean.
But Gaines and Cameron, along with “Duck Dynasty” reality TV star Missy Robertson, went ahead with the event, attracting lines of parents and children who waited in the rain to see them.
Gaines said a group of about five library staffers allegedly took it upon themselves to do anything they could to disrupt a promotional video that she and Cameron were recording before the event.
She claims Morales told them, “You have no right to be here. We don’t want you here,” before staff allegedly did everything they could to disrupt their video.
Morales did not return requests for comment.
The Tennessee native was shocked to see this sort of behavior in her hometown.
“We are a very conservative area,” she said. “I was just so heartbroken after living here my whole life. It just didn’t feel like an accurate representation of my community.”