by Jack Brammer, Kentucky Lantern
August 18, 2025

SHELBYVILLE – A local church is urging its members to permanently remove books from the Shelby County Public Library by checking them out and never returning them. The books portray gay characters and historical figures or explore LGBTQ+ themes.

Pamela Wilson Federspiel, who has been director of the library in downtown Shelbyville for 34 years, says the action is tantamount to “stealing.”

But three leaders of the Reformation Church of Shelbyville defend what they call an “act of civil disobedience.”

“Yes — we have urged Christians, both locally and across the country, to search their libraries for books that promote sodomy, gender confusion and rebellion against God — and if found, to check them out and never return them as an act of civil disobedience,” pastors Jerry Dorris and Tanner Cartwright and Austin Keeler, an evangelist with the church mission, Reformation Frontline Missions, recently told the Lantern in an email.

The library has “lost” 16 books valued at $410.85 since a member of the church checked them out last year with due dates in late June 2024, said Federspiel. Some of the books were written for children, some for adults. (The list of books is at the bottom of this story.)

Federspiel did not identify the library patron and said the books were never returned after several notices.

The titles include “The Art of Drag,” “My Two Moms” and “My Two Dads.”

Chris Hartman of Louisville, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, said he has never considered “theft to be a form of civil action.”

He also said he has never heard of a church encouraging its members “to steal from a public institution. It is shameful, unfortunate and disrespectful.”

Such activity often backfires by making people, especially young people, curious about the books and giving them more attention, he said.

Sarah Prager of Boston wrote one of the 16 books the Shelby County Public Library has “lost.” It is called “Kind Like Marsha: Lessons from LGBTQ+ Leaders”  and  is for juveniles. Amazon.com says it celebrates 14 LGBTQ+ people throughout history, like politician Harvey Milk, scientist and painter Leonardo da Vinci, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Marsha P. Johnson, who took care of her trans community on the streets of New York City.

“My book is not about sexual acts. It is about real, caring people — and what is wrong about that? A library must always have a diverse inventory.  We can never let that change,” Prager said.

Complaints about books increase

The church posted its recommendation to check out certain library books and not return them in a 2 minute, 57 second video on its Facebook page on June 1, 2024.  Church leaders said recently their message has not changed.

“Friends, the Shelby County Public Library is promoting the vile LGBTQ agenda to groom and trans children in Kentucky,” a script accompanying the video says.

“Would you help us expose what’s happening here?” it asks before providing contact information for two library officials and listing books the church found objectionable. 

Complaints about books to public libraries are not new but are growing in Kentucky and the United States. There were 302 challenges to Kentucky public libraries in 2024, up from only 26 in 2023, according to the state Department of Libraries and Archives annual Statistical Report of Kentucky Public Libraries released in April.

But rare, if ever, is the practice condoned by the Shelbyville church for making books disappear from the shelves. 

“Strategically checking out books with no plans to return them as a method of permanently removing certain books from local public libraries is not a common practice, at least not one that has been reported to KDLA,” said Jill Midkiff, a spokesperson for the  Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA).

PEN America, based in New York, tracks book bans and fights censorship across the country. Spokesperson Suzanne Trimel said she has never heard of the  book-removal tactic recommended by the Shelbyville church, though some conservative churches have urged members to seek public office to be in a position to censor LGBTQ+ books. She’s also heard of hiding controversial books where they aren’t likely to be found on library shelves

PEN America has seen censorship activities in public schools and public libraries intensify, she said, as public libraries have responded to pressure by canceling author visits and drag story hours. 

Trimel said public libraries also have been under pressure from the “Hide the Pride” campaign, largely led  by a conservative Catholic advocacy organization called CatholicVote.  In 2022, the leaders of CatholicVote estimated 50 to 100 libraries were targeted for “Hide the Pride.” 

The campaign instructs parents to go to the children’s section of a public library and check out all “Pride Month” books on the display shelves. The parents return the books on time but place them on other shelves out of reach of children.

The Reformation Church of Shelbyville does not return controversial books removed from the Shelby County library.

The church’s stance

Pastor Dorris said the church became aware of the controversial books when a member took their children to the library and the “children were exposed to some of them. Upon investigation they discovered the remaining books.”

Like librarian Federspiel, Dorris declined to identify the patron. He said the family did not want any public attention. Records of books checked out by patrons of public libraries are not subject to Kentucky’s Open Records Act, said Amye Bensenhaver, co-founder and co-director of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.

Dorris said he is uncertain where the checked-out books are now. “They have not been destroyed to my knowledge.”

He said his independent church, which “shepherds 357 souls,” is taking a “public stand against sexual perversion being pushed upon children through taxpayer-funded institutions.” It will continue to take that stand without apology, he said.

“This is not literacy — it’s grooming,” Dorris said.

Asked about the removal of public property, Dorris said, “We reject the idea that civil rebellion is only legitimate when it’s done with rainbow flags or Marxist slogans. Civil disobedience is a biblical category when obedience to God and love for neighbor demand it.”

Dorris said that when the church discovered the controversial materials in the local library, it contacted Shelby County’s state senator and representative. It also contacted the library’s staff and its board members “to express our deep concern and call for action.”

“No library staff or board member ever followed up with us, no request has been made for the return of these books, and — tellingly — the books themselves have not been replaced. Not that we would return them — but the silence itself speaks volumes,” said Dorris.

Matt Burgin, president of the library’s board of trustees, said Federspiel told the board about the situation but no one else has ever contacted him about the books.

The library has handled it like other cases of overdue books, he said.

Dorris said he did talk to then-state Sen. Adrienne Southworth, R-Lawrenceburg, but he would not divulge their conversation. She could not be reached for comment. State Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, did not return phone calls to her Frankfort office seeking comment.

Dorris stressed that the book action is not a formal position of the Reformation Church and “not every member of our church is aware of and agrees with these actions, and that’s acceptable. We don’t discipline or pressure members over strategy. These actions — like the permanent removal of library books — were taken by individual Christians under personal conviction. We support their right to act or refrain in good conscience.”

The library’s stance

The 16 books director Federspiel says are “lost” due to the efforts of the Reformation Church range in cost from $19.99 to $35.

The library offers a variety of books for a diverse community, she said. “All are library property.”

Library materials that are not returned are not available for other patrons, said Federspiel, who declined to have her photo taken for this article. “The library is committed to providing materials that meet patron needs. Materials that are not returned are not available for other patrons. Replacing lost material is costly.”

Amanda Perry-Davis, the library’s collection manager, said the library acquires books generally based on their popularity. That can be determined by various book reviews, journals and magazines. Library professional journals recommended the “lost books” as appropriate titles for each age level.

Patrons also suggest specific books to acquire, said Perry-Davis.

Federspiel, who is retiring at the end of the year, said several staffers also provide their input on what books to buy but the final decision is hers.

Federspiel said that most of the “lost books” had not been in high demand by library patrons.

The library left a voicemail message with the patron about the overdue books and issued three other notices before turning the matter over to a collection agency, Unique Management, after 60 days, she said. The replacement cost is added to the patron’s card but so far the books remain missing.

Church has other targets besides library

The church has engaged in more public protests, including against a now closed Shelbyville bar and a fall fundraiser in Cynthiana in which people dress up as witches.

The church protested The Barrel Room, formerly a bar in downtown Shelbyville, for holding drag shows and the city’s conference center for allowing “drag queens to dance in front of children.”The church branded Cynthiana “a hotbed of witchcraft” in response to the Harrison County seat’s Witches’ Day Out event. 

“These displays grieve the heart of God and signal our community’s descent into spiritual decay,” said Pastor Dorris. “We do not hate the men who perform in drag, nor the librarians, nor the critics who accuse us of being hateful. We love them enough to tell the truth — that Jesus Christ is Lord, that sin leads to hell, and that the gospel alone can set people free.”

 The Barrel Room closed in October. Vicki Jones Lee, a local gay rights advocate, said she saw several drag shows there. “We would hear the protesters outside, making a lot of noise. The shows would just go on,” she said.

A spokesperson for the conference center said the center became the site for a Pride event in the summer of 2023 “to help it find a public venue.

James Smith, executive director of the Cynthiana-Harrison County Chamber of Commerce, said “Witches Day Out” is part of the community’s annual Halloween festivities. Participants dress like witches and try to raise money for a needy cause such as helping a family whose child had brain cancer

“It’s not a cult, it’s not a religion. Cynthiana’s Witches Day Out is a fun, community event with 130-plus vendors, food, readings, and a Victorian seance-themed Crystal Ball on the first Saturday in September in downtown Cynthiana to kick off the fall season,” said committee member Sam Lunger.

“But it is disappointing to hear anyone say it involves witchcraft. Everyone is entitled to free speech but this is misleading and out of bounds. We do provide a free space for the church protesters.”

Drag shows and witches are taboo to the church but it has given most attention to books.

Consequences

Dorris, the pastor, expects “some sort of reaction against the church” for its book removal efforts but does not know exactly what that will be.

“We know there will be consequences for saying what others are afraid to say. We will not be silent. We will not comply. We will not flinch. Our duty is to God, and our aim is the good of our neighbors — even those who revile us,” he said.

Madison Markham, a staff member on PEN America’s Freedom to Read team, said, “The alarming rise of book bans and censorship in the country is and will continue to have devastating consequences in our communities in the years to come.

“Regardless of whether you are a student, a parent, a librarian, an author, or a community member, this is an issue that affects all of us. Access to books with LGBTQ+ representation helps LGBTQ+ people and their families feel seen, and builds empathy. Everyone deserves the right to read and to be exposed to diverse ideas and experiences.”

Mark Adler, director of the Paris-Bourbon County Public Library and last year’s winner of the Kentucky Public Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Award, acknowledges that community members have the right to voice their concerns about materials in a public library but suggested it be channeled through a reconsideration request.

Each individual library has its own reconsideration process, as each community is unique in its makeup just as the local library collections are, he said. “These reconsideration requests provide an avenue for community members to file objections while also providing a structured, consistent process for libraries to follow when requests are filed. We encourage community members who have questions to bring those directly to their local libraries so we can work with the affected citizens to address their concerns.”

Shelby County’s Federspiel concurred, adding a public library should always celebrate books for all kinds of people.

In 1903, when Andrew Carnegie built the library in Shelbyville and donated $10,00 to it  “he had inscribed on the floor as you enter …  ‘A University for the People,’ showing his dedication to unite communities,” she said.

“To this day, we proudly honor these words by acquiring acquisitions that celebrate both inclusiveness and diversity of our community.”

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

The post Theft or civil disobedience? appeared first on kentuckylantern.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Left-Leaning

The article frames the actions of the Shelbyville church in a critical light by repeatedly labeling the removal of LGBTQ-related books as “stealing” and contrasting church leaders’ statements with responses from library officials, advocacy groups, and authors who emphasize inclusivity, diversity, and intellectual freedom. The language used highlights the harm of censorship and amplifies perspectives defending LGBTQ representation, while presenting the church’s rationale largely in a negative context. Although the piece includes quotes from church leaders, the overall framing and selection of countervoices positions the reporting with a Left-Leaning orientation supportive of LGBTQ rights and free expression.

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