LIVINGSTON, La. — A contentious Livingston Parish Library Board of Control special meeting on February 10th, 2026, ended with the board voting 6-3 to relocate the award-winning graphic novel "This One Summer" to the adult section despite legal advisors' warning that the move violated Louisiana law and the board's own policies.
The decision came after nearly an hour of heated public comment that included calls to burn books, biblical warnings of divine judgment, and multiple disruptions that forced Board President Jonathan Davis to repeatedly call for order as audience members shouted over speakers and board members.
The board proceeded with the restriction despite warnings from legal sources that the book does not meet Louisiana's statutory definition of sexually explicit material under RS 25:225.
District Attorney Scott Perrilloux, serving as the board's legal advisor, told board members that "sexually explicit material means textual, visual, or audio material produced in any medium that depicts or describes sexual conduct." When pressed by board members trying to justify the restriction, Perrilloux repeatedly stated that interpreting whether the book met that standard was "your decision to make," but he clarified the law's requirements.
A letter from Tulane University Law School's First Amendment Law Clinic, sent to all board members before the meeting, stated unequivocally that "the content of This One Summer plainly does not meet the statutory definition of 'sexually explicit' material. Although the graphic novel does discuss sexuality, it contains no graphic depictions of sexual acts."
The clinic's letter continued: "Furthermore, the attorney general has explained that references to sexual conduct do not automatically make a text 'sexually explicit,' as that definition applies only to material that depicts or describes sexual conduct."
The legal warnings also noted that "reclassifying the book based on content would restrict access and raise serious constitutional concerns," citing decades of court precedent recognizing that "stigmatizing controversial books by relocating or removing them from circulation is unconstitutional."
Despite these warnings, board member Patricia Wilson voted to restrict the book, while openly acknowledging the legal issues with doing so.
"As a board, unfortunately, we have to kind of set aside our personal opinion sometimes and look at all the facts," Wilson said during board discussion. "The law is what it is. And in my opinion, [it's] not detailed enough."
Wilson went on to argue that the law "needs to be amended" and urged citizens to contact legislators about changing it. She advocated for relocating the book as a "compromise" to satisfy community members upset by its content.
When the vote was called, Wilson voted yes, adding: "even though it doesn't align with the law."
Board member Rodlyn Hammond questioned the legal basis for the decision, asking Perrilloux directly whether the board could "vote our opinions" or had to follow the law. Perrilloux responded that if board members were voting to restrict a book under the statute, "the statute sets out the criteria for you to do that as a board."
The meeting's public comment period featured inflammatory rhetoric that escalated to calls for book burning.
Dylan Whitney, who admitted he had not read the book, called it "an abomination in God's word," "homosexuality bull nonsense," and "garbage."
"I think we should just burn the book and get rid of it forever," Whitney declared from the podium.
Three pastors attended the meeting to advocate for restricting the book, with several making religious appeals to the board members.
Pastor Bobby Green of Salem Baptist Church read extensively from the Book of Revelation, warning board members: "This judgment where God is going to come and judge the nations of the wickedness that they've done will come upon this parish, if we do not hold to what the scripture says."
"If all of [the members of the board] claim to be followers of Christ, you are held by God's standard, his word," Green continued. "If you're not taking that seriously, then you are not what you claim to be."
Pastor Philip Guay, a resident of Baton Rouge and pastor of Providence Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, told the board: "I understand that everyone on this board, you can correct me if I'm wrong, professes to be a Christian," before urging them to "follow God's judgment" in their vote.
It was unclear how many of the public speakers were actually residents of Livingston Parish as some did not give their address or city of residency.
The Providence Baptist Church's public Facebook group has several notable members including current board members Dewanna Christian and Kristan Whann, former board members Larry Davis and Abby Crosby, as well as current District 64 State Representative Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, author of the failed 2024 House Bill 777 which would have barred librarians from using public funds to attend American Library Association conferences, making it a crime punishable by prison time with or without hard labor.
Throughout the meeting, audience members in favor of restricting the book repeatedly disrupted proceedings, shouting at speakers and board members who questioned the legal basis for the restriction.
When Amanda Jones, a librarian and author of the bestselling book "That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America," attempted to read the Tulane Law Clinic letter into the record, she was repeatedly interrupted by audience members.
"Can I get my time back?" Jones asked Board President Davis after multiple disruptions.
Davis had to repeatedly call for order, telling the audience: "I allowed one side to speak? I have to let the other side speak."
The disruptions continued throughout the meeting. When board members attempted to discuss the legal implications of their vote, audience members shouted commentary and attempted to argue with speakers.
"This One Summer" by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki has been in the Livingston Parish library system for 12 years without complaint. The book has won numerous literary awards, including the Caldecott Honor, the Eisner Award, and recognition from the New York Times and School Library Journal as a best book of the year.
Marla Elsie of the Livingston Parish Library Alliance explained that the book follows two young girls on a summer vacation "watching from the sidelines as the drama of older teens plays out."
"What people keep missing," Elsie said, "is that every time these girls test the waters, the story pulls them back to their own age. So yes, when you hear the older kids use the word 'slut' and the young girls try it out for themselves, their mother explains to them why it's not appropriate."
"When you leave things like that out of the context, you miss the lesson being taught," Elsie continued. "At every turn, this book redirects the children, the younger girls, back away from the mistakes of the older teens and reminds them and the reader that they are still young."
The book is not in the children's section, but rather in the teen section, and was already subject to the library's tiered card system implemented in response to RS 25:225. Under this system, every parent or guardian must fill out a material restriction form when obtaining a library card for their child, choosing which sections their child can access. Cards are locked and cannot check out any materials until parents make these selections.
"Livingston Parish has already adopted a policy with a tiered card system to prevent access of minors" to sexually explicit materials, the Tulane Law Clinic letter noted. "This [graphic novel] is not in the children's section. It's in the teen section."
Board member Trey Cowell expressed frustration during the meeting that a parent who doesn't want their teen to access this book would have to restrict their child from the entire teen section, effectively denying them access to age-appropriate materials.
"So in other words, a taxpaying parent can walk in here, restrict [their] 13-year-old from the teen section, and they can't even use the section that's dedicated to [them] because we leave filth in the teen section," Cowell said. "So what? Parents are being punished?"
The final vote was 6-3 to relocate "This One Summer" to the adult section.
Voting yes: Dewanna Christian, Trey Cowell, Jonathan Davis, Sheila Goins, Patricia Wilson, and Kristan Whann.
Voting no: Jennifer Dorhauer, Rodlyn Hammond, and Becky Morgan.
The Tulane Law Clinic's letter warned that the decision opens the library board to legal action: "For decades, courts have recognized that stigmatizing controversial books by relocating or removing them from circulation is unconstitutional. This action would deny teens access to a work intended for them and would violate the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment and the due process clause of the 14th."
Amanda Jones noted at the meeting that the board's public process had been problematic, with at least one board member publicly mischaracterizing the book's content and disparaging community members who disagreed, including stating that anyone who defends the book "needs psychiatric help."
Jones also raised questions about whether the agenda had been improperly leaked before being officially posted, asking District Attorney Perrilloux whether such a leak could constitute an ethics violation. Perrilloux responded that he hadn't heard of the alleged leak and had "never heard of that as a basis for any kind of complaint."
During public comment, Jones stated: "I am disgusted with many of you for pretending" to follow Christian principles while treating people disrespectfully.
"There's no hate like Christian love," Jones said as she concluded her remarks, noting that the library system has lost six librarians in the past six months, "because they are treated the way I was just treated just now when I spoke by the good Christian people of this parish."
The board also voted to amend its challenge policies to require that future book challenges "reference specific page numbers and sections," rather than general objections to entire books.
However, community members expressed concern that challengers could simply write "all of it" rather than citing specific pages, effectively circumventing the new requirement.
With "This One Summer" now officially restricted despite legal warnings that the restriction violates both state law and the library's own policies, the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control may face legal challenges over the outcome of this vote.
The Library Alliance and other community members indicated they are considering their options in response to what they view as an unconstitutional restriction on First Amendment rights.
This story is developing and may be updated as additional information becomes available.
