Several public libraries in Tennessee are facing a government shutdown of their own  — not over budgets or politics, but to remove transgender books from their shelves. 

The public library systems in Smyrna and Murfreesboro will be completely shut down to update their collections, following a push by Rutherford County officials to remove all books addressing transgender people and related issues. The move comes in response to a state directive following President Trump’s executive order on “gender ideology extremism,” according to the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal.

The Smyrna public library has been closed for a majority of the week due to an “EMERGENCY CLOSURE NOTICE” according to signs posted.

“In order to meet the new reporting requirements from the TN Secretary of State’s Office, this library will be closed from 11/10/25 to 11/15/25 and reopen Monday, 11/17/25, for the purpose of reviewing inventory,” the notice read.

Libraries in nearby Murfreesboro are due to be closed next week to review its inventory as well.

Both municipalities are conducting the inventories in response to a recent letter sent statewide by Tennessee’s secretary of state, Tre Hargett late last month.

“Library decisions should be shaped by the values of the library’s community,” he said in the letter. “Libraries, however, often use state and federal funding that is typically facilitated through the Tennessee State Library & Archives to purchase materials for their collections.”

“It is my responsibility and the responsibility of the State Librarian and Archivist to ensure that any recipient of state or federal funds understands that it must comply with all applicable federal and state laws and grant agreements,” the letter continues along with the decree that regional libraries across the state to ensure that all books made available are compliant with “age-appropriateness” laws, as well as Mr. Trump’s slate of executive orders.

“I cannot allow the actions of one library to potentially harm and impact over 200 other libraries throughout the state.”

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression had previously opposed efforts to ban gender-related books from library shelves, arguing in a letter that such restrictions violate the First Amendment by limiting both self-expression and access to information.

“These principles apply to restrictions on both self-expression and access to information,” the foundation’s letter said.

Director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, and former editor-in-chief of USA Today, Ken Paulson, said the order clearly violates the First Amendment.

“This is the most aggressive assault on the public library system that I have ever seen,” Paulson said to the Daily News Journal. “And it’s totally unjustified by President Trump’s executive order or Tennessee’s past legislation.”

“There is a concerted effort to hide ideas from young people. That is a violation of the First Amendment, and those who are promoting this overreach should be embarrassed. This is as un-American as it gets.”