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Topeka Library Settles Speech Squabble with EmployeeA staffer at the Topeka–Shawnee County (Kans.) Public Library who was reprimanded for discussing at work the recent Supreme Court decision that struck down anti-sodomy laws can now talk about the topic as long as she does not create a disruption.In a response to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, the library's attorney Charles Engel explained that Events Coordinator Bonnie Cuevas was admonished for causing a disruption and not for speaking about gay rights. “At no point did library managers tell Ms. Cuevas that she was absolutely prohibited from speaking about Lawrence v. Texas at work,” Engel wrote, citing the Supreme Court ruling. Cuevas, the mother of a gay man who was the victim of an anti-gay hate crime, told the Associated Press August 5 that there was no change in her working relationship with the library and that the matter was resolved. A follow-up letter from the ACLU questioned whether Cuevas had disrupted the workplace, but indicated that there was no “need for us to debate the matter,” since censorship issues had been resolved. Posted August 11, 2003. |
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