Women’s sports activist Riley Gaines announced she became the newest member of Tennessee’s Sumner County Library Board Tuesday, to the dismay and delight of some.
“I’m honored to serve the community I grew up in and the one where we’ll raise our daughter. If you want to see change, don’t wait for someone else to make it happen. Step up and be that change yourself,” Gaines wrote on X Tuesday.
Gaines gave birth to her first daughter in September. The library board appointment is her most recent venture since joining OutKick as the host of the Gaines for Girls podcast.
Just before her Tuesday appointment, Gaines publicly lamented on Monday that books containing “woke gender ideology” remained in the county’s public libraries despite concerned parents reporting the books in February.
“Remove this filth from our libraries!” Gaines wrote.
Gaines is a long-time ally of President Donald Trump, and has attended the signing of an executive order against transgender athletes competing in women’s and girl’s sports. Trump also signed Executive Order 14190 in January, titled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling to keep certain books from libraries.
Tennessee Rep. and House Whip Johnny Garrett agreed with Gaines and celebrated her appointment by reposting the news on X.
“We need to let our kids be kids, and this garbage should be as far away from our community as possible,” Garrett wrote. “I am committed to doing everything I can to help rid our libraries of this ridiculous wokeness.”
Sumner County Commissioner Jeremy Mansfield celebrated the new board member by posting a photo with Gaines. Subsequent posts of Gaines received only “likes” and “loves” on Facebook with largely positive comments.
However, Sumner County School Board member Meghan Breinig penned an email to the County Commissioners, saying she was “deeply disappointed” in Gaines’s appointment. Gaines shared screenshots of that email to X Tuesday. Breinig cited an incident where Gaines was outspoken about the books left in the Hendersonville Library that prompted “a national media circus.”
“It is clear that this body did not think through the consequences of appointing a public figure like Riley Gaines to the board — ability to function effectively. The library board’s work depends on collaboration, neutrality, and focus on community service,” Breinig wrote.
“Ms. Gaines has repeatedly demonstrated that she uses her platform on X as a weapon. She attacks members of our community with no regard for the truth, or for the safety of those she targets,” Breinig wrote. “Appointing someone who thrives on divisiveness to a position meant to serve all residents is both reckless and beneath the position of leadership you hold.”
Mansfield described Breinig as someone “who not only pushes harmful ideologies in our schools but also led the charge to change ‘Christmas’ break to ‘winter’ break” in a Facebook post.
Six county commissioners voted against filling the two vacant seats at first. They included one female commissioner, Shannon Burgdorf, and five male commissioners, Merrol Hyde, Jerry Becker, Darrell Rogers, Baker Ring, and Mark Harrison.
However, Rogers and Becker made it clear that when the vote failed to keep the board at seven members rather than nine, they supported Gaines’s appointment.
Becker told the Washington Examiner that he initially believed that “a smaller, more focused board can operate more effectively and make better, more timely decisions.” However, when Gaines was introduced as a possible board member, only two commissioners abstained their votes.
“I want to be very clear that I have great respect for Riley Gaines. She has proven herself to be passionate, articulate, and deeply engaged on issues she cares about, and I believe she would bring value to any board on which she serves,” Becker said.
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“I look forward to new members Riley Gaines and Steve Wasilowski, along with the other seven members, working together to do good work on behalf of the citizens of Sumner County,” Becker added.
The Washington Examiner reached out to all six commissioners for comment.
