Mohave County supervisors rejected 36 library books, bypassing formal review to target LGBTQ+ content

On March 2, 2026, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2, with Don Martin and Travis Lingenfelter dissenting, to reject a $19,021.50 slate of donated library books that had already been received, cataloged, and shelved in county library collections between July and December 2025. Supervisor Ron Gould, who pulled the donation item from the board's consent calendar at a February 2026 meeting, objected chiefly to titles with LGBTQ+ characters and themes, including The Beautiful Something Else by Ash Van Otterloo, a middle-grade novel featuring a nonbinary child and a transgender aunt, which he called "unacceptable for eight-year-olds."

By classifying the books as rejected donations rather than routing the objection through the library district's formal reconsideration policy — adopted in 2013 and requiring review by an ad hoc committee of librarians and community members — the board avoided professional review entirely. Library Director Jake Barillaro confirmed the established process was not used before the vote. Because the affected copies were reclassified as rejected gifts, they were pulled from circulation; for titles without duplicate copies, that meant removal from county collections altogether. Supervisors described the action at the meeting as affecting 13 books, but supporting documents listed 20 unique titles, and Barillaro later said multiple copies and series volumes brought the total to 36 physical books removed countywide.

Records obtained by LOOKOUT show that at least one supporter of the removals, Pastor Roy Hagemyer, urged the board by email to remove and destroy the books, calling them "abominations" and "perverted," and that Gould thanked him for the message. A librarian on the library's Citizens Advisory Committee presented supervisors with a 588-signature petition opposing the removals before the vote. Board Chairman Travis Lingenfelter, who voted against the rejection, has since written publicly that the county should follow its established policy rather than circumvent it; as of this recording no further board action changing library review procedures has been enacted.