Eldridge Goes Public: 50+ Page Citizen Packet of Explicit Library Content Released - originally published Sept. 18, 2025

Editor's Note: The following article was originally published Sept. 18, 2025, as part of Highlands Insider's continuing coverage of concerns regarding age-appropriate materials in the Putnam County Library system. It is republished here for historical context as part of our comprehensive library coverage package.

The following story contains discussion of sexually explicit material flagged in books currently or recently available in the Putnam County Library system. Highlands Insider published this information in the interest of transparency so the public could review the same documents provided to city and county officials. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. Highlands Insider does not endorse the content contained in the books discussed.

After consultation and review of applicable Tennessee law, Highlands Insider did not publish the full packets submitted to public officials. Doing so could have created concerns under Tennessee obscenity statutes.

Instead, Highlands Insider published redacted reconsideration forms and selected excerpts exactly as they were presented to decision-makers. Personal information was removed, and confidential citizen information was protected.

Transparency requires the public be able to understand what public officials reviewed. At the same time, Tennessee law limits the distribution of certain explicit material.

Eldridge Goes Public: 50+ Pages Released (Sept 2025)

Vice Mayor Luke Eldridge went on the record regarding his formal challenges to books within the Putnam County Library system, authorizing Highlands Insider to review and report on the contents of a 50-plus-page packet documenting passages he described as sexually explicit and inappropriate for minors.

A separate packet of information was also provided confidentially by a county commissioner on behalf of concerned citizens. In accordance with the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, Highlands Insider did not identify those citizens.

Throughout the discussion, Eldridge repeatedly emphasized that his objective was not censorship.

"I'm not trying to ban books. Adults should absolutely have the freedom to read them. But explicit material should not be on a shelf where a 12-year-old can grab it. Moving these books to the adult section is not censorship. It's common sense."

Eldridge later reiterated that position during public meetings and interviews.

In a subsequent statement, Eldridge clarified:

"I’ve seen where some have said I’ve just pulled this list and said some of these books are not even in our library. I think the public needs to be made aware that the 18 books I challenged are books that were in our library. I actually went to the library website and verified the books were on the Putnam County Library website showing they had a copy at our library locations in Putnam County. Just so everyone knows, I’m not randomly throwing books out there. These books were in our library at the time they were challenged."

Not About LGBTQ+ Themes

During interviews conducted by Highlands Insider, Eldridge stated that his concerns centered on sexually explicit content and age appropriateness rather than a book's political, social, or identity-related themes.

He maintained that the issue was whether graphic sexual material should be available in areas accessible to minors.

Eldridge connected the discussion to broader concerns about childhood development and exposure to adult content.

"With the initiative many are talking about — Restoring Childhood — we are concerned about books and not the well-being of children. Eyes are the gateway to the soul. If we say we care about kids, then we need to care about what goes into their eyes and minds."

He argued that explicit material available to children is part of a larger societal conversation regarding technology, media consumption, and childhood development.

A significant part of the debate involves Tennessee law itself.

Highlands Insider determined that publishing the full packet of graphic excerpts could potentially create legal concerns under Tennessee obscenity statutes. As a result, only redacted forms and selected references were published.

This raised a question repeatedly voiced by citizens and elected officials during public meetings:

If certain graphic content cannot legally be distributed by a newspaper, should that same material be available to minors in a public library without parental oversight?

That question became a central theme throughout subsequent Library Board meetings in September, October, and November 2025.

Following the publication of this story:

As Highlands Insider has reported throughout this process, supporters of the challenges have consistently maintained that the discussion is about placement, parental oversight, and age appropriateness—not banning books.

As Vice Mayor Eldridge stated:

"We're not asking to ban books. We're asking for them to be placed appropriately and for the board to follow its own policies."