Joe Davis, a city councilman in Washington, North Carolina, has drafted a library resolution that would bar city money, facilities and staff time from drag performances and from library programs whose “primary purpose is the promotion of LGBTQ+ ideology, gender identity theory, or sexual orientation advocacy to children under the age of 18.” It’s on the City Council’s agenda for Monday, Nov. 9, WCTI reported.
The agenda lists it as a “Resolution to Ban LGBTQ+ Propaganda for Children in Our City Library,” and the item’s title adds, “Farmville’s Mayor is Pushing Wicked Ideologies.” The resolution itself refers to “the Mayor of Farmville, North Carolina,” without naming him.
Farmville Mayor Alex Joyner wants those references gone before Monday. “I’m very concerned that the name of the town of Farmville and myself would be mentioned in their agenda at all,” Joyner told WCTI, “but especially in an official town document such as a resolution.”
Washington Mayor Ellen Brabo told WCTI by text that the agenda stays a draft until it’s adopted and that council rules let any member put an item on it.
What the Washington Library LGBTQ+ Resolution Would Do
Resolution K, listed under new business in the council’s 130-page agenda packet, would limit the George H. and Laura E. Brown Library’s programming for children to “age-appropriate, educational, and literacy-focused content.” The library director would have to review every scheduled and proposed children’s program before it’s promoted, and anything that doesn’t “clearly fall within the standards” would go to the city manager. The resolution says it doesn’t restrict adults’ access to any library materials.
The library, at 122 Van Norden St., says on the city’s website that it provides “resources and information to broaden educational and personal horizons.”
Farmville Mayor Alex Joyner Says No Drag Show Happened
The resolution says Farmville’s mayor “has publicly promoted LGBTQ+ ‘Read with Pride’ programming at the Farmville Public Library, and some include drag show story time events targeting children.” Joyner told WCTI there was no drag show at the library’s June event. “That was never an option and certainly did not happen,” he said.
“What we focused on was reading amazing books that were written by LGBT authors,” he said. He offered “Goodnight Moon” and “Where the Wild Things Are” as examples.
In an email to WITN, Joyner called the event “a community literacy initiative intended to promote reading, inclusion, and belonging.” “It was not a drag performance, nor was it the type of programming Councilmember Davis’s resolution appears to suggest,” he wrote.
He also sent Brabo and the council a formal objection with five requests, starting with removing the references to him and the Farmville event. “I have never promoted, organized, sponsored, or participated in drag queen story-time programming for children at the Farmville Public Library,” he wrote.
Joyner wants Washington’s city attorney to review the draft for constitutional problems, and his letter points out that “Farmville’s library programming is not under the jurisdiction of the Washington City Council.”
Joyner unseated three-term Mayor John Moore in November 2025, WITN reported. He said then that he hoped his win would give “hope to other people that are out there whether you are black, LGBT, any other minority.” “It was an ugly campaign, with a lot of homophobic slurs,” he told the League of Conservation Voters in March.
The draft doesn’t mention his sexual orientation, WCTI noted, but the station asked whether he felt personally affected. “When I decided to run, I knew my personal life would be an ongoing topic,” Joyner said. “I had no clue it would extend to other council members as far as Washington leaning on that. But I got into this with thick skin knowing that I was fighting not for myself but for everyone else.”
Farmville commissioners voted unanimously on Nov. 2 to restore their library’s 14-year-old logo, an open book with multicolored pages, after it had been changed, The Daily Reflector reported. The original stays “until the town receives clear legal guidance on trademark and branding ownership,” WITN reported. “Sometimes a rainbow is just a rainbow,” resident Lori Drake said.
Joe Davis’ Pride Month Fight and a Possible Censure
WITN reported in June that Davis, who opposed Brabo’s proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month in Washington, had called Joyner’s post announcing the Farmville event satanic. “What the Bible says is that it’s an abomination and it leads to eternal destruction,” Davis told the station.
He said his comments came from love, not hate. “I would love for them to come out of that lifestyle and turn to God and repent,” Davis said.
His own June 8 resolution to declare June Nuclear Family Month in Washington failed for lack of support from other council members, WITN reported. “If I’m honest, every time he speaks, it kind of makes me sick,” Washington resident Gigi Jackson told WITN.
In October, the council voted 3-1, with Davis the only no, to have the city attorney look into censuring him over his social media conduct, WCTI reported.
Washington City Council Takes Up Resolution K on Nov. 9
Joyner’s letter asks for “a substantive response before the November 9, 2026, Council meeting,” and for the city to keep every version of the resolution and its related records.
Washington resident Brenda McSweeney told WITN that lawmakers should bring facts before they make accusations. “Especially if you’re singling someone out,” she said.
Monday’s meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Room 214 of the Municipal Building at 102 E. Second St., according to the agenda and the city’s website. Speakers sign up on a sheet at the back of the chambers and get three minutes each during “Comments from the Public,” the agenda says.
