Topeka ? A library employee and mother of a gay son prevailed in her struggle to speak on the job about gay and lesbian rights.

Bonnie Cuevas can discuss the topic at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library if she doesn’t disrupt work, according to a letter from the library’s attorney.

The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the library after two supervisors told Cuevas on June 27 that she couldn’t speak about a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down anti-sodomy laws as unconstitutional.

The next day, supervisors reprimanded Cuevas for excessive use of the telephone to discuss the court ruling with friends and gay-rights supporters.

The ACLU’s letter to the library’s director, dated July 16, said such a restriction on Cuevas’ speech violated her First Amendment rights.

In a letter, the library’s attorney, Charles Engel, wrote that Cuevas drew a reprimand not because of the subject matter of her conversations but the disruption they caused. Cuevas is an events coordinator.

“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 case on which the Supreme Court ruled.

Engel said the library was within its rights to maintain an orderly work place.

Cuevas, 54, said Tuesday there had not been any change in her working relationship at the library and that the matter was resolved.

Cuevas is a member of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a national gay-rights organization. Her son once was assaulted for being gay, so she has long sought equal rights for him, she said.

“When the Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws, it was an incredibly significant moment for my family,” Cuevas said. “Ordering me not to talk about a social issue like this at such a crucial time in history seems to me to be completely contrary to the ideals and principles that public libraries should exemplify.”

David Tseng, executive director of PFLAG, welcomed resolution of the dispute.

“PFLAG is delighted that the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has chosen to be a champion of free speech,” Tseng said Tuesday in a statement.

Dick Kurtenbach, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri, said Tuesday the ruling on the anti-sodomy laws was historic because it was a step toward greater equality among Americans.

“We’ve made certain that the public library understands that it cannot strip Bonnie Cuevas of her constitutional right to free speech by prohibiting her from ever talking about this important development at work.”