Florida school district orders purge of LGBTQ+ books from all libraries and classrooms

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to deny that any books are being banned in his state.

And Tango Makes Three is one of the most popular LGBTQ+ children’s books
Photo: Little Simon

The school district superintendent of Charlotte County, Florida has ordered all books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters to be removed from district classrooms and libraries.

The order extends beyond instruction materials to books that students are allowed to bring into classrooms and libraries as well.

“These characters and themes cannot exist,” Superintendent Mark Vianello stated explicitly when asked about students’ “self-selected” reading materials by school librarians.

Librarians were seeking guidance on how to interpret a revised version of The Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, which has been rewritten in tandem with the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, formally known as the  Florida Parental Rights in Education Act.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the original Don’t Say Gay legislation in March 2022, and an expansion of the law to all grades Pre K-12 last May.

“Are we removing books from any school or media center, Pre-K -12 if a character has, for example, two mothers or because there is a gay best friend or a main character is gay?” one librarian asked Superintendent Vianello.

Vianello answered…

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