A public college in Florida, New College of Florida, has faced backlash after disposing of hundreds of books related to LGBTQ issues, race, and women’s rights. Photos and videos posted online show the books in dumpsters and parking lots on campus. The discarded titles include works such as “Cures: A Gay Man’s Odyssey,” “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom,” and “Feminist Thought.”
The college defended its actions, stating that it was part of a longstanding annual procedure to weed out outdated materials. They explained that Florida statutes prevented them from selling or donating the books, which were purchased with state funds. Some of the books were associated with a discontinued gender studies program.
Critics, including the executive director of the ACLU of Florida, Bacardi Jackson, condemned the disposal of the books, likening it to a cultural purge aimed at controlling thought and erasing knowledge. They criticized the lack of transparency and the decision to discard the books without giving students the opportunity to preserve them.
The incident at New College of Florida is part of a broader trend in Florida, where books related to LGBTQ issues, race, and women have become targets in the state’s culture war. Recent laws limiting the teaching of certain topics in public schools have led to book bans and removals in some schools. A study by PEN America found that Florida was one of the states where book bans were most prevalent, with a focus on race and LGBTQ issues in the targeted books.
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