Librarians in public schools in Charlotte County, Florida, were instructed by the school district superintendent to remove all books with LGBTQ characters or themes from school and classroom libraries.
UPDATE (9/26, 3:29 PM): A spokesperson for the Charlotte County School District sent this additional statement: “Books featuring LGBTQ characters are accessible in the media center for grades 9-12. While they may not be utilized for classroom instruction
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Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has insisted that allegations that his policies, including the "Don't Say Gay" law, are being used to ban a wide range of books is a "
hoax." DeSantis claimed that the only books being removed from Florida libraries are "inappropriate contentographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards." But in Charlotte County, DeSantis' policies are being used to justify purging all books with LGBTQ characters, even if there is no sexual content.
[I am
contractually obligated to announce that the formal title of the law being used to remove all books with gay characters from school libraries in this county is the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act.]