New Florida Book Ban Bill Targets Classic Novels

April 6, 2025 Christianists, Republicans

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

A Florida law that has pushed public schools to remove thousands of books, including literary classics, from their shelves could get even more restrictive soon, as Republican lawmakers move to close a “loophole” they say still allows volumes depicting nudity or sexual conduct to remain on campuses.

New bills backed by GOP legislators would mean school districts could no longer consider a book’s artistic, literary, political or scientific value when deciding whether to keep it. Instead, any book that “describes sexual conduct” could face removal.

Already, critics argue the 2023 law is unconstitutional — a pending federal lawsuit says it violates the First Amendment — and overly broad and vague. Some worried educators have removed children’s picture books, such as “No David!” by David Shannon, showing cartoonish bare bottoms out of fear they depict the prohibited “sexual conduct.” Classics such as Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” and Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” also have been pulled.

Read the full article.

GOP Sen. Clay Yarborough [photo] claims that if he took photos of some pages in the targeted books, he would “go to federal prison” for child porn.

Yarborough appeared here last month for his bill that would ban civil rights ordinances enacted by cities and counties, including, presumably, LGBTQ protections.

Yarborough first appeared on JMG in 2010, when as a member of the Jacksonville City Council he declared that gays, Muslims, and atheists should not be permitted to hold public office, otherwise God will smite the country.

In April 2023, lawmakers approved Yarborough’s ban on drag shows before minors. Yarborough is also the author several anti-trans bills.



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