A Florida school board votes to retain sexually explicit book in elementary school library

In a contentious decision, the Alachua County School Board voted 4-1 to keep the challenged book “Melissa” on the shelves of an elementary school library.

The book, previously published as “George” by Alex Gino, revolves around the story of a young boy who identifies as a girl.

During the Feb. 6 meeting, the board deliberated on the fate of the book, challenged by Dr. Crystal Marull in November.

Despite Marull’s concerns regarding themes of gender identity and other inappropriate content, multiple committees upheld the book’s presence in the school library. 

“I am an involved parent and a concerned parent, that’s why I’m here today to advocate for the implementation of the law that protects the children in the state of Florida,” Marull said during the final hearing over the book. “Recently I have challenged some books that were in the Gainesville High School Library that contain sexually explicit material and they have been removed.” 

“I also objected to other books at Terwilliger Elementary School, where my younger son is in first grade. Frankly, I’ve been appalled by the content of some of those library books,” she continued. “They normalize Marxist principals, pornography and they teach that three-year-old’s can change their gender from day to day and year to year.” 

Marull also has argued the book is not keeping with state educational standards nor some state statutes. 

Kay Abbitt, the only dissenting voice on the board, expressed discomfort with excerpts from the book, highlighting passages she deemed inappropriate for elementary-aged children.  

Abbitt read several excerpts from the book:  

“She immersed her body in the warm water and tried not to think about what was between her legs, but there it was, bobbing in front of her. … Nothing makes her more uncomfortable than when boys talked about what was in her underpants. 

“George had been reading websites about transitioning since Scott taught her how to clear the web browser history on Mom’s computer. … what she has between her legs was nobody’s business but hers and her boyfriend.” 

Abbitt told the board that she “would not want my child to go into a library and pick up that book and start reading that,” regardless of the character’s sexuality.  

However, her objections did not sway other board members.  

For three years, “Melissa” was No. 1 on the American Library Association’s most challenged list, according to The Des Moines Register.