Clever DeSantis law sees new book removals over graphic, sexual language

A clever rule in a new Florida law forced a school district to finally remove books that contain graphic sexual language.

The removal comes one year after the removal requests were first voted down by the Indian River County School District board.

The rule, under HB 1069, signed into law by Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, allows parties to read passages from books they object to at school board meetings.  

School board meetings typically forbid obscene language. 

Because this meeting was livestreamed the language also could have been deemed a pornographic performance aimed at children, forbidden under the new Florida law. 

Under HB 1069, if the board objects to the reading of the book at a board meeting, the book is automatically removed.   

But the ability to read the books at the meeting also made their obscene content so obvious that school board members voted unanimously to remove them, according to local CBS 12 News Vero Beach. 

It’s a big turnaround from the last time the issue came up.  

School Board member Jacqueline Rosario said in 2022, when the issue was first raised, she was the only school board member who voted to remove the books, according to Fox News.  

“The difference now is, HB 1069 has allowed parents to read explicit books at board meetings. And if they get shut down, then the book is immediately removed. This is a good thing,” she told Fox. “It is the litmus test for acceptable age appropriate and standards driven library books.” 

If they can’t be read at school board meetings, then they shouldn’t be allowed in schools, she reasons.  

Speaking at the meeting was Pastor John K. Amanchukwu, Sr., who has made a name for himself protesting sexually-themed books in schools.  

In May, the pastor was featured in a Twitter video from Crisis in the Classroom confronting a school board over pornographic text and images found in books at an Ashville, North Carolina school.  

“This is immoral and asinine to allow children to be able to see this,” Amanchukwu told the school board, according to local WLOS News 13. “Is it you, or do parents decide what should be placed at the fingertips and allowed to be taught to their children in this school system?” 

This time, when Amanchukwu refused to stop reading at the Indian River meeting, his microphone was cut off and he was removed from the meeting by sheriff’s deputies at the request of the board chair, said TPUSA Faith.  

Comments in favor of the book removals at the meeting were organized by the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, said local WJLA News West Palm Beach.  

“We were looking at the books in the schools and doing keyword searches like rape, incest, pedophilia, bestiality, and then we were able to find, you know, books in our schools with those,” Jennifer Pippin, head of the Moms For Liberty Indian River County chapter, told the board, according to WJLA.  

Some of the content read aloud featured scenes of children fondling each other and being pushed to the ground with their pants forcibly removed.   

The book Amanchukwu protested, Thirteen Reasons Why, features suicidal ideations, profanity, sexual nudity and sexual activities.