A Florida college has made headlines this month after they were caught throwing away hundreds of LGBTQ+ books while dismantling the college’s Gender and Diversity Center. This shows a concerning trend among schools in the Sunshine State.
Dismantling Diversity Programs
Thanks to conservative efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs all across the country, the New College of Florida recently made the decision to dismantle its Gender and Diversity Center.
Purging LGBTQ+ Materials
While taking down its Gender and Diversity Center, the college decided it would also purge its library of materials that promote LGBTQ+ themes and ideas.
Library Purge Before Return
The library book purge took place just before students returned to campus for the start of the school year, with most of the discarded books ending up in a nearby landfill.
Notable Books Discarded
The books the school threw away included works like “When I Knew,” a collection of essays on queer self-discovery, and John Boswell’s “Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe.”
Trustee Supports Controversial Decision
Unsurprisingly, the decision to throw away books that oppose conservative narratives was highly controversial, but one New College trustee was happy to lean into their decision.
“Throwing Out The Trash”
“We abolished the gender studies program. Now we’re throwing out the trash,” Christopher Rufo, a New College trustee and DeSantis appointee, declared on social media.
Historical Comparisons Made
Critics have already drawn comparisons between New College throwing away books and the many historical examples of book burnings done by authoritarian regimes to silence their opposition.
Books as Knowledge Warning
“Books are knowledge – and when your government decides to deny that knowledge by destroying the books, it’s a warning that your government is headed in a scary direction,” an opinion piece in Yahoo News stated.
President Downplays Scandal
However, in response to the backlash, New College President Richard Corcoran said the problem was not nearly as big a scandal as the media has made it out to be.
Routine Library Sweep Defense
“Unfortunately, much of the coverage has been sensationalized, catering to the narratives of our critics,” wrote New College President Corcoran.
No Ideological Battle Involved
Corcoran said that the books were disposed of in a routine sweep of the library to allow for more up-to-date works to be added and was completely separate from any liberal or conservative ideological battle.
Necessary Library Process
“While the optics of seeing thousands of books in a dumpster are far from ideal, it is important to understand that the disposition of materials is a necessary process in libraries, and ensures that our collection remains relevant, up-to-date, and in good condition for our community’s use,” said President Corcoran.
Students Not Informed
Despite Corcoran claiming this was simply a routine library cleaning process, students and faculty say that they were not informed about the removal beforehand.
Lack of Transparency Questioned
It seems hard to determine whether or not there really was an ideological motivation behind the removal of the book, but the lack of transparency behind the decision has led many to question President Corcoran’s defense of the situation.
Student-Owned Books Discarded
Adding to the mistrust towards President Corcoran, many of the books were not actually from the schools but owned by students who curated the pieces to support the Gender and Diversity Center.
Students Discover Book Dumping
The story broke when students returned to school and saw many of their own books thrown away in dumpsters, where very few were recovered by their rightful owners.
Statute 273 Defense Used
In another attempt to justify the school’s action, a college’s spokesperson tried to justify their actions by citing Chapter 273 of the Florida statute for not letting them sell or donate their materials.
Discarding Materials
“Chapter 273 of Florida statutes precludes New College from selling, donating or transferring these materials, which were purchased with state funds. Deselected materials are discarded, through a recycling process when possible,” the spokesperson said.
Statute Misinterpretation Alleged
However, multiple reports have already pointed out that the statute would allow the school to sell surplus state property as the school continues to fail in its justification of the incident.
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