Florida college purges gender diversity library, discards numerous books
New College of Florida, a public liberal arts institution in Sarasota, has seen significant shifts under the direction of the state’s Republican governor.
A college in Florida, restructured by the Republican governor, has disposed of hundreds of library books, most of which featured LGBTQ+ topics, sending them to a landfill.
This event is part of a conservative initiative that has drawn national attention to New College of Florida, a small liberal arts institution located in Sarasota. Governor Ron DeSantis, a notable GOP figure and ex-presidential aspirant, has claimed he wants to make the campus the “first public university to resist gender indoctrination.”
The college’s transformation has caused a significant number of students and faculty to leave for other institutions and has helped shape Republican aims to redefine higher education in line with the party’s views.
A dumpster outside the Jane Bancroft Cook Library was full of books and collections from the defunct Gender and Diversity Center on Tuesday afternoon. Footage showed a vehicle departing with the books before students were informed. In previous instances, New College students had the chance to buy books that were being removed from the library.
Some of the books that were thrown out included titles like “Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate,” “The War of the Worlds,” and “When I Knew,” which features stories from LGBTQ+ individuals sharing their experiences of realizing their sexual orientation.
A representative for New College, Nathan March, did not provide immediate comments regarding the situation.
Amy Reid, the faculty chair and board of trustees representative, stated that when colleges discard books, they also diminish democracy.
“Books are essential,” she remarked.
Natalia Benavites, a 21-year-old senior at New College, noticed that the books in the dumpster bore the college’s seal and a “discard” sticker on the spine. When she inquired about donating the books, officials informed her that the college was unable to do so under state law concerning books financed with state funds.
Additionally, books from the Gender and Diversity Center, situated across the college, were also thrown away. Benavites mentioned that the GDC books were bought separately and did not involve state funds.
