Ban the Book Bans
The recent book bannings in Florida (“Florida District Pulls Many Jewish and Holocaust Books,” Dec. 29) brings back memories of the book bannings and burnings that took place in Nazi Germany in 1933, and we know where that led. On July 1, 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1069, which restricts classroom discussion of LGBTQ identities, gender and sexuality. Activists in Florida have used this legislation to have materials, including books, with which they have issue, removed from public school classrooms and libraries. This led to the purging of almost 700 books from Orlando public schools in 2023 and has made Florida the No. 1 book-banning state.
A frightening component of Bill 1069 is the stipulation that just one complaint from a parent results in the immediate removal of the educational material from the classroom, pending further review. Use of this process has been strongly endorsed by the right-wing activist group, Moms for Liberty. Banning of educational materials and books is not really about protecting children from inappropriate content but rather a way to shield children from materials with which Moms for Liberty disagree.
Book banning is nothing more than censorship and an attack on First Amendment rights. It is a slippery slope.
Beryl Rosenstein, M.D.
Pikesville
