? It’s almost always done under the guise of protecting some sort of presupposed notion of children’s innocence or purity; framing the book in question as a moral offense or a direct threat to children. On January 12th, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rejected a proposed, citing that the course would indoctrinate students with a “political agenda.” But even more specifically, he mentioned that the course would deal with queer theory and studies, further bolstering his decision to block it.
I have living people in my life who know intimately what that experience was like, from the north to the south. This is our reality. This is not history that is far removed. It is still with us. And the powers that be have done a phenomenal job at making that time seem far away. But our books and the stories we tell are showing young people that we are so much closer to that history — that—- than we think. And most of this stuff is replicating itself now.