Florida college empties gender diversity library, tosses hundreds of books

A Florida college overhauled by the state's Republican governor sent hundreds of library books, many of which contained LGBTQ+ themes, to a landfill.

It's the latest development in a conservative campaign that has brought national scrutiny to New College of Florida , a small liberal arts school in Sarasota. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a prominent figure in the GOP and a former presidential candidate, vowed to turn the campus into the "first public university to push back on gender indoctrination."

The school's transformation, which prompted many students and faculty members to flee to other schools, has influenced Republican efforts nationwide to reshape higher education in the party's image.

On Tuesday afternoon, a dumpster in the parking lot of the school's Jane Bancroft Cook Library overflowed with books and collections from the now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center. Video showed a vehicle driving away with the books before students were notified. (In the past, New College students have been given an opportunity to purchase books leaving the college's library collection.)

Some of the discarded books included, "Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate," "The War of the Worlds" and "When I Knew," a collection of stories from LGBTQ+ people recounting when they knew they were gay.

After Gannett's report was published, New College spokesperson Nathan March sent a statement saying the story was false. The college was carrying out two separate procedures: a routine maintenance of its campus library and removing materials from the GDC because the gender studies program no longer exists.

"A library needs to regularly review and renew its collection to ensure its materials are meeting the current needs of students and faculty," March wrote. "The images seen online of a dumpster of library materials is related to the standard weeding process."

March referenced Florida Statute 237 as the reason each book could not be donated or sold. However, Florida law states that New College could dispose of state-funded personal property by "selling or transferring the property to any other governmental entity ... private nonprofit agency ... (and) through a sale open to the public."

He also said that, because no one claimed the GDC library of books from its previous home in the Hamilton Center, the books were moved to a donation box behind the library. The donation box sits several feet from where the book-filled dumpster sat, and New College's move-in day isn't until Aug. 23, meaning most students are not on campus yet.

Several students also said they were never told the GDC books were available to claim.

Amy Reid, the faculty chair and representative on the board of trustees, said when colleges throw away books, they also throw away democracy.

"Books are what matter," she said.

Natalia Benavites, a 21-year-old fourth-year student at New College, said books in the dumpster carried the college's seal as well as a "discard" sticker on the spine. When she asked officials whether they could donate the books, she was told that under state statute the college can't donate books purchased with state funds.

The college also discarded books from the Gender and Diversity Center, which was located across campus. The GDC books were purchased individually and not with state funds, Benavites said.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida college empties gender diversity library, tosses hundreds of books