Florida college removes gender diversity library, discards hundreds of books

A Florida university under the administration of the state’s Republican governor disposed of numerous library books, many of which addressed LGBTQ+ themes, by sending them to a landfill.

The ongoing conservative initiative at New College of Florida, a small liberal arts institution in Sarasota, has attracted national attention. Governor Ron DeSantis, a leading figure in the GOP and a former presidential contender, pledged to transform the campus into the “initial public university to resist gender indoctrination.”

The university’s restructuring, which led numerous students and faculty members to transfer to other institutions, has had an impact on Republican endeavors nationwide to revamp higher education to reflect the party’s ideology.

During Tuesday afternoon, an overflowing dumpster at the Jane Bancroft Cook Library on the university’s premises contained various books and collections from the now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center. Footage captured a vehicle removing the books before students were informed. (Historically, New College students have been given the chance to buy books when they exit the library’s collection.)

Among the discarded books were titles like “Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate,” “The War of the Worlds,” and “When I Knew,” featuring stories from LGBTQ+ individuals sharing their experiences of realizing their sexual orientation.

After Gannett’s report went public, Nathan March, a spokesperson for New College, issued a statement refuting the narrative. The university was conducting two distinct processes: regular maintenance of its campus library and the removal of materials from the GDC due to the discontinuation of the gender studies program.

“A library must periodically review and update its collection to ensure its materials meet the current needs of students and faculty,” March explained. “The online images depicting a dumpster filled with library materials are associated with the typical weeding process.”

March cited Florida Statute 237 as the rationale for being unable to donate or sell each book. However, Florida law permits New College to dispose of state-funded personal property through “selling or transferring the property to any other governmental entity … private nonprofit agency … (as well as) through a sale open to the public.”

He also mentioned that since no one came forward to claim the GDC library books from their former location in the Hamilton Center, the books were relocated to a donation box at the rear of the library. The donation box is positioned several feet away from where the dumpster filled with books was situated, and New College’s move-in day is slated for Aug. 23, so most students are not present on campus yet.

Several students also reported not being informed about the availability of the GDC books for claiming.

Amy Reid, the faculty chair and representative on the board of trustees, emphasized that when universities discard books, they are also discarding democracy.

“Books are essential,” she highlighted.

Natalia Benavites, a twenty-one-year-old fourth-year student at New College, mentioned that books found in the dumpster bore the university’s seal along with a “discard” label on the spine. Upon inquiring whether the books could be donated, she was informed that according to state statute, books purchased with state funds cannot be donated by the university.

Additionally, the university discarded books from the Gender and Diversity Center, situated elsewhere on the campus. Benavites clarified that the GDC books were purchased independently and not with state funds.