- Vicki Baggett, a high school teacher in Escambia County, Florida, requested the school board to ban three books from public schools. In each case, the school board sided with Baggett over the recommendation of committees comprised of teachers, administrators, librarians, parents, and community members.
- One of the books banned by the school board is ‘And Tango Makes Three’, a true story of two male Penguins, Roy and Silo. Baggett argued the book promotes the “”LGBTQ agenda using penguins””, and is inappropriate for all grade levels.
- Baggett also faces accusations of being openly homophobic and racist in class. For example, Baggett allegedly told a 10th-grade student her sister was “”faking being a lesbian for attention”” and that she was only gay because she hadn’t found the right man.
- In spite of public comments encouraging the board to keep the book, the school board voted 3 to 2 to ban ‘And Tango Makes Three’. The school board also voted to ban ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’, a young adult book about growing up black and gay.
- The school board also banned ‘When Aidan Became a Brother’, a story about a trans boy. The materials review committee voted 4 to 1 to keep the book in elementary, middle, and high school libraries.
- Despite facing serious accusations of homophobia and racism, Baggett is still able to persuade the school board to take her side. This has encouraged Baggett to challenge more books, and she has challenged over 160 titles to date.
- The school board faces civil liability for removing the books. Sara Latshaw of the Florida ACLU stated the board “”cannot remove a book from the library simply because it has a transgender character.””
Published February 22, 2023
Visit Popular Information to read Judd Legum’s original post Florida school board bans three books at the request of allegedly racist and homophobic teacher
