While critics accuse the governor of wanting to ban books, DeSantis asserts that he simply wants to remove pornographic material from taxpayer-funded school libraries, as it is a crime to knowingly expose children to pornography.
"I don't think it's ever been appropriate in the history of Florida for adults to be providing pornography to minors," he says.
Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty and a former school board member in Florida, brought some of the books to the governor's attention and agrees with his concerns.
"We are just incredibly thankful that Gov. DeSantis has taken time to really look at these books," she tells AFN.
She also points out that when Gov. DeSantis talked about the materials at a televised press conference this week, some news stations reportedly dropped the coverage out of concern the materials were too graphic to broadcast.
The Florida governor had his staff warn the crowd in Tampa, Florida that the video would show "material that is sexually explicit in nature and not suitable for children," and all minors were removed from the room during the roughly six-minute screening.
Justice finds that telling.
"I think a lot of people in America did not realize what was actually in these books," she says, noting that even her own husband was not aware until she brought some of the materials home.
"He said to me, 'Tiffany, you need to take these books with you everywhere you go, and when people want to talk to you about this, you show them these pictures,'" Justice shares. "I think Gov. DeSantis took the same approach: We're going to show you exactly what's in the books, and then you make a judgment as to whether or not you think it's appropriate."
The recently signed Parental Rights in Education law bans public school teachers in Florida from mentioning sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade, but the state is considering expanding it to the eighth grade.
