ORLANDO, Fla. – A rally was held in Orlando on Wednesday night protesting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The rally was held at Lake Eola, and protestors discussed their concerns about the governor’s agenda.
Carlos Guillermo, a former Florida lawmaker and member of Equality Florida — a political advocacy group — claimed that DeSantis was focused on culture wars.
“We know that their No. 1 priority is not to solve real problems but to advance DeSantis’ political ambition,” Guillermo said.
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DeSantis spoke about many of his and his supporters’ concerns at a rally in Tampa on Tuesday, discussing books in Florida schools that many have deemed inappropriate.
During the speech, DeSantis rebutted claims that he and his administration were seeking to ban books.
“They will say we’re banning books. The Florida Department of Education does not ban any books. That’s a lie. It’s never been true. The Department of Education has never instructed any district or school to empty or cover bookshelves,” Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said during Tuesday’s event.
Instead, DeSantis pointed to several books found in schools that he and other parents found to be overly “graphic,” including “Flamer,” by Mike Curato; “Let’s Talk About It,” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan; “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe; and several titles by Rupi Kaur.
Jen Cousins, the founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, said it hurt to see DeSantis make an example of those books because her daughter identifies as non-binary.
Cousins also brought out free books that might have been in local schools.
“I got a kids book about systemic racism,” Analley Becerra, a concerned mom, told News 6. “I have two children at home, and I think it’s very important for them to know about systemic racism and how it impacts them and their peers.”
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