Ron DeSantis played a shocking video at the start of his press conference on Wednesday containing sexually explicit content, illustrated and detailed in children's books at various Florida school libraries.
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.
Illustrations from the books included depicting minors engaged in sexual activity and instructions on how to masturbate, engage in sex acts or download apps that make it easier to have 'casual intercourse.'
The content intended for children was so graphic and explicit that the live stream from local news stations of DeSantis' press conference was cut on social media. It also earned a 'sensitive content warning' on Twitter.
Here are the books parents found in Florida schools and reported to their school districts for removal,' text read in a slide of the video. 'What was found is shocking, graphic, and we warn you… is not appropriate for children.'
Parents, many of whom spoke at the press conference, were horrified that these books were being given to their children by teachers and educators.
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 to the 8th grade.
DeSantis, who continued to inch closer to announcing a presidential run, railed against the presence of graphic material in schools and slammed the 'hoax' that taking these books out of the classroom is a form of 'book banning.'
'I just think parents, when they're sending their kids to school, they should not have to worry about this garbage being in the schools,' the GOP governor said.
He compared the content in the books to pornography.
A member of the group Moms for Liberty said that calling the removal of these graphic images and content from schools a 'ban' on books is like saying that schools are 'banning' the pornographic magazine Playboy from their institutions.
'We don't co-parent with the government,' another mother insisted, saying that they are happy that DeSantis is giving parents more say and insight into their children's education.
Graphic books that DeSantis and other Florida parents want schools to remove are ones like Flamer, which is a book that depicts through illustration and description young boys at a summer camp engaged in sex acts.
Another, This Book Is Gay, is a book that contains instructions on 'the ins and outs of gay sex' and teaches two boys how to engage in anal sex.
Let's Talk About It is a book found at Florida schools containing very detailed images and specific instructions on how males and females masturbate.
The graphic memoir Gender Queer includes some of the most explicit content, including illustrations of masturbation, sex and sex acts and promoting transgender surgeries like double mastectomies and comparing the scars to tattoos.
Source: DailyMail
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