Missouri: ACLU sues district for banning books
The Advocate reported on February 18 that the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the families of two Wentzville students, in order to prevent the removal of books about marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ people and people of color.
The district removed eight books from the school's library, including The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Paperback by Alison Bechdel; All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, and others.
According to the lawsuit, the books were banned "because of officials' dislike of the ideas contained in the banned books and with the intent and purpose to prescribe what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true in matters of opinion." The suit also says that the books' removal violated the students' First Amendment rights.
Florida: Corporate donors to "Don't Say Gay"
The Advocate reported on February 17 that several companies with public stances in support of LGBTQ+ people have donated to Florida politicians who are backing the state's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which would ban classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state's public schools.
The news website Popular Information pointed out the discrepancy after reviewing campaign contributions after 2020 to the bill's sponsors in the Florida state legislature. The bill's chief Senate sponsor, Republican Dennis Baxley, has received donations from companies with high or perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, such as Comcast/NBCUniversal and Duke Energy, who also donated to other sponsors of the bill, along with AT&T and Walgreens.
Gov. DeSantis, who has indicated support but not officially committed to signing the bill, has received donations from UnitedHealth Group, AT&T, Duke Energy, and Walgreens. Other supposedly pro-LGBTQ+ companies supporting the bill's sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, Charter Communications, Publix, and the National Association of Realtors.