Judd Legum

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. The implication is that teachers were covering up their books to attract attention and could have done it more subtlety. Saunders replied: Did "anybody say ban all the books, remove all the books, cover every book, no." THIS IS NOT TRUE AND I HAVE PROOF — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. At a Manatee school board meeting Tuesday night, DeSantis-endorsed board member Richard Tatem asked Superintendent Cynthia Saunders: "[There] wasn’t a direction from you that said, 'You will cover up your books or turn them around to the wall'?" — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

1. On Monday, I reported teachers in Manatee County, Florida were told to make the books in their library inaccessible to students The report included images of bookshelves covered w/construction paper Since then there has been an effort to BLAME THE TEACHERS for overreacting — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

"At both events, DeSantis stressed he wanted the GOP-led Legislature to change Florida law to allow juries to administer the death penalty by a supermajority rather than requiring unanimity" https://t.co/ROKZUWtkV5 — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@nevermore_007 “Video of the fatal police encounter, a mix of body-camera video and pole-cam video, is expected to be released publicly after 6 p.m. Friday” — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

“Five former Memphis police officers who were fired for their actions during the arrest of Tyre Nichols earlier this month were indicted on charges including murder and kidnapping” https://t.co/PeV2GnVrlm — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

11. None of these companies responded to a request for comment. For updates and more accountability journalism, subscribe to Popular Information. It's free to sign up https://t.co/TfpCItdVSo — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

10. Nevertheless, Lefor is financially backed by major corporations that claim to support LGBTQ rights: Johnson & Johnson (@JNJNews) @ATT @nexteraenergy @conocophillips https://t.co/8opAS3NRLb — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

9. This legislation is likely unconstitutional. The First Amendment protects the right of the public to speak and receive information. There are a few narrow exceptions, like obscenity, but Lefor's bill is much broader. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

8. Lefor argued that a child's exposure to these kinds of books is associated with "addiction, poor self-esteem, devalued intimacy, increasing divorce rates, unprotected sex." He did not provide any evidence to back up these claims. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

7. The book was reviewed as "crisp, breezy, effective, & noteworthy in a crowded field for its holistic emphasis on human, emotional aspects of sexuality" Lefor says "we have to do everything we can to make sure that [Let's Talk about It] doesn't get into the hands of children" — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

6. Lefor asserted that North Dakota libraries today include books with "disturbing and disgusting" content. He cited: "Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human" — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

5. The bill "that any “individual who believes a public library is maintaining a book in violation… may submit a written request to the public library to remove the book" The librarian "SHALL COMPLY" within 30 days There is no provision for the librarian to reject the request — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

4. Librarians in North Dakota argue that the legislation would require them to remove most books with LGBTQ characters. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. What is a visual depiction of "gender identity"? The bill does not define it. Oh, and by the way, if a librarian violates this rule, they could face "up to 30 days imprisonment" and a $1500 fine. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. Lefor's bill would prohibit "public libraries from maintaining sexually explicit books." This includes "visual depictions" of "sexual intercourse." But also "visual depictions" of "sexual identity" and "gender identity." https://t.co/tc4uF6f0LX — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

1. Across the country, school districts are removing books with LGBTQ characters and themes from school libraries. Now, a high-ranking legislator from North Dakota, Mike Lefor, is proposing the inevitable next step: banning these books from public libraries. 🧵 https://t.co/gflYh7BAOS — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@GovRonDeSantis Full explanation as to why this is happening here: https://t.co/SzHzgellgw — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

Scenes from "Literacy Week" in a Second Grade classroom in Manatee County, Florida. All the books in the classroom library are boxed up to comply with new mandates imposed by @GovRonDeSantis https://t.co/8edC6flnQH — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

11. For UPDATES and more accountability journalism, subscribe to Popular Information. It's free to sign up. https://t.co/TfpCItdVSo — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

10. Keep in mind, this is only the start of the process. Any book that isn't already in the library has to be personally reviewed by the librarians and, ultimately, signed off on by the PRINCIPAL — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

9. So now teachers in Manatee County are faced with a choice: 1. Keep their classroom libraries inaccessible 2. Turn over all books to unknown (and potentially politically-motivated) "volunteers" for review — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@RonDeSantisFL @Moms4Liberty 8. This week, teachers in Manatee county received messages from school principals stating: "Remove or cover all classroom libraries until all materials can be reviewed" The teachers were doing exactly what they were instructed to do! It was no an overreaction. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@RonDeSantisFL @Moms4Liberty 7. Perhaps the most disingenuous part of the meeting is when another DeSantis-endorsed Manatee County school board member, Richard Tatem, suggested that teachers covering up their libraries was just an overreaction https://t.co/xYrTbieBbT — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@RonDeSantisFL @Moms4Liberty 6. If you were a teacher, would you like Ms Spray's friends to come into your classroom & review every book in your classroom library, having been told by the school district & the Florida Depart of Education that having the wrong book could result in 3rd degree felony charges? — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@RonDeSantisFL @Moms4Liberty 5. Spray seized on the use of volunteers to promote her agenda. She says teachers have used books to "infiltrate" the classroom with ideas that are inappropriate for students. "Sign up we need to get these books out of these schools" https://t.co/NrTu9dojah — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

4. During the meeting, Cindy Spray, a member of the school board who recently won election with the endorsement of @RonDeSantisFL and @moms4liberty, called for a "mass exodus" of books from classroom libraries https://t.co/q0nmdEaeDk — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. The district is recruiting VOLUNTEERS to come into classrooms and review the teachers books. Who is likely to volunteer? The same right-wing activists who are pushing the idea that teachers are using books to "groom" or indoctrinate students — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. First, Dr. Laurie Breslin, the head of curriculum for the school district, confirmed that all books in classroom libraries must be vetted before they can be made available to students. She also confirmed the TEACHERS and LIBRARIANS have NO TIME to do this So what happens? https://t.co/mQDoIn39BL — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

UPDATE: On Tuesday evening, the Manatee County School Board discussed this policy for about a hour. Things are even worse than they appeared. Follow along if interested. 🧵 — PolitiTweet.org