A Florida man decided to fix the book-banning spree in his state by calling for the banning of the Bible. In a letter dated April 19, 2022, Chaz Stevens, an artist, and Florida's resident political stunt activist, requested the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) and Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) ban the Bible.
Stevens, an atheist, decided to join the Republicans in their relentless, anti-science, anti-woke book-banning crusade.
More than 200 books have been banned in Florida since 2021. According to Pen America, an advocacy group protecting free expression, Florida has the third-highest number of banned books.
Most banned books touch on race, sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The books included established works like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
It also included notable anti-racism books such as How to Be an Antiracist by Ibrahim Kendi and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
The books banned by Florida are wholly represented by one book, the Bible.
In his letter to Jose Dotres, MDCPS's superintendent, Stevens eloquently derided the Bible. "As is often the case with banned books, I ask your agency lay flame to that giant stack of fiction in a pyre worthy of a Viking sendoff," Stevens said.
Stevens also laid out his reason why banning the Bible is logical.
According to Stevens, the Bible contains "age inappropriateness, social-emotional learning, mentions of bestiality and rape." It also encouraged "wokeness."
On April 22, Ron Desantis, Florida's highly conservative Republican governor, signed House Bill 7 into law. House Bill 7, also known as the Stop WOKE Act, is Florida's answer to the "CRT indoctrination."
"With the constant babbling concerns about teaching Critical Race Theory, should we not take stock of the Bible's position on slavery?" Stevens challenged the MDCPS.
In an interview with the Miami New Times, Stevens said that since conservatives in Florida are holding no bars for banning books, everything should be included.
"The whole library should be in play," Stevens said.
"My hope — and it's a longshot — is that they will apply their standards to themselves and ban the Bible," Stevens added.
In an email to the Miami New Times, Elmo Lugo, a spokesperson for the MDCPS, acknowledged that they received Steven's letter. "District staff will review it and respond accordingly," he added.
"The government can't pick and choose religion, but can they choose which books they review for banning and which ones they don't," Stevens said.
"They better not fucking ignore me," he warned.
