DeSantis slaps down California lawmaker's 'lie' about book ban in Florida

A far-left California lawmaker tried to criticize Florida's book ban, but Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis stepped in to set the record straight.

State Sen. Scott Wiener claimed bizarrely in a post on social media that Florida had banned "The Diary of Anne Frank," but that post was immediately contradicted by a community note.

'Another lie debunked.'

"Florida banning the Diary of Anne Frank tells you everything you need to know about the MAGA movement," he posted.

However, not only is the famous book not blacklisted, but it is actually recommended in the state's curriculum.

"This is just a lie. Not only is Anne Frank's diary not 'banned' in Florida — it's on @EducationFL recommended reading list," responded Christina Pushaw, who ran the rapid response team for DeSantis' 2022 re-election and 2024 presidential campaigns.

DeSantis himself stepped in to reiterate the point.

"This is not the first time a leftist has accused Florida of 'banning' a book that is on the state's recommended reading list. Another lie debunked," he posted on social media.

As previously reported by Blaze News, many news outlets falsely reported that a Miami school library had banned a book written by Amanda Gorman, a poet who had read one of her works at the inauguration of former President Joe Biden.

The lie persisted despite it being debunked by DeSantis as well as the Snopes website and a spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

RELATED: Voters overwhelmingly oppose sexually explicit books in public school libraries, poll finds

Wiener may be confusing Frank's diary with "Annexed" by Sharon Dogar, a novel heavily criticized for allegedly "sexing up" Frank. According to PEN America, at least one Florida school district has banned "Annexed."

Wiener is known for making extreme left-wing proposals for legislation in the Democrat-controlled California legislature. In 2022, he tried to push a law that would enable minors to get vaccinated without parental consent.

In 2023, Wiener supported a law that would make "gender affirmation" an integral part of state law related to children's "health, safety, and welfare." Under the new law, judges overseeing child custody cases could favor one parent over the other based on who affirms a child's right to choose to change their gender.

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