A Florida college is throwing mountains of books in the trash – including many focusing on LGBTQ and racial issues

Hundreds of books, including numerous on LGBTQ+ issues, race and activism, were left in a dumpster and parking lot of a public university in Florida on Thursday, angering members of the academic community.

Photos and videos show hundreds of books in dumpsters. The university claimed this was routine maintenance, but in the past students have had the opportunity to purchase books that have been taken out of circulation.

The titles in the trash included When I knewa collection of stories from LGBTQ+ people, and Finding the movementabout second wave feminism, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

This scene comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his campaign to change New College of Florida, a state college with a reputation for being progressive. DeSantis has also signed legislation targeting certain books in school libraries.

Amy Reid, a faculty chair and representative on the board of trustees, told the newspaper she was blindsided by the mass destruction of books, comparing it to throwing away democracy. She said she wanted a period of mourning for the lost materials.

“I want to do this for books, because books are what matters,” she said.

The books were disposed of about a week before most students arrived on campus for move-in day and the start of the fall semester.

A New College spokesperson wrote in a statement that the books came from two different processes: They were part of the regular maintenance of the collections and from the sale of certain titles related to a closed gender studies course that had not been previously collected.

The school stated that the books in the latter category were “later claimed by individuals who intended to donate the books locally,” and controversial Media reports portray the situation as a mass erasure of LGBTQ+ books.

Last August, New College eliminated its gender studies program after dozens of conservative trustees were appointed to the college's board of directors. The move was made at the request of board member Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist who had made issues such as alleged “critical race theory” and “groomers” central to Republican agendas.

The college has also disbanded its diversity and equity department and must comply with a recently signed state law that prohibits state-funded schools that “promote or engage in political or social engagement” and offer courses “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States.”

“It felt like New College was a little bubble in Florida,” Willem Aspinall, 19, who is studying environmental science, told the Associated Press earlier this year. “Now it feels like that bubble has burst.”

As governor, DeSantis sponsored legislation that reportedly aimed to remove books from school libraries that contained “pornography and prohibited materials harmful to minors.” These measures often resulted in targeting books about LGBTQ+ people, race, and other topics that conservatives deemed offensive or inappropriate for children.