Stephen King was dragged on social media after he made an overly-broad claim about how more than two dozen of his books were supposedly banned throughout the state of Florida.
In a post on Sunday on X, the 76-year-old horror author claimed that “Florida has banned 23 [of] my books. What the f***?” It later went viral, with more than 14 million views at the time of this publication.
However, as many pointed out in the responses, none of King’s books have been completely banned in the state. Rather, Florida passed legislation in 2022 that prevents “sexually explicit material” from being in school libraries and seeks to ensure there are only age-appropriate books.
“Babe, elementary school kids don’t need to be reading ‘The Shining.’ It’s not personal. It’s parenting,” one person wrote, referring to one of King’s works.
Another added, “Removing books from a SCHOOL library [because] they may not be appropriate for the age group is NOT a ban Mr. King. The parents can go to a public library in town or any bookstore in FL and purchase or check out any book they would like including yours. You have a robust vocabulary and know the definition of the word ban. You should use it, sir.”
Florida has banned 23 pf my books.
What the fuck?
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 31, 2024
“You’re lying. Some of your books that contain explicit sexual material were removed from elementary schools,” a third person wrote. “But let’s talk about why you’re mad about this… Do you think it’s appropriate for children to read about orgies?”
Florida Department of Education spokesperson Sydney Booker also disputed the book banning claim, stating, “There are no books banned in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools,” Newsweek noted.
The horror author previously was trashed by online users when he encouraged kids to find and read books that had been removed from school libraries.
“I’m not sure Stephen understands how creepy this is, considering the materials that are being restricted are openly pornographic,” Nick Frietas, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, agreed.
“Does this include pornography? Because I’m pretty sure parents don’t want you telling their children to access pornographic material.” Stephen Miller, former senior adviser to President Trump said.
“Periodic reminder that when they accuse us of ‘banning books’ they’re referring to graphic books containing pornographic content. Stephen King wants your kids to have access to these books in school,” Libs of TikTok shared.
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Stephen King was dragged on social media after he made an overly-broad claim about how more than two dozen of his books were supposedly banned throughout the state of Florida.
In a post on Sunday on X, the 76-year-old horror author claimed that “Florida has banned 23 [of] my books. What the f***?” It later went viral, with more than 14 million views at the time of this publication.
However, as many pointed out in the responses, none of King’s books have been completely banned in the state. Rather, Florida passed legislation in 2022 that prevents “sexually explicit material” from being in school libraries and seeks to ensure there are only age-appropriate books.
“Babe, elementary school kids don’t need to be reading ‘The Shining.’ It’s not personal. It’s parenting,” one person wrote, referring to one of King’s works.
Another added, “Removing books from a SCHOOL library [because] they may not be appropriate for the age group is NOT a ban Mr. King. The parents can go to a public library in town or any bookstore in FL and purchase or check out any book they would like including yours. You have a robust vocabulary and know the definition of the word ban. You should use it, sir.”
Florida has banned 23 pf my books.
What the fuck?
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 31, 2024
“You’re lying. Some of your books that contain explicit sexual material were removed from elementary schools,” a third person wrote. “But let’s talk about why you’re mad about this… Do you think it’s appropriate for children to read about orgies?”
Florida Department of Education spokesperson Sydney Booker also disputed the book banning claim, stating, “There are no books banned in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools,” Newsweek noted.
The horror author previously was trashed by online users when he encouraged kids to find and read books that had been removed from school libraries.
“I’m not sure Stephen understands how creepy this is, considering the materials that are being restricted are openly pornographic,” Nick Frietas, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, agreed.
“Does this include pornography? Because I’m pretty sure parents don’t want you telling their children to access pornographic material.” Stephen Miller, former senior adviser to President Trump said.
“Periodic reminder that when they accuse us of ‘banning books’ they’re referring to graphic books containing pornographic content. Stephen King wants your kids to have access to these books in school,” Libs of TikTok shared.
“}]]
