Ron DeSantis just put the co-founder of a book ban advocacy group on Florida's state ethics commission
Michael M. Santiago, Win McNamee/Getty Images
- Florida Gov. DeSantis appointed the co-founder of right-wing parental rights group to the state's ethics committee.
- The group, Moms for Liberty, says its mission is to "stoke the fires of liberty."
- The group has proposed book bans and fought against mask mandates and teachings about racism and gender issues.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is putting the co-founder of a right-wing advocacy group that's pushed for book bans on the state's Ethics Committee.
DeSantis announced the appointment of Tina Descovich to the prestigious position in a press release on Wednesday.
Descovich co-founded the conservative group, Moms for Liberty, which says its mission is to "stoke the fires of liberty" and "stand up for parental rights at all levels of government," according to the group's website.
Representatives for Gov. DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Moms for Liberty has endorsed banning books in schools, and in July successfully lobbied to get five books removed from high school libraries in Leon County, Florida, saying they contain harmful content like pornographic material, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
The group, however, has rejected the idea that they are seeking to ban books.
"No one is looking to ban books. Moms for Liberty certainly isn't," Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice told NewsNation earlier this year. "What we're talking about is curating content in a library. You wouldn't have the same books in a medical college that you would in a seminary, and just because a book is printed doesn't mean that it belongs in a children's library."
The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Moms for Liberty an "extremist" group, saying the anti-government organization engages in "anti-student inclusion activities" by advocating for book bans and opposing LGBTQ topics and racially inclusive curriculum in schools.
The group has also railed against mask mandates in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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