An activist wants to ban the Bible in Florida schools as a challenge to Ron DeSantis' new book restriction bill
- A Florida activist wants to ban the Bible from schools in response to a new book restriction law.
- He filed a tongue-in-cheek petition listing verses he deemed problematic for schoolchildren.
A self-described "stunt activist" has filed a petition asking 63 Florida school districts to ban the Christian Bible, in a tongue-in-cheek challenge to a new state law that makes it easier for parents to object to books in schools.
Chaz Stevens, a 57-year-old activist with a history of filing unusual requests to the local government, started a GoFundMe page on Tuesday to raise funds for his effort. On the site, he wrote that his petition was made for "trolling" Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration.
Stevens' campaign refers to House Bill 1467, which DeSantis signed into law on March 25, highlighting how it gives parents more power to reject books and materials used in schools. The law was used on April 18 to reject 54 math textbooks for including references to critical race theory.
Now, Stevens says the Good Book should be banned as well.
"Used to justify slavery, homophobia, and wars for centuries, it's long past time to ban this dangerous book from our public schools," Stevens wrote on his GoFundMe page. "Join us in demanding every single Florida school board banish the Bible from their school district."
One such school district, Leon County, showed the Tallahassee Democrat the email that came with Stevens' petition.
"Let's be honest — banning books is never a good idea, but what's fair is fair, and with that in mind, please find attached my request to ban the Bible," the email said, per the outlet.
The petition, dated April 19, is three pages long and cites several Bible passages that discuss acts such as murder, bestiality, and rape, which Stevens said formed the basis of his ban request.
For example, he cited Genesis 2:18, which says: "It is not good that the man should be alone," as a potential reference that could cause schoolchildren to be "one giant step closer to getting their LGBTQ+ freak on."
"And, 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 wrote in the petition.
"In the end, if Jimmy and Susie are curious about any of the above, they can do what everyone does – get a room at the Motel Six and grab the Gideons," he added, signing off as the "Bishop of the First Church of Mars" and executive director of "Schadenboner Incorporated."
Stevens also sent one school district a complaint to ban the Oxford English Dictionary, per The Washington Post.
He called it "a weighty tome over 1,000 years old, containing more than 600,000 words; all very troubling if we're trying to keep our youth from learning about race, gender, sex, and such," The Post reported.
Stevens, whose day job involves running a website, told The Post that while his pranks may seem trivial, they've also made a difference, such as when his activism led to the arrest of Deerfield Beach city officials over corruption charges.