Moms for Liberty, the political group whose members demand that books be pulled from school libraries, harass teachers and school officials, push right-wing takeovers of school boards, and align themselves with authoritarian, anti-equality politicians, are holding their second annual summit in Philadelphia at the end of this month. The summit’s speakers list is clear evidence that the group, far from being just a bunch of moms concerned about their kids’ education, has quickly become a hard-edged political player in the increasingly authoritarian MAGA wing of the Republican Party. Moms for Liberty was created in Florida in late 2021 to mobilize parental opposition to schools requiring masks or vaccines as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group’s political agenda expanded quickly as it teamed up with political leaders who build power by stoking white racial grievance and smearing LGBTQ people and their allies as threats to children. In the name of parents’ rights, Moms for Liberty chapters mobilize censorship campaigns targeting books and library materials dealing with race, gender, and sexuality. Its leaders seek to take over school boards by inciting hostility toward school officials with dishonest and inflammatory rhetoric about critical race theory, LGBTQ-affirming policies, and efforts to make schools welcoming places for diverse student bodies. Local Moms for Liberty leaders have viciously harassed educators and parents who oppose their political agenda. The speakers’ list for Moms for Liberty’s upcoming national summit is revealing of the group’s appalling agenda for schools, students, and the country. It features former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, now battling each other for the support of the GOP’s MAGA wing. It includes the extremely anti-LGBTQ North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Christian nationalist activist Tim Barton, and Heritage Foundation’s hard-right Kevin Roberts, as well as promoters of stolen election lies and false narratives about the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
via right wing watch: Moms for Liberty: Authoritarianism in the Name of Parents’ Rights By Peter Montgomery