WASHINGTON ― Hundreds of mostly white women gathered at a swanky downtown hotel to hear prominent conservative speakers and strategize with other moms about how to spread their message across the country.
Decked out in everything from stylish pantsuits, light-up American-flag jackets and, obviously, Donald Trump swag, the crowd at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit cheered and hollered as speaker after speaker spewed hate about transgender people ― all under the guise of protecting children.
Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that largely focuses on getting conservative parents elected to school boards, grew out of the pushback against pandemic school closures and masking requirements. It has since morphed into a so-called parental rights organization that rails against racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights, and takes up such causes as pushing schools to remove books that don’t embody the group’s conservative values.
At the 2024 summit this week, the focus was on fearmongering about trans kids and criticizing school employees who support them.
“There’s no such thing as a transgender child,” Tiffany Justice, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, told HuffPost in an interview.
Her position is a common one among conservatives, who have taken to attacking trans rights around the country ― even as less than 1% of the U.S. population identifies as trans. The right wing has attacked gender-affirming care as “child abuse,” though the American Academy of Pediatrics says such care can be lifesaving by reducing the risk of suicidal ideation.
Seth Dillon, CEO of the conservative satire website Babylon Bee, talked about “gender madness” when he addressed the crowd. Actor Rob Schneider, who had a prime-time speaking slot on Thursday night, claimed that children were getting “mutilated.” Texas state Rep. Shawn Thierry, who lost her primary this spring, announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party in part because of members’ views on…
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