WASHINGTON — Moms for Liberty, the organization birthed by MAGA political operatives, bankrolled by far-right funders, and designed to coerce American families into the war on freedom and equality, is reeling after allegations of sexual assault were lodged against its architects. Christian Ziegler, Florida GOP Chair and husband to Moms For Liberty co-founder Bridget, faces accusations that he assaulted the couple’s sexual partner, plunging the pair and their organizations into chaos. The allegations are currently being investigated by law enforcement.

As the two face increasing calls for their resignation, the nation has been given a look into the values driving a Moms For Liberty operation that has hijacked school boards, decimated academic freedom, and terrorized families: hypocrisy, lies, and a relentless thirst for power no matter who they hurt in the process.

“Moms for Liberty is not and has never been an organic movement with parents’ best interests in mind.They are a MAGA political operation, fueled by hypocrisy, manipulation, and lies, that terrorizes LGBTQ+ children and their families,” said HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf. “The latest scandal involving their architects, Bridget Ziegler and her husband Christian, demonstrates that they never cared about the values they espoused–only their own political power. The American people deserve to see these dangerous extremists for who they are: power-hungry peddlers of hate who have done immeasurable harm to communities across the country.”

There are mounting signs that the public is catching on to Moms for Liberty’s charade. According to the American Federation of Teachers, school board candidates endorsed by Moms For Liberty and other ultra-conservative groups lost roughly 70% of their races nationwide. And across the board, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policy platforms were a political loser in November’s elections.

The Latest on Moms For Liberty’s Collapsing Façade

• In a piece out today for The Progressive Magazine, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston Maurice T. Cunningham notes that “while M4L frames itself as a grassroots organization, in October 2022, a spokesperson for the group confessed to The New Yorker that it is more akin to a ‘media company.’” He goes on to share that “although [Moms For Liberty] claims to advocate for ‘parental rights,’ its main focus has been on manufacturing chaos in public schools.”

• Cunningham wrote similar thoughts for the Tampa Bay Times, in which he asks, “Is Moms For Liberty Collapsing in Florida and the Nation?” He notes that the organization’s political agenda is failing to deliver election results and that, despite proclaiming to be a grassroots organization built on traditional values, its leadership and membership is rife with right-wing extremists and those accused and/or guilty of criminal activity.

• In a piece for Wired.com, reporter David Gilbert says that “Moms For Liberty is tearing itself apart,” noting their rampant scandals and brazen hypocrisy.

• For Salon, journalist Evelyn Nieves calls out that "As Moms For Liberty spreads, so does school turmoil."

• At a Tuesday meeting of the Sarasota County School Board, every member besides Bridget Ziegler herself voted to request her immediate resignation from the Board, citing the distractions caused by the ongoing scandal. She has refused to step aside. Ziegler has, however, already stepped down from her role as Vice President of School Boards for the conservative Leadership Institute.

• Christian Ziegler, whose company was on Moms For Liberty’s payroll as recently as last year, has faced growing calls for his resignation from Florida GOP leadership, including from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In a media training for Moms For Liberty members, he once instructed the group that “apologizing makes you weak,” a strategy he is putting to the test in his refusal to step aside after rape allegations.

• Earlier this year, an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter was forced to apologize after it quoted Adolf Hitler on the front cover of a newsletter to members. The brazen use of a Hitler quote came even as Moms For Liberty works to block children across the country from learning about slavery, important figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., and the existence of LGBTQ+ people.

• Even as Moms For Liberty purports itself to represent everyday families, a Kentucky chapter was forced to remove two of its leaders after they were seen taking photos with members of the Proud Boys, a violent far-right extremist group. In removing the Chairs from their leadership positions, Moms For Liberty said that they “demonstrated a lack of judgment and misalignment with our core values.”

• Despite claiming to be “defenders of children,” Moms For Liberty was rocked last month when it was revealed that Pennsylvania chapter coordinator Phillip Fisher Jr. was a “registered sex offender, due to a 2012 felony conviction for aggravated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy when Fisher was 25.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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