We’re seeing it more and more. Extremist right-wing candidates are running for office with a single-issue platform: parental rights. Specifically, bigots have used “parental rights” to dictate what is taught in the classroom or how kids interact in schools. What started as a debate over mask mandates quickly escalated to include critical race theory and LGBTQ narratives.
It popped up in the Virginia gubernatorial race and in Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. We saw it in 2021, when a historic number of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced, many of them targeting trans kids playing in school sports.
But it’s not just state leaders who have been pushing the “parental rights” narrative. A group of conservatives who call themselves the “Moms for Liberty” have been fighting to remove the of teaching sexual orientation and gender identity, claiming these topics are “indoctrination” or “grooming” of children. The group just formed in January 2021. Alarmingly, as of July 2022, they boast of over 100,000 members nationwide. The group spreads dangerous homophobic and racist conspiracy theories to their membership. On top of that, the “Moms for Liberty” have been holding conferences that are teaching anti-equality members how to run for office.
Their use of homophobic dog whistles, which are then spread across social media, are leading to anti-LGBTQ violence. One of the more common targets of this group and the notorious “Libs of TikTok” social media account are drag queen story hours, which are events where drag queens read books to children in local schools or libraries. A drag queen story hour event in Boston was infiltrated by a white supremacist group that mirrored the same homophobic talking points that the “Moms for Liberty” also push.
The trolls aren't coming for @runforsomething candidate @MackDistrict6 because of a video – they're coming for b/c she's a young queer Black leader & a fierce champion for repro rights. We've got her back. Chip in to her re-election now: https://t.co/DiTAETSX3f pic.twitter.com/NlubDqymZz
— Amanda Litman (@amandalitman) July 5, 2022
Members of Moms For Liberty, the group actively banning books across the country, terrorizing queer kids, and taking over school boards, calling for LGBTQ kids to be put in separate classrooms “like kids with autism and Down syndrome”. https://t.co/7skrbxFghW
— Brandon Wolf (@bjoewolf) August 17, 2022
The “Moms for Liberty” and “Libs of TikTok” are not the only online movements that are gaining traction. There are algorithms that specifically target young men which spread misinformation and push right-wing propaganda groups on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and especially TikTok. This algorithm has been coined as the “alt-right pipeline” and pushes harmful, extreme anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to millions of innocent people online every day. It spreads like a forest fire – once someone is exposed to this extremist media online, the algorithms will increasingly push more radical content in hopes to engage people to keep using the app. These platforms were initially created to bring us together; not drive us apart.
The LGBTQ community is in danger – but we won’t back down. Groups like these reaffirm our mission to elect LGBTQ candidates to all levels of government. Not only do these leaders provide LGBTQ people with a voice in government, but show future generations that we won’t stand for their bigotry.
To learn more about all of our LGBTQ candidates running for office this year, click here.
