Latest news with #MomsforLiberty
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Heritage Action hires Tiffany Justice from Moms for Liberty
Heritage Action has enlisted Tiffany Justice, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, to serve as executive vice president, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Justice is bringing her grassroots organizing skills to unite the conservative movement around the Trump agenda. It's also a signal that Heritage Action, the political arm of the Heritage Foundation, will be more focused ahead of the 2026 midterms on parental rights and education reform — two issues that GOP strategists are convinced helped President Trump expand his coalition and recapture the White House. In 2021, Justice co-founded Moms for Liberty, which is "dedicated to empowering parents to advocate effectively for their children at school board meetings and across all levels of government," according to its website. What they're saying:"Tiffany Justice is a force of nature, and her leadership comes at a critical moment when effective advocacy is essential," said Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage Action and the Heritage Foundation. "It's not a time to manage decline or preserve the status quo, but to go on offense for the American Dream," he added. "Tiffany is a patriot and has been fighting for parents and the rights of all Americans for years," said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Zoom out: Heritage Action, founded in 2010 to fight President Obama's health care plans, was one of the first groups to run ads boosting Trump's cabinet nominees. In December, it launched a $1 million campaign to persuade potentially wobbly Republicans to back Trump's picks. The ads targeted the home states of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and former leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), along with seven other states with GOP senators. Zoom in: Justice has also impressed Trump, who praised her organizing skills during the presidential campaign.
NBC News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Florida official under state investigation after hosting LGBTQ event
Florida's attorney general announced Tuesday that he opened an investigation into the vice mayor of Vero Beach over a drag show held last month. Attorney General James Uthmeier alleged the 'Pride Tea Dance' that Vice Mayor Linda Moore held at the Kilted Mermaid, a wine bar she's owned for more than a decade, exposed children to a 'sexualized performance.' Uthmeier's office said Moore advertised the Pride Tea Dance on social media as 'all ages welcome,' but that the drag performances 'featured adult, sexualized performers in front of children, in violation of Florida law,' according to a press release from the attorney general's office. Neither the press release nor the subpoena Uthmeier's office sent Moore on July 8 specify what state law(s) she is under investigation for allegedly violating. Uthmeier's office did not immediately respond to questions. The subpoena, which Moore has to respond to by Aug. 8, requested surveillance video recordings of the exterior and interior of the Kilted Mermaid on the day of the Pride Tea Dance; copies of employee work schedules for June 28 to June 30; copies of documents that identify the performers for the event; and documents identifying security personnel or other staff responsible for checking identification and allowing entry, among other information. Moore said she was confused by the subpoena, particularly because it doesn't contain any claim of wrongdoing. 'We have the event every year, it's our gay pride event, and it is all ages,' Moore said in a phone interview. She said the bar has held the event for at least the past five years. 'It's a family-friendly event, and then once the drag show actually starts, we tell the parents who have small children that they can't stay for the show.' Sometimes parents want to stay anyway, Moore said, so she has maintained a policy that the first drag performance will be 'really tame,' with no profanity. Later on, when all the children are gone, the performances can be 'a little racy,' she said, but even during the adult-only performances, 'there's never nudity at any drag show.' The event first garnered criticism after it was the subject of social media posts from Jennifer Pippin, who leads a local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national conservative parents organization. Pippin wrote in a Facebook post the day after the event that she submitted a complaint to the attorney general's office 'to formally report a violation of Florida's 'Protection of Children Act,' specifically Senate Bill 1438,' which prohibits children from attending 'adult live performances.' However, judges blocked the law from taking effect, suggesting that it is likely unconstitutional due to how broad and vague it is. The case is awaiting a trial in the Middle District of Florida. Critics have said the law defines adult live performances in a way that would include businesses that host drag shows. Pippin told NBC News she didn't know the law was blocked when she reported the event to the attorney general's office, but that the office told her other state laws restrict adult live performances. She said she did not attend the event, but she pointed to social media photos and videos that show children were in attendance. Pippin said children appeared to be there the entire night, a claim Moore disputes. Pippin said she asked Moore to resign during a city council meeting Tuesday. 'We have to protect the innocence of children at all costs from live adult entertainment shows,' Pippin told NBC News. 'We are happy the AG is on board with our sentiment as well.' Moore said the photos shared by Pippin, which, for example, show a performer in lingerie, mischaracterize what happened at the event. The photos that Pippin shared that show children at the event show that it was still light outside, Moore said, during the family-friendly portion of the event. The photos of the performer in lingerie, which don't show any children, were taken later in the evening during the adults-only portion of the event. Moore said that, despite the backlash, the community has been overwhelmingly supportive. 'We're not a gay bar. We're just a neighborhood bar, and we welcome everybody,' Moore said. She added that some community members have been worried that the Kilted Mermaid will stop hosting its LGBTQ-inclusive events, but she said that won't happen. 'We are committed to supporting everyone in the community like we always have, and gay pride will continue, and drag queen bingo will continue,' Moore said. 'Nothing has changed for us.'
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Religious Beliefs vs LGBT books: How conservative parents won bigly
The US Supreme Court has ruled that parents can generally stop their children from attending school lessons that go against their religious beliefs, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. This case came from Maryland, where some parents objected to LGBTQ-themed books being taught in elementary schools. The court sided with the parents, saying they have the right to decide what their children learn if it clashes with their religion. Conservative groups see this as a big win. Eric Baxter, lawyer for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said public schools should serve parents, not force children 'into conformity.' However, progressive parents and many teachers worry this will hurt schools' ability to teach tolerance. Erica Watkins, who runs a progressive parent group in Oklahoma, said ''parents' rights' has been overused and weaponized to undermine teachers.' How did this movement grow? The push for parental rights took off in 2021 when Terry McAuliffe, a Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, said in a debate, 'I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 코인 투자금 300만원 있다면 '이렇게'해라 나스닥터 더 알아보기 Undo His Republican rival, Glenn Youngkin, used this to win the election, sparking a nationwide conservative movement demanding more control over schools. Groups like Moms for Liberty, formed in Florida in 2021, grew quickly. They trained school board candidates and wore shirts reading 'We do not co-parent with the government.' Co-founder Tiffany Justice told WSJ that parents are becoming 'more emboldened.' What happens next? Former President Donald Trump backed Moms for Liberty during his 2024 campaign, saying, 'I'm for parental rights all the way.' He also praised Friday's court ruling. Conservative lawyers believe the ruling will help parents fight other school policies, such as rules about students' pronouns and names. Luke Berg from Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty said it's hard to see how parents will lose such cases if they cite religious reasons. But school officials are worried about how to handle students who opt out. Zachary Schurin, a lawyer for Connecticut schools, said teachers will have to find staff to supervise these students during lessons they skip. Could progressives use this too? Some progressive parents are using parental rights laws to opt out of lessons they disagree with. In Oklahoma, Erica Watkins encouraged parents to pull their children out of new social studies classes that question the 2020 election results. In another case, parents argued that bans on gender-transition care for minors violate their rights to raise their children as they see fit. The Supreme Court rejected one such case in Tennessee but did not rule directly on parental rights. 'As a parent, I know my child better than any government official ever will,' said Samantha Williams, a mother involved in the Tennessee lawsuit. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from public school lessons using LGBTQ books
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Maryland parents who have religious objections can pull their children from public school lessons using LGBTQ storybooks. The justices reversed lower-court rulings in favor of the Montgomery County school system in suburban Washington. The high court ruled that the schools likely could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to the material. The decision was not a final ruling in the case, but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will win in the end. The court ruled that policies like the one at issue in the case are subjected to the strictest level of review, nearly always dooming them. The school district introduced the storybooks, including 'Prince & Knight' and 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding,' in 2022 as part of an effort to better reflect the district's diversity. In 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding,' a niece worries that her uncle won't have as much time for her after he gets married to another man .The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious discrimination in recent years and the case is among several religious-rights cases at the court this term. The decision also comes amid increases in recent years in books being banned from public school and public libraries. Many of the removals were organized by Moms for Liberty and other conservative organizations that advocate for more parental input over what books are available to students. Soon after President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office in January, the Education Department called the book bans a 'hoax' and dismissed 11 complaints that had been filed under Trump's predecessor, President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The writers' group Pen America said in a court filing in the Maryland case that the objecting parents wanted 'a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name.' Pen America reported more than 10,000 books were banned in the last school year. Parents initially had been allowed to opt their children out of the lessons for religious and other reasons, but the school board reversed course a year later, prompting protests and eventually a lawsuit. At arguments in April, a lawyer for the school district told the justices that the 'opt outs' had become disruptive. Sex education is the only area of instruction in Montgomery schools that students can be excused from, lawyer Alan Schoenfeld said. The case hit unusually close to home, as three justices live in the county, though they didn't send their children to public schools.
Boston Globe
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from public school lessons using LGBTQ books
The decision was not a final ruling in the case, but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will win in the end. The court ruled that policies like the one at issue in the case are subjected to the strictest level of review, nearly always dooming them. Advertisement The school district introduced the storybooks, including 'Prince & Knight' and 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding,' in 2022 as part of an effort to better reflect the district's diversity. In 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding,' a niece worries that her uncle won't have as much time for her after he gets married to another man. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious discrimination in recent years and the case is among several religious-rights cases at the court this term. The decision also comes amid increases in recent years in books being banned from public school and public libraries. Many of the removals were organized by Moms for Liberty and other conservative organizations that advocate for more parental input over what books are available to students. Soon after President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office in January, the Education Department called the book bans a 'hoax' and dismissed 11 complaints that had been filed under Trump's predecessor, President Joe Biden, a Democrat. Advertisement The writers' group Pen America said in a court filing in the Maryland case that the objecting parents wanted 'a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name.' Pen America reported more than 10,000 books were banned in the last school year. Parents initially had been allowed to opt their children out of the lessons for religious and other reasons, but the school board reversed course a year later, prompting protests and eventually a lawsuit. At arguments in April, a lawyer for the school district told the justices that the 'opt outs' had become disruptive. Sex education is the only area of instruction in Montgomery schools that students can be excused from, lawyer Alan Schoenfeld said. The case hit unusually close to home, as three justices live in the county, though they didn't send their children to public schools.
