Moms for Liberty: What it is and who’s behind the group

The Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia later this month is expected to convene hundreds of conservative women and spotlight GOP presidential hopefuls Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

It also will feature its share of controversy.

The national group has led culture-war crusades against school boards, pushing to ban books it deems pornographic from libraries and accusing teachers of seeking to indoctrinate students. Protesters have been calling on the downtown Marriott to refuse to host the event, citing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

Here’s what to know about the group and its plans in Philadelphia:

Moms for Liberty says its focus is “parental rights,” training parents to hold school leaders accountable. It was founded at the start of 2021, quickly garnering attention from conservative media while opposing pandemic restrictions and mask mandates.

But the group has since turned its attention to curriculum and library books — becoming a prominent voice in a conservative movement accusing schools of ideological overreach, including teaching about race, gender, and sexuality.

The group claims 115,000 members and 275 chapters nationally, and says Pennsylvania represents its second-largest membership base after Florida.

» READ MORE: Central Bucks released the reports on books it’s banned and kept. Here’s what they show.

While it bills itself as a grassroots organization, Moms for Liberty has ties to prominent Republicans. One of its former directors, Bridget Ziegler, is married to the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. DeSantis recently appointed Ziegler to a commission overseeing Disney’s Orlando theme parks amid a battle between the Florida governor and Disney over the state’s law banning classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Moms for Liberty’s cofounders, Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice, started working with Republican campaign consultant Marie Rogerson, who is also a leader in the group.

Moms for Liberty reported $370,000 in revenue in its first year, including contributions of $100,000, $20,000, $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000, according to a federal tax form. (As a 501(c)4 “social welfare” nonprofit, Moms for Liberty doesn’t have to publicly disclose its donors.)

The group has said it’s still working on preparing more recent financial statements. Descovich recently told The Inquirer that “we definitely have some bigger individual donors who have come in over the last year to help us out.”

» READ MORE: Moms for Liberty is convening this summer in Philly, a backdrop for the group’s focus on ‘preserving American values’

The group has been trying to play a bigger role in school board races nationally. In 2022, it says, it endorsed 500 candidates, and 275 were elected.

In one South Carolina county, newly elected school board members who had been backed by Moms for Liberty fired their superintendent, banned critical race theory, and set up a committee to decide whether books should be removed, hours after being sworn in. Moms for Liberty promoted the episode as an example of “bold leadership.”

The group posted a losing record in school board races in Wisconsin earlier this year. Descovich blamed a lack of money, telling The Inquirer the group has only funded races in Florida, but is now aiming to spend in other states.

Moms for Liberty has not posted any endorsements on its website for Pennsylvania, where school board elections will be held in November. The group says local chapters decide endorsements.

Chapters in Philadelphia’s collar counties have not been promoting endorsements. In Montgomery County, chair Vicki Flannery said her group has not yet decided if it will publicly endorse, while in Bucks, chair Jamie Tromba said the chapter had endorsed just one candidate so far, in the Centennial School District.

But Moms for Liberty “voter guides” identifying candidates they support — including in Montgomery and Bucks Counties— have been circulated on social media by opponents criticizing candidates’ association with the group.

A questionnaire for Bucks candidates asks if they are seeking a public endorsement, or whether “I do not want a public endorsement but want your members to know where I stand on issues important to them.” (Among the issues Bucks candidates are asked to weigh in on: masking, vaccines, library policies, and gender identity.)

» READ MORE: Central Bucks board denies discrimination allegations, moves forward on policy that ACLU warns hurts LGBTQ students

The June 29-July 2 national summit will provide training to school board candidates in Pennsylvania and beyond. Leaders hope to draw 650 attendees; general admission is $249, and VIP, $499.

Speakers at the event will include Trump — who was announced Friday — DeSantis, Haley, and fellow GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech founder who has criticized “woke” investing and corporations.

Others include Mark Robinson, lieutenant governor of North Carolina, who in 2021 said there was “no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth”; conservative radio host Dennis Prager, whose online video company is working to create “an edutainment media enterprise devoted to our Judeo-Christian values”; and Chris Elston, known as “Billboard Chris,” who travels the country wearing a billboard that says “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”

The event is being held at the downtown Philadelphia Marriott.

» READ MORE: Trans and queer-led groups are protesting the Marriott for hosting Moms for Liberty conference this summer

The summit is drawing opposition from other parent groups, LGBTQ advocates and some elected officials, who have been asking the Marriott to refuse to host the event. Activists from ACT UP Philadelphia and others have been organizing protests outside the hotel, including one planned for Friday evening.

GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has placed Moms for Liberty on its “accountability project” for anti-LGBTQ actions, while online petitions have referred to Moms for Liberty as a “hate group.”

In an April 20 letter to the hotel, State Sen. Nikil Saval, State Rep. Mary Louise Isaacson, and State Rep. Ben Waxman, all Philadelphia Democrats, said that Moms for Liberty “has been widely recognized for its divisive rhetoric, discriminatory practices, and promotion of harmful policies that target vulnerable communities, especially the LGBTQ+ community.” They urged Marriott to reconsider.

Marriott has not responded to requests for comment. Moms for Liberty has said “any accusations of dangerous behavior” are false. “We strongly reject any attempts to portray our members as violent or threatening.”