Hundreds protest Moms for Liberty as weekend-long summit kicks off in Philadelphia

Hundreds rallied outside the Museum of the American Revolution Thursday, protesting a summit hosted through this weekend in Philadelphia by conservative political group Moms for Liberty.

Demonstrators called the summit, which is expected to include multiple Republican presidential candidates, including former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a “slap in the face.”

Moms for Liberty advocates against school curriculums that mention racism or LGTBQ+ themes. The group has backed book bans in the Central Bucks School District, claiming the selected books depict “age-inappropriate, graphic,” and “sexualized content.”

Harper Farr, a nonbinary trans woman, said Moms for Liberty’s actions use trans people as political pawns.

“Our stories are being weaponized in a way that is not accurate and is not true to the interpersonal connections that I have made as a trans person,” Farr said. “These things have real material effects on the way that people are able to exist day to day beyond just the legislation and that sort of thing. You know, it creates an overall unsafe environment.”

In April, hundreds of Philadelphia high school students protested at City Hall in opposition to Pennsylvania House bills which target gender affirmation care, trans athletes, and sexual education in public schools.

Organizer Jazmyn Henderson said the actions by Moms for Liberty will have repercussions for women nationwide.

“And all the women in Moms for Liberty who are out here pushing their agenda are just lost because they don’t realize that they’ll just as soon have them barefoot back in the kitchen then they push these words,” Henderson said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed Moms for Liberty an extremist group, saying it “advances an anti-student inclusion agenda.”