Last week, a group of mostly white women, gathered at a hotel in Washington D.C., to attend the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit. This group, which started as a response to pandemic school closures and mask mandates, has now become a far-right organization focused on electing conservative parents to school boards. The speakers at the summit expressed hateful views towards transgender people, claiming that there is no such thing as a transgender child and that gender-affirming care is child abuse. The focus of the event was on fearmongering about trans kids and criticizing school employees who support them.
The speakers at the summit, including Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee, and actor Rob Schneider, all spoke about what they referred to as “gender madness”. Texas state Rep. Shawn Thierry announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party in part due to their views on transgender youth. The discussions centered around the idea that the federal government is pushing child abuse by allowing gender-affirming surgeries and transgender children to transition without parental consent. The speakers claimed that children were being “mutilated” and that parents needed to be actively inoculating their children against gender ideology.
The summit also included a panel discussion on writing laws that protect parental rights, with a focus on transgender children. The speakers addressed the audience about how they could put an end to “secret social transitions” in schools. While many states have parental rights laws stating that parents have the fundamental right to raise their children as they see fit, the panelists argued that these laws were often too vague or not extensive enough. They encouraged attendees to push for legislation that would make it illegal for schools to affirm a child’s gender transition without parental consent, and allow parents to sue schools if their rights were violated.
Two mothers at the summit shared stories about finding out that their children’s schools were allowing them to transition without notifying their parents. Both mothers claimed that their children had actually told them about their plans to transition. One mother, Tammy Fournier, sued her daughter’s school for violating her parental rights, resulting in a ruling that the school could not use a child’s preferred name or pronouns without parental consent. Another mother, January Littlejohn, warned parents to actively inoculate their children against gender ideology and spoke out against allyship, claiming that children were being indoctrinated into being allies.
The discussions at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit reflected a growing sentiment among conservatives that transgender rights are a threat to parental rights and the safety of children. The speakers at the event spread false information and fear about transgender people, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and misinformation. The summit highlighted the need for advocacy and legislation to protect parental rights, and the ongoing battle against transgender rights in educational settings. Despite the hateful rhetoric at the summit, there remains a need for greater understanding, acceptance, and support for transgender children and their families.
