The 3rd most read post of 2023 was on the group Mom’s for Liberty working to ban books and bully school boards in the area. A group opposing them has sprung up that is simply called STOP Mom’s for Liberty. I spoke with the head of the group Liz Mikitarian. The group was also founded in Florida and spread as quickly at Mom’s for Liberty. They have groups in all but 7 states. There is a presence in Pennsylvania with 2,699 members in their Facebook group.
We spoke about the origins of the group which parallel the growth of Mom’s for Liberty. Mikitarian said she tried to reason with them as a former educator in Florida but they accused her of promoting pedophilia. She and others realized that they had to organize to stop them.
Florida Governor and Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis efforts to ban “woke” curricula and books that supposedly promote “critical race theory” parallel the growth of both groups. She said that all 3 major presidential candidates (Trump, Haley and DeSantis) have made overtures to Mom’s for Liberty but Trump and DeSantis are the preferred ones.
Bridget Ziegler, the co-founder of Mom’s for Liberty is married to the chair of the Florida GOP, Christian Ziegler. The Ziegler’s have since been forced to resign their positions in a sex scandal.
STOP Mom’s for Liberty is a grass roots organization that has no money and is not incorporated. They are not endorsing any candidates but are watching developments. Upcoming elections at the local and national level have implications for both groups.