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Recent incidents highlight ties with the far-right group as the organization faces electoral setbacks and a damaged public image.
Right-wing political group Moms for Liberty has removed two of its chapter chairs over their affiliation with the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist militant group that is even more right-wing.
In Kentucky, Moms for Liberty members, including county chapter chairs, were photographed with Proud Boys. The images show some members displaying gestures commonly associated with the “white power” symbol, Florida's Space Coast Rocket reports.
And in Tennessee, Hamilton County Moms for Liberty Chair Tonya Dodd was photographed sitting next to a Proud Boys member while wearing a Proud Boys hat, according to the outlet. The image, posted on a Moms for Liberty Facebook page, is part of a trend of Proud Boys members posing with Moms for Liberty chapter chairs in official photos.
Known for endorsing culture war candidates in local school board elections and advocating for book bans in public school libraries, Moms for Liberty was founded in Florida in 2021 in response to COVID-19 restrictions. Since then, the group has sought influence in right-wing political circles. The group is classified as an extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The group responded to the controversy this week in a public statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“Moms for Liberty is in no way affiliated with the Proud Boys and does not condone involvement with the organization. We repudiate hate and violence,” the group wrote. “We have been made aware that two Chapter leaders have recently demonstrated a lack of judgment and misalignment with our core values. Due to this, those leaders have been removed from their positions.”
Mirna Eads and Karen Strayer, the two Moms for Liberty leaders in Kentucky, were removed from their posts. It was not clear if Dodd, in Tennessee, would also be removed.
Eads, chair of the Campbell County chapter of Moms for Liberty in northern Kentucky, spoke at an event in Frankfort where Proud Boys were present.
She addressed the organization’s mission to the audience, denying the extremist label of Moms for Liberty. “We are not [an extremist terrorist group]. We are moms, dads, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, fighting for the same cause, protecting our children’s education,” Eads said,
Moms for Liberty Chairs Speak at Rally with Proud Boys and show White Power signwww.youtube.com
In her November 4 speech, Eads also tackled the issue of educational materials in schools, specifically addressing accusations of book banning.
She claimed, “We do not ban books, as the left likes to say. We challenge them to ensure that they don’t have sexually explicit material that our children are getting ahold of.”
Strayer had also run for the Boone County Board of Education last year and has been a part of Moms for Liberty’s efforts in northern Kentucky, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Despite Moms for Liberty’s recent statement distancing itself from the Proud Boys, the organization has faced significant electoral setbacks. Voters across the United States, from Pennsylvania to Iowa, recently rejected candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty in various school board races.
This widespread rejection, particularly in regions aware of Moms for Liberty’s controversial stances and affiliations, highlights a growing public resistance to the group's agenda.
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