Moms for Liberty founder and Florida's GOP chairman both embroiled in sex scandal with allegations of rape, group sex, and videotaping

 

Moms for Liberty founder Bridget Ziegler (top picture) and her husband, Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler (bottom picture) are embroiled in a scandal with allegations of rape, group sex, and videotaping.

A huge scandal is brewing in Florida which not only caps off an extremely bad month for SPLC-designated hate group Moms for Liberty but also threatens to engulf the state Republican Party. And in a dose of karma, the scandal involves sex.

From The Florida Trident:

Christian Ziegler, Florida’s GOP chairman and husband of Sarasota County School Board member and Moms of Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, is under criminal investigation after a woman filed a complaint with the Sarasota Police Department alleging the longtime Republican official had raped her, according to a heavily redacted police report obtained by the Florida Trident. 

 The complaint was filed on October 4 and the alleged sexual battery occurred inside the woman’s home in Sarasota on October 2, according to the report. Among the few words that went unredacted in the report are “rape” and “sexual assault complaint.” 

 The woman, according to sources close to the investigation, alleged that she and both Zieglers had been involved in a longstanding consensual three-way sexual relationship prior to the incident. The incident under investigation by Sarasota police occurred when Christian Ziegler and the woman were alone at the woman’s house, without Bridget Ziegler present, the sources conveyed. 

 Sources also corroborated that a search warrant was executed on Christian Ziegler’s cell phone and that investigators continue to conduct a forensic examination of the electronic device. Christian Ziegler is also alleged to have secretly videotaped the sexual encounters between the couple and the woman, which had been occurring for the past three years, sources said. 

 There have been no charges filed in the case and the Trident is unaware whether the woman’s allegations have been substantiated. A voicemail was left with Mr. Ziegler for comment and a message was left at Bridget Ziegler’s school board office. Neither had been returned prior to publishing this story.

After the news of the scandal came out, Moms for Liberty tweeted but then deleted the following message in support of Ziegler.

As I said before, November has been a bad month for Moms for Liberty. 

Earlier, they lost several school board elections across the nation,

Then they faced questions of affiliations with nationalist hate The Proud Boys after two chapter leaders got caught taking a picture with Proud Boys members while flashing white power signs, 

And finally, a pastor who coordinated faith-based outreach for them was discovered to be a registered sex offender.

Update - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Christian Ziegler should resign from chairmanship of the state Republican party:

Speaking to reporters after his debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sean Hannity's Fox News show, DeSantis called the allegations "serious" and said Ziegler should resign.

"I don’t see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing given the gravity of those situations," DeSantis said. "And so, I think he should step aside. I think he should tend to that. He’s innocent until proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny. And so, I hope that — I hope the charges aren’t true. I’ve known him, I’ve known Bridget, they’ve been friends. But the mission is more important."

'Book-banner claims book with a kiss in it turned her into a porno addict' & other Thur midday news briefs

Book-banner claims a book with a kiss in it turned her into a porn addict at school board meeting - This is scooping at the bottom of the barrel right here.

Speaker Mike Johnson to Address Hardline Christian Nationalist Organization​ - Our Speaker of the House is a wannabe Cotton Mather.

Opponents want Montana drag ban declared unconstitutional without a trial - It would be nice if it were successful. 

Vermont Christian School Sues State After It Was Penalized for Being Anti-Trans - Guess who's weaponizing religious beliefs again?

18 Republican attorney generals want to weaponize religious beliefs against LGBTQ foster children

Seems to me that if there had to be a choice between the rights and welfare of LGBTQ foster kids versus the religious beliefs of potential foster parents, the rights and welfare of LGBTQ foster kids should win. Too bad 18 Republican attorney generals don't think so.

From LGBTQ Nation

Eighteen Republican attorneys general have signed a letter opposing a proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would require foster care agencies to place LGBTQ+ minors with foster care providers who will respect their identities. Agencies that don’t would lose federal funding.  The attorneys say the rule will infringe on providers’ religious liberty, arguing that trying to get LGBTQ+ kids into affirming homes harms religious conservatives’ rights to impose their views on kids.

The HHS Administration for Children and Families’ proposed rule is meant to “address the extensively documented risk factors and adverse outcomes” that LGBTQ+ children in foster care often experience, the department wrote. LGBTQ+ kids in foster care have experienced higher levels of misgendering, bullying, abuse, forced isolation from other kids, inability to access LGBTQ+-affirming resources, and placement into so-called “conversion therapy” programs that aim to change their sexual orientation and gender identity, HHS wrote. 

Such mistreatment has been linked to an increased risk of depression, suicide, homelessness, food insecurity, illegal drug use, and other serious health risks. The rule requires agencies and providers to offer training materials that aid in caring for an LGBTQ+ child’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral well-being. Agencies and providers must have review systems in place to house kids in safe, supportive environments.

 . . .  The 18 Republican attorneys general who oppose the proposal, led by Jonathan Skrmetti of Tennessee, claim that the new rule will hinder agencies from finding care providers for foster kids in need and drive dedicated care providers out of the system. The attorneys also say the rule goes “far beyond [HHS’s] statutory authority,” violates constitutional rights, and contradicts state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (many of which have been blocked by courts). 

 . . .  The letter claims that Tennessee and other states have determined that gender-affirming care is “unproven and unsafe,” even though its methods have been used safely for decades and are deemed safe, effective, and essential by all major medical associations. The letter also claims that the new rule will lead to the persecution of religious families who restrict minors’ access to LGBTQ+-affirming media, social groups, and medical care. 

 However, the HHS’ proposed rule specifically says that it “would not require that every provider become designated as a safe and appropriate placement for LGBTQI+ children.”

Seattle middle school students tell Moms for Liberty to back off

SPLC-designated hate group Moms for Liberty is having a bad November. Their candidates were rejected by voters earlier this month. Now middle school students are calling them out for their bullying tactics.

From The Advocate:

Seattle Public Schools are spending class time indoctrinating and weaponizing your children.

The building of the Red Guard in America. pic.twitter.com/qB77Aw7Ypb

— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) November 26, 2023

Students in the Seattle Public Schools have clapped back at Moms for Liberty, sending the far-right group handmade cards bearing pro-LGBTQ+ messages. Moms for Liberty, which campaigns against LGBTQ+ content in schools, supposedly in the name of parental rights, shared several images of the cards Saturday on its X (formerly Twitter) feed. One reads, “LGBTQ+ rights are human rights.” Another says, “Gay is slay, stop being a rat.” Another says, “My heart when people are homophobic,” with an image of a broken heart in rainbow colors. Most of the cards use the colors of the rainbow. 

 Moms for Liberty did not approve, to say the least. In the tweet showing the cards, the group wrote, “Seattle Public Schools are spending class time indoctrinating and weaponizing your children. The building of the Red Guard in America.” A Seattle Public Schools spokesperson said that creating and sending the cards was “an independent activity and not part of the school curriculum.” The cards were sent last spring.

Point of fact, Moms for Liberty - these kids are not being 'indoctrinated' as you like to put it. Some of them are LGBTQ, some come from homes with LGBTQ parents and siblings, while others probably have LGBTQ friends. Whatever the case may be, they all recognize that you are the outsiders or the wannabe indoctrinators. They recognize that no one in your group gives a damn about them and that you see them as only a prop or an excuse to undermine the rights, health, and safety of the LGBTQ community in general. To them, you are the enemy and deservedly so. Like in so many instances, the children plainly recognize what adults fail see. They cannot be fooled by phonies.

'Rep George Santos could face expulsion from the House this week' & other Tue midday news briefs

Rep. George Santos

Rep. George Santos could face expulsion from the House this week​ - Bye, bye George.

20 of 2023’s LGBTQ-Inclusive Early Readers, Chapter Books, and Early Middle Grade Titles - Make that Christmas list for reading material. 

Queer activists: ‘I told you so’ as DeSantis escalates queer erasure - Yep, DeSantis is going to try to make it all worse. 

‘We are not a threat’: Danielle McGahey reacts to ban on trans women in international women’s cricket - Amen. 

Republicans want to give transphobic employees more legal protections - Of course those bigots do.

Chaya Raichik, Libs of TikTok upset that Fruit Loops are encouraging children to read

Seems to me that Chaya Raichik and Libs of TikTok is running out of material. They are leading a comical charge of conservatives on Twitter attacking Fruit Loops cereal for encouraging kids to read.

From The Advocate:

Froot Loops cereal boxes feature a promotion offering free access to a digital library focused on equality, diversity, and inclusion in Canada. The initiative, LOOP TOGETHER, was launched in collaboration with BGC Canada and Kids Can Press to foster discussions about diverse topics among families. The library includes books on various subjects such as gender, immigration, multiculturalism, and disability, with titles like Maggie’s Chopsticks, My City Speaks, and Razia’s Ray of Hope. 

This campaign has attracted criticism from conservative circles. Libs of TikTok recently expressed disapproval on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The account wrote, “Fruit Loops promotes free access to a digital library on their cereal boxes for kids. The library offers a range of books to teach kids themes of “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” @KelloggsUS wants to indoctrinate your children with breakfast cereal. Stop giving them your money!” 

Other conservative commentators criticized Kellogg’s for encouraging children and their families to engage with various literature. Some social media users have called for boycotting Kellogg’s, drawing parallels to previous boycotts against brands like Bud Light.

Gasp! How Fruit Loops encourage kids to read! The horror of it all!

 I fail to see the problem with what's being done here. When I was a child, we had the RIF library come to our schools and allow us to pick out a free book. There is no difference between that and what is being done now.

The story here shouldn't be about Fruit Loops, although its program should be celebrated and encouraged. The story here is about pathetic, bottom-feeding, rage-farming bigots who are desperate for constant engagement. It's becoming ridiculous how they are making even the most simplistic things - such as literacy encouragement - about conspiracy theories and sexual indoctrination. It's getting downright tiring. And annoying. People need to recognize how pathetic people like Chaya Raichik and entities like Libs of TikTok are. And laugh at them. Constantly.

Repost - How Donald Trump's incompetency made the COVID pandemic worse, told as a motion comic

Editor's note - with the 2024 election coming up, I'm reposting this as a reminder. Some folks in America seem to have serious memory issues with regards should be our leaders. Voting is a duty and an obligation. It's not giving orders in a restaurant and it's not American Idol. Choose the wrong leader and stuff like this happens.

The 2024 elections are coming up and though the campaign a little over a year away, folks have been predicting things. One prediction is that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee four years after he lost the presidency. I don't particularly care for Trump or his chances, so no one should assume that I'm pushing the above motion comic from Business Insider as some desperate attempt to stop his supposed ascendancy.

 I hope you can take nine minutes out of your day to view it. AND share it. What I want is people to remember what this man caused with his inept response to the COVID pandemic. Donald Trump is responsible for the deaths of scores of Americans. He may not have personally touched them, but his shitty and highly selfish leadership is partly the reason why COVID's death toll is high. And even though President Biden did what he could after winning in 2020, but patterns were set and they couldn't be eliminated completely before more lives were lost. 

 Please bear in mind that I said Trump was partly the reason why the COVID death count is high. He had help from Fox News as the above video will show.

 And aside from Trump, this is the saddest part of it all. Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Kayleigh McEnany, Maria Bartiromo, Mollie Hemingway, and so many others at Fox News bear responsibility for the COVID deaths. Far-right Christian evangelicals such as Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress, Alveda King, and Franklin Graham, though not mention in the video, also have blood on their hands. None of these folks did anything but kiss his ass and reap the benefits of making Trump their golden calf.

 All of them knew that the things they were saying and the narratives they pushed were lies, but none of them cared. And what's worse is how they are presently pretending as if none of this stuff ever took place. They are pretending that Trump did not botch the COVID pandemic response, and that people didn't die because of it. Even when some of those people worshipped in their faith, sent them money, were fans of their network, or followed them on social media. 

 Even if Trump faces some sort of punishment for what he's done, these bottom feeders will be allowed to sneak away and continue to do the things they do which undermines this country and puts so many people in mortal jeopardy. They will continue to collect their paychecks, get their notoriety, and amplify the next bloodsucker. 

 In their minds, the people Trump's incompetence hurt never existed.

Related post: Video - How Fox News helped Donald Trump bungle the COVID pandemic response (and kill scores of Americans)

Moms for Liberty leader is a convicted sex offender

Definition of irony - Mom for Liberty, an organization which accuses LGBTQ people, librarians, and teachers of sexually grooming kids, is affiliated with a convicted sex offender.

From Raw Story:

A Republican pastor who coordinates the faith-based outreach for the Philadelphia chapter of Moms for Liberty was convicted a decade ago of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

 Phillip Fisher Jr., who leads the Center of Universal Divinity in Olney, helps connect the right-wing group with local faith leaders to boost membership, and other leaders say they're shocked to learn he pleaded guilty in 2012 to a felony count of aggravated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy when he was 25, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

 Fisher blames his conviction on a political action committee for perennial presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche, which he had worked for but was trying to break free of what he now calls a "cult." “It was a political situation that happened between me and Lyndon LaRouche,” Fisher said. “It was a member of his camp, his party, that made the accusation. They pushed it through. It was really a railroad job.” .

 . . A national spokesperson for Moms for Liberty did not respond to a request for comment, but Sheila Armstrong, another GOP ward leader who chairs the local Moms for Liberty chapter, expressed surprise, saying that she had just received from the state Department of Human Services a “child abuse history certification” in Fisher's name so he could volunteer for an upcoming Christmas party for an autism nonprofit that she leads. Fisher was sentenced to three years in prison and given credit for spending nearly 20 months in jail awaiting trial, and he said he agreed to plead guilty to get out of jail, where he said he experienced violence from other prisoners.

This latest embarrassment for Moms for Liberty comes on the heels of the organization being thoroughly rejected by voters on election day and the expulsion of two chapter leaders for taking a picture with nationalist hate group the Proud Boys while flashing white power signs.

"GLAAD calls outrage over LGBTQ+ inclusion in Macy's Parade a 'desperate plea for attention'' & other Fri midday news briefs

Outrage Over LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Macy's Parade 'Desperate Plea For Attention,' GLAAD Says​ - I may have to watch the parade now seeing how the haters can't stand us being included in it.

Right-wing media boost anti-LGBTQ outrage against Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Case in point.

Book banners came for this Colorado town. They didn’t anticipate resistance. - This is how you fight back against the haters. 

California's first lesbian Senate leader could make history again if she runs for governor - Can she do it?

Billy Porter hits the dance floor on his fifth album with the goal of 'trying to heal people' - Work it, Billy!

Supreme Court hands DeSantis a big loss on anti-drag law

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis

It was a 6-3 decision. I bet you can easily guess who were two of the votes on the losing side.

From CNN

The Florida law that limits drag shows in the state will remain blocked, the Supreme Court said Thursday, dealing a blow to a key initiative championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida had asked the high court to narrow a lower court’s injunction that stopped the law from being enforced statewide. The justices declined to do so.  

Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have allowed the law to take effect. In a brief statement agreeing with the court’s decision, Justices Brett Kavanaugh, joined in part by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, addressed the First Amendment complexities of the case and said the case was an “imperfect vehicle” for deciding some of the questions at the center of the dispute. 

 Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody argued that the law – dubbed the “Protection of Children Act” – was designed to “prevent the exposure of children to sexually explicit live performances.” The 2023 law makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly admit a child to a sexually explicit adult live performance that would be obscene for the “the age of the child present.” 

 A district court judge blocked the law while an appeal of it played out, holding it likely violated the Constitution’s free speech and due process protections and that it was unconstitutionally vague. The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined Florida’s emergency application for a stay of the district court’s injunction, triggering the state’s ask to the Supreme Court for relief. 

 The law was originally challenged by a popular Orlando restaurant – Hamburger Mary’s – that hosts drag brunches and claimed that the new legislation resulted in a loss of business. Florida had asked the justices to slightly narrow the state-wide injunction so that the law could be enforced against every business except the restaurant that was challenging it.

Right-wingers on Twitter rage about 'gay nutcrackers' and black Santas in wheelchairs

There simply has to be more important things to do in this world than rage at Target for selling nutcrackers with rainbow flags or black Santas in wheelchairs.  I personally blame Elon Musk for this. His takeover of Twitter encourages all of these wannabe social media influencers grabbing clout by appealing to people's fear, rage, and basic stupidity.  They do stuff like this for attention and engagement. That's why I deliberately blotted out their names. They deserve derision, not engagement. 

Technology in the hands of empowered haters is truly a dangerous thing. 

'Here we go again. Ohio legislators trying to ban public drag performances' & other Wed midday news briefs

7 Quotes from the first hearing to ban public drag performances in Ohio​- Here we go again. They don't ever learn.

School district increases security after being targeted by hate influencer Chaya Raichik over a joke - Her again. And it's ugly how she revels in it. 

Transgender Boy Can Be the Lead in Texas High School's ‘Oklahoma!’ After All - Good news! 

Judge denies initial request to temporarily block North Dakota’s ban on kids’ gender-affirming care - Completely ridiculous.

Moms For Liberty deny affiliation with extremist hate group The Proud Boys, but pictures and links tell another story

Moms for Liberty members recently took a picture with hate group The Proud Boys while flashing white power signs. 

A week after its most deserving electoral embarrassment, hate group Moms For Liberty is now embroiled in another embarrassment. 

From The Cincinnati Enquirer:

 Moms for Liberty said Tuesday it is not affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys and has removed two chapter leaders from their posts for demonstrating "a lack of judgement and misalignment with our core values." The organization, best known for endorsing culture war candidates in local school board elections, did not name the chapter leaders who were removed. However, the websites for chapters in Boone and Campbell counties no longer show the names and headshots for leaders as of Tuesday afternoon. 

 The two chapter leaders, Karen Strayer and Mirna Eads, were photographed with the Appalachian Proud Boys at a rally in Frankfort. The Protect the Children rally Nov. 4 was part of a nationwide demonstration calling for stricter laws for child sex trafficking, public indecency around children, drag queen story times, and critical race theory. 

 The Enquirer provided some history about The Proud Boys: 

 The Proud Boys is an international extremist hate group whose members often wear black and yellow clothing. The Anti-Defamation League describes them as "misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration." They've also been linked to white supremacist and antisemitic movements. Most notably, its members participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building in Washington D.C. in 2021, leading to four of its members being convicted of seditious conspiracy. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, former national chairman of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. 

 Earlier on Tuesday, Moms for Liberty sent out the following Twitter statement denying affiliation with the Proud Boys:

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.

We have been made aware that two Chapter leaders have recently demonstrated a lack of judgement and misalignment with our core…

— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) November 14, 2023

However, several responses claimed that Moms For Liberty did in fact affiliate itself with the Proud Boys on several occasions. And they provided links to back up these assertions:

"Moms For Liberty Is In No Way Affiliated With The Proud Boys"

Also Moms For Liberty: https://t.co/olV9jTgEUI pic.twitter.com/URodOtsLAr

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) November 14, 2023

How dumb do you think people are? https://t.co/TnPmG00QkH

— jennycohn@toad.social ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) November 14, 2023

It’s a bit late to re-brand. https://t.co/qLU4Evhe1o pic.twitter.com/qEvh5turh1

— jennycohn@toad.social ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) November 14, 2023

12/ Here is Moms for Liberty member Alicia Farrant, who sits on the Orange County (Florida) school board, with Jacob Engels, Roger Stone’s longtime assistant who has served as a Proud Boys spokesperson & handled Enrique Tarrio’s failed political campaign. Thread. https://t.co/ui5LWSjzb0

— jennycohn@toad.social ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) November 14, 2023

Photo taken from The Space Coast Rocket

Video: HRC honors Transgender Awareness Week - the legacy and the power of trans people

I get the folks who may accuse this as trite or window-dressing. I understand their anger and frustration about the junk trans people have to deal with from certain segment of our government, social media, and the like. But please keep in mind that visibility matters. Representation matters and while having to deal with evil and ignorance is exhausting, this video represents is a step forward. And in the end not allowing the haters from keeping you from taking those steps forward means that you are winning. 

'Republicans still embrace dangerous anti-LGBTQ 'Project 2025' even after election failures' & other Mon midday news briefs

Republicans Advocate Transphobic, Authoritarian ‘Project 2025’ Even After Election Failures - Prepare to hear more about this because it is a scary possibility in the future. This is not a drill.

Conservative Christians enraged at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade for being a trans “extravaganza”​ - They will get over it. 

Florida teacher fired for using gender-neutral honorific ‘Mx.’ - This is some unbelievable bull right here.

LGBTQ youth suicide prevention group leaves X after uptick in 'hate & vitriol' - Another reason why Twitter is going to sh!t.

Group spent over $2 million on anti-trans ads in failed attempt to unseat Kentucky Gov Beshear

According to Erin Reed (whose work you really should support), one of the reasons why the GOP came up embarrassingly short after last week's elections was their dependence on transphobia to get their people to the polls. 

This is evident in the wacky commercial below sent out by anti-trans group the Americans Principles Project. The commercial claims that the government will be taking kids away in order to make them trans. APP reportedly spent over $2 million on ads like this to defeat the re-election campaign of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. 

The ads failed. And it wasn't even close. 

Oh my God, y'all. American Principles Project scammed their donors into thinking that donating $2,000,000 to THIS video was a good idea.

It's so patently absurd.

Suburban families aren't terrified the FBI is going to take their kid for having a discussion about being trans. pic.twitter.com/aKd00OZo8c

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) November 10, 2023

Moms for Liberty get 'canceled' by voters across the nation

 

By now you know the outcome of Tuesday night's election i.e. the incredible success of the Democratic Party, the repudiation of books bans and anti-trans tropes, and the historical ascension of LGBTQ candidates to public office. 

I'm spotlighting a particularly delicious outcome from Tuesday night. Reactionary hate group Moms for Liberty got destroyed. I mean that to say their endorsed candidates lost a vast majority of schoolboard elections.

And that has been the talk all day. Here is just a small bit of the buzz about the group's huge losses.

Mother Jones

 Moms for Liberty crows about its success in helping its chosen candidates win their elections; of the 500 right-wing candidates the group endorsed for school board last year, three-quarters of whom had never before run, 275 won their races. 

 But this year, Moms for Liberty’s luck appears to be running out—last night, many of the group’s favored candidates lost. 

Here is a non-exhaustive list of results, as of Wednesday morning, in a few places where there were candidates endorsed or recommended by Moms for Liberty:

 In Pennsylvania, the group recommended (but didn’t officially endorse) candidates in five districts. In Central Bucks, five parents’ rights candidates lost their seats to Democrats, as did another five in the Pennridge 

In Iowa, the group endorsed 13 candidates. Just one won.

 In Virginia’s Loudoun County, so far, it appeared that three Moms for Liberty-backed candidates had lost their races. 

In North Carolina’s Mooresville Graded School District Board of Education, a Moms for Liberty-backed candidate lost to a Democrat.

 In Minnesota’s Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District all four of the Moms for Liberty candidates were defeated.

Intelligencer

Far-right groups like Moms for Liberty say they speak for parents, a proposition that’s always been dubious. As they push for book bans, whitewash American history, and try to drive LGBTQ+ teachers and students back into the closet, they’ve made plenty of enemies. Parents, especially mothers, have gone head to head with Moms for Liberty and the candidates it backs, stunting the far right’s march through local school boards. That trend was particularly apparent on Tuesday evening when anti-diversity candidates lost a number of pivotal school-board races across the nation.

 When Moms for Liberty assaults protections for LGBTQ+ children in public schools, and threatens to out trans children to families that may not be welcoming, they do so with specious arguments about “parental rights.” Nobody wants to co-parent with the government, they argue, and parents have a right to know what their children are doing in school. Members have backed policies that would prevent teachers from covering LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom, ban trans girls from playing school sports, and notify parents if a child requests a name change at school. Those policies place LGBTQ+ students — and educators — at risk. Tuesday’s school-board races tested the nation’s priorities: Did voters want culture war or did they want candidates focused more on the work of education? The answer is a blow for Moms for Liberty and their larger platform.

The New Republic

Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 to push back against Covid-19 restrictions in schools. It has since expanded to opposing classes on diversity, curbing the rights of LGBTQ students, and banning books. But on Tuesday, voters across the country pushed back on the Moms for Liberty agenda. The organization endorsed more than 130 candidates across the country, and the vast majority of them lost—with some failing to get more than single-digit support.

The Mary Sue

Each loss the group experienced resulted in a victory for LGBTQ+ and students of color. It also meant a loss for hatred, bigotry, racism, transphobia, and homophobia. This hate group is desperately trying to infiltrate and poison the public education system, which is why it’s so important that voters stand up and refuse to let MFL gain a foothold. It’s also very pleasant to think of MFL’s reaction to the whole country illustrating so plainly that it wants nothing to do with these hateful extremists.

The leaders of Moms for Liberty don't seem to be taking its embarrassing loss in good spirits. Co-founder Tiffany Justice sent the following tweet to trans activist Erin Reed:

Sticks and stones may break our bones, but you’ll still never be a woman. 🤷‍♀️ https://t.co/PrxXYtbUuq

— Tiffany Justice (@4TiffanyJustice) November 8, 2023

Tiffany dear, your bitterness flavors our tea. 

'City ordinance banning public homosexuality reaches Rutherford County Libraries' & other Wed midday news briefs

City Ordinance Banning Public Homosexuality Reaches Rutherford County Libraries​ - This doesn't spook me in the least. It riles me up and I hope I'm not the only one. 

Children of queer parents are the forgotten victims in the right-wing crusade against LGBTQ+ rights - So sad but true. 

Chaya Raichik's goons are mad at me. Music to my ears and beauty to my eyes. - My post from last night. Also my official way of declaring Chaya Raichik as my new Maggie Gallagher, my new Matt Barber, my new Peter LaBarbera. If you've kept up with my blog these number of years, you'd know what I'm talking about.

Chaya Raichik's goons are mad at me. Music to my ears and beauty to my eyes.

 Chaya Raichik's goons are upset at me. Apparently, they didn't appreciate my blog post from last night. And they really didn't appreciate the excerpt I posted.

Chaya Raichik is also self-destructive. She takes too much happiness in upending people's lives. She oozes a joy akin to that of a sadist when he's torturing a puppy or a kitten. . . an overfed hog always disgusts everyone around it sooner or later. - https://t.co/DAM2DL1qJN

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) November 7, 2023

In response, a lot of them either peppered me with insults or repeated her lying narratives. Of course. Some of the funniest responses I've received are the following:

Many of Chaya's defenders claimed that she merely retweets what "folks on left" are tweeting:

Of course that's a lie. Chaya mischaracterizes videos to deliberately feed upon prejudices about LGBTQ people.  She has also been known to out-and-out lie. For example, when she claimed that Boston Children's Hospitals were giving trans kids hysterectomies.

In those regards, Chaya Raichik is no different than a racist spinning lies about 'black-on-black' crime or a white supremacist Nazi spewing propaganda about "how the Jews are money-hungry chaos bringers". And just like in the case of the racist and Nazi, all she needs is someone stupid enough to believe her garbage.

Unfortunately, she has that in abundance.

Related post - RationalWiki has everything you need to know about Chaya and Libs of TikTok. Just hold your nose while reading.

'

Chaya Raichik is making a sociopathic fool of herself

 Well, isn't this charming?

After complaining extensively last week that the USA Today article detailing her exploits of hate would cause her to get harassed and death threats, Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik recently posted the following on Twitter.

And then she's changed her profile banner to the following as an attempt to mock how she has been connected to bomb threats against schools and hospitals.

Let's be clear about what she's doing. Chaya is making fun of the fact that her deceptive Twitter posts have been connected with several incidents of harassment and bomb threats to children's hospitals, schools, and individuals. I guess Chaya thinks she's being funny (and her supporters are no doubt loving it) but it only underscores just how much of a sad little girl she is. A sad little girl who, by the pictures, has a head shaped like a bowling ball pin.

Okay that was mean. I will be serious.

When it comes to people like Chaya, it is difficult to take the high road. They thrive on the chaos they cause, particularly when it creates tangible harm. They live for instigating evil and then watching with glee when their actions create problems for others, especially those who they dislike because of their own prejudices. Chaya claims that her actions are to protect kids from LGBTQ grooming but it's obvious that her explanation is merely an excuse for her to satisfy her own sadistic tendencies.

In the old days, we called people like her sociopaths. But I guess they should be referred to - in Chaya's case - as social media influencers.

I almost feel sorry for Raichik because it's obvious that all of the hatred she spews and the harm she causes is coming from a pitch-black place inside of her. Maybe she had awful parents. Maybe she was constantly teased as a child. Maybe she suffered a painfully traumatic incident which shaped her adult outlook. Maybe she was unfairly criticized for being too overweight, too skinny, too plain. or having a grating voice (because her voice is annoying as hell). And maybe all of this created a desire in her to harm others.

Or maybe none of that happened. Maybe she had a good upbringing with loving parents and popularity but still ended up being this twisted, heartless ghoul in a woman's skin because that's simply how things work out.

It really doesn't matter one way or another because in the long run, Chaya is also self-destructive. She takes too much happiness in upending people's lives. She oozes a joy akin to that of a sadist when he's torturing a puppy or a kitten. 

And that type always becomes too much for even their supporters. They simply can't help themselves because they live for the misery they cause like rutting hogs to the trough. And an overfed hog always disgusts everyone around it sooner or later.

Oh, and she comes across as racist, too (surprise, surprise)

Related posts:

Anti-LGBTQ activist Chaya Raichik sets herself up for ridicule, gets mocked all over Twitter.

Matt Walsh, Chaya Raichik from Libs of TikTok furious at being linked to Pride flag shooter Travis Ikeguchi 

Chaya Raichik, why are you so 'stank?'

'Citizens unite to scare anti-LGBTQ Nazi leader and his 'training camp' out of town' & other Mon midday news briefs

Citizens scare anti-LGBTQ+ neo-Nazi leader & his “training camp” out of town​ - You gotta do what you gotta do. 

Target's CEO Doesn't Regret Pulling LGBTQ+ Pride Merch From Shelves - This is depressing. Haters win when they make you succumb to fear.

These companies kept up LGBTQ advertising despite risk of consumer boycotts - And these companies deserve kudos. 

The Most Amazing HIV Allies & Advocates of 2023 - The fight continues with these folks on the front lines. 

Admiral Rachel Levine calls hate a public health threat - And she is not wrong.

Pete Buttigieg strongly defends same-sex marriage and families in response to Mike Johnson's past comments

Treasury Secretary Pete Buttigieg nails the simple point the haters want us to forget about same-sex marriage and our families.

In this climate of renewed attacks on LGBTQ people, we need more people publicly defending our families and especially our kids. That's the one thing which always annoys me when people weaponize parenting and families to demonize our community - they deliberately omit that we are parents, and our families matters just as much as theirs. 

That's why we need more people like Treasury Secretary Pete Buttigieg to bring that point home. In response to Speaker of the House Mike Johson's past ugly comments about our marriages, Buttigieg proves that representation matters. It's the difference between being made invisible and pushing back forcefully when someone tries to render us invisible.

Wow. Pete Buttigieg just responded to Mike Johnson saying his same-sex marriage is the “dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy” that will destroy the country. pic.twitter.com/a1SDKuodc1

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) November 3, 2023

'Timeline - 33 times people and institutions have been threatened and harassed after being targeted by Libs of TikTok' & other Fri midday news briefs

TIMELINE: The impact of Libs of TikTok told through the educators, health care providers, librarians, LGBTQ people, and institutions that have been harassed and violently threatened​ - Thirty-three incidents of people, hospitals, schools, etc getting threatened and harassed after being targeted by Chaya Raichik and Libs of TikTok.

PragerU buys 'takeover' ad on X as part of $1M campaign to promote polarizing 'Detrans' film - Absolutely trashy attack on the trans community. But it will not work. 

Mike Johnson Says the Gays Ended Rome in Newly Released Audio Recordings - It just keeps coming from our new Speaker of the House. 

Hungary bans teens from visiting World Press Photo exhibition over LGBTQ images - Laaaawd!

Chaya Raichik plays the victim after USA Today about Libs of TikTok

Chaya Raichik isn't smiling after the recent USA Today article about Libs of TikTok

The USA Today just posted a very good expose on Libs of TikTok and its founder Chaya Raichik. And Raichik isn't happy about it. 

It deserves a full read, but allow me to post some excerpts:

 . . . USA TODAY has confirmed dozens of bomb threats, death threats and other harassment after Libs of TikTok’s posts since February 2022, based on exclusive new research from the progressive analysis group Media Matters for America. Numerous news reports have covered individual threats, noting the target had also been mentioned by Libs of TikTok. 

But the new analysis of years of tweets, including archives of many Raichik has since deleted, shows the pattern is more extensive and pervasive than has been previously known – and that threats, specifically against schools, have ratcheted up significantly in the past two months. 

. . .Asked for her reaction to the established pattern of harassment that follows her tweets, Raichik has a simple — and standard — response: She’s merely re-posting what institutions and individuals have already, themselves, chosen to put out to the world on social media, she says. “If an individual posts publicly on TikTok, the goal of TikTok is to get views,” Raichik said. “That's why people post on TikTok — they want to become famous, they want clicks, views.” 

 But Raichik doesn’t just re-post other people’s content. First, her posts almost always include some kind of commentary. One in October, for example, featured an Instagram video of a New York music teacher, joyfully waving a Progress Pride flag while the message “Happy National Coming Out Day — Black, Gay and Thriving” appears at the bottom of the screen. “An actual elementary school teacher in NY,” reads Raichik’s comment on the video. 

 . . . Other posts either directly or indirectly encourage Libs of TikTok’s followers to contact the original poster directly. In a post last April for example, Raichik sarcastically told her followers “definitely do not keep up the pressure” on a school district in Oregon that supported transgender students using their chosen pronouns. Asked about that post, she acknowledged it was a call to action, but only to “tag” or mention the account on social media. “I’ve done that a couple times, where I told people to tag accounts on Twitter,” she said. “That is nowhere near telling people to call in bomb threats.”

Libs of TikTok also doesn’t post solely public material. Posts regularly include clandestine photos and videos that have been sent to Raichik or her network, presumably without the permission of a hospital, school clinic or library.

And some of the material she posts is doctored or fake – something Raichik acknowledged in her interview with USA TODAY. In April 2022, she reposted photographs and claims purporting to show an elementary school teaching children about a lifestyle some people believed depicts a fetish for animal costumes. The original post was an easily debunked hoax, and Raichik later deleted her tweet.

Raichik took to Twitter to whine about the possibility getting harassment and threat because of the article.

The irony is both sad and delicious.  Raichik complains that an article which simply details her exploits could make her the victim of harassment and threats. Meanwhile her deliberate targeting of schools, hospitals, and individuals has been linked to genuine harassment and bomb threats.  And when asked about these incidents, Raichik implies that she is merely posting the exploits of her targets.

GURL HUSH.

Granted, I don't support bomb threats, or any type of threats and I hope that Raichik doesn't receive any because of the article.  But then again, I don't weep for the vindictive snake which gets a taste of the venom she spits at others.

'Anti-LGBTQ+ Twitter accounts use Gaza conflict misinformation to gain influence' & other Thur midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ+ Twitter accounts use Gaza conflict misinformation to gain influence​ - These people are bloodsuckers and vultures. They will go after anything which they think will give them clout. And Elon Musk does nothing but encourages them. He is a complete bastard. 

Democrats Demand Biden, Leaders to Reject Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders in Any Funding Bill- Reject every last one.

Idaho's Anti-Transgender School Restroom Law Blocked by Court - At least for now. 

US to terminate economic ties with Uganda over ‘gross violations’ of human rights - Bye.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson collaborated with anti-LGBTQ group to promote fraudulent 'ex-gay' therapy

“I mean, our race, the size of our feet, the color of our eyes, these are things we’re born with and we cannot change . . . What these adult advocacy groups like the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network are promoting is a type of behavior. Homosexual behavior is something you do, it’s not something that you are.” - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in 2008 when he collaborated with now defunct "ex-gay" group Exodus International.

No matter how hard he attempts to conceal his homophobic past, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is finding out that some things won't stay buried.

From CNN:

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson closely collaborated with a group in the mid-to-late 2000s that promoted “conversion therapy,” a discredited practice that asserted it could change the sexual orientation of gay and lesbian individuals. 

 Prior to launching his political career, Johnson, a lawyer, gave legal advice to an organization called Exodus International and partnered with the group to put on an annual anti-gay event aimed at teens, according to a CNN KFile review of more than a dozen of Johnson’s media appearances from that timespan. Founded in 1976, Exodus International was a leader in the so-called “ex-gay” movement, which aimed to make gay individuals straight through conversion therapy programs using religious and counseling methods. Exodus International connected ministries across the world using these controversial approaches. The group shut down in 2013, with its founder posting a public apology for the “pain and hurt” his organization caused.

 Conversion therapy has been widely condemned by most major medical institutions and has been shown to be harmful to struggling LGBTQ people. At the time, Johnson worked as an attorney for the socially conservative legal advocacy group, Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). He and his group collaborated with Exodus from 2006 to 2010.

 For years, Johnson and Exodus worked on an event started by ADF in 2005 known as the “Day of Truth” – a counterprotest to the “Day of Silence,” a day in schools in which students stayed silent to bring awareness to bullying faced by LGBTQ youth.

 . . . Johnson promoted the event heavily in the media – through radio interviews, comments in newspapers, and an editorial. In interviews, he repeatedly cited the case of a teen who went to school after the Day of Silence wearing a shirt that read, “Be ashamed. Our school has embraced what God has condemned” and “Homosexuality is shameful.” 

The teen was suspended and ADF represented him in legal action over the incident. The case was dismissed because the teen graduated, and the court found he no longer had standing to challenge the dress code. “Day of Truth was really established to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda in public schools,” Johnson told a radio host in 2008.

According to CNN, Johnson's office didn't respond to a request for comment.

Editor's note - I've written several posts on this laughable event known as the Day of Truth. Here is just a few:

Exodus International dropping support of anti-gay event Day of Truth

Religious right 'Day of Truth' peddles same old lies to youth

Whatever happened to the Day of Truth?

Day after the Day of Truth - another Day of Silence

Day of Truth? Give me a break!!