There has not been an overwhelmingly positive response in Philadelphia to the presence in the city of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that has been involved in efforts around the country to use the mechanisms of local education to enact their political agenda. In general, these efforts have included moves like challenging the presence at local schools of books that even begin to cover issues of LGBTQ+ identity and other areas in human rights.
And guess what? A local journalist documented how flags in support of transgender rights had been placed on lampposts outside a hotel in Philadelphia that was hosting the Moms for Liberty summit in recent days, adding rhetorical insult to injury for these fanatics. “A colorful note on the Moms for Liberty summit: the City of Philadelphia put trans flags on all the lamp posts surrounding the Marriott, which is hosting the conference,” Jason Villemez said online, with an accompanying image that showed what he was talking about.
Though Moms for Liberty, which traces back to a small group in Florida, is on the newer side as an organization, its latest event in Philadelphia attracted a pretty high profile. Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, the leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, were both set to participate in the gathering. There were protests in the city that challenged the organization’s presence and even an incident at the local indoor farmer’s market known as Reading Terminal Market where someone videotaped individuals involved with the group getting heckled as someone offscreen talked about racists being unwelcome in Philadelphia!
Some of the street protesters showed up immediately adjacent to that same Marriott where the summit was taking place, though there were perimeter protections in place, presumably in connection to Trump’s attendance considering his status. “Moms4Hate Get The Fuck Out Of My City,” a message in chalk told Philadelphia passersby. See some of it below:
A colorful note on the Moms for Liberty summit: the City of Philadelphia put trans flags on all the lamp posts surrounding the Marriott, which is hosting the conference. pic.twitter.com/kWUwOgk765
— Jason Villemez (@JasonVillemez) June 30, 2023
Those present include clergy, mutual aid orgs, and co-organizer @ACTUPPhilly.
Signs and chalked messages read:
“This deacon says stop supporting hate.”
“[M4L] offered bounties for tips on educators teaching critical race theory.”
“Moms4Hate get the fuck out of my city.” pic.twitter.com/Bs7IwXspEX— PRO_NYC (@protest_nyc) June 30, 2023
