In recent days, an organization called AgendaPAC peppered a Philadelphia hotel hosting the far-right group Moms for Liberty with fliers denouncing the organization’s activities. Moms for Liberty has helped organize and lead nationwide efforts to turn local schools into what are effectively political battlegrounds through means like challenging the availability of certain books for students.
Observers have documented how, for instance, the titles being targeted feature LGBTQ+ characters and themes at a rate far higher than the portion of the national population that LGBTQ+ individuals generally comprise, based on self-identification. The organization PEN America also found that books featuring characters of color or discussions of race and racism, as they described the category, also outpaced the actual portion of the U.S. population that is non-white, indicating evidently unique targeting of non-white communities’ stories as well.
The fliers from AgendaPAC were in the form of door hangers. “Please disturb,” one said. “Fascism in progress.” The other featured a piece of art showing two male-presenting figures kissing and said: “Agenda PAC Welcomes You to the Gayborhood!”
The second flier added that “hate has no place in Philly.” These sorts of displays of local opposition to the activities of the organization have actually been somewhat consistent. In one incident, people evidently involved with Moms for Liberty were heckled while inside a historic indoor farmer’s market called Reading Terminal Market, and in another de facto display of opposition, the city itself actually placed flags in support of transgender rights in the area of a Marriott hotel hosting the organization. There have also been street protests and even a giveaway for books affected by some of the bans seen nationwide, though those restrictions on children’s reading materials have been seen the most in generally GOP-led states like Texas and Florida.
Moms for Liberty, which originates with a group of Floridians, has the support of prominent Republicans like Trump and DeSantis, both of whom spoke at the organization’s latest large-scale gathering. See the door hangers below:
Last night, we delivered these door hangers to @Moms4Liberty to let them know: your hate is not welcome in Philadelphia.
And, we *will* disturb your plot to take over school boards with radical ideology. pic.twitter.com/hvW4QwOX21
— AgendaPAC (@AgendaPAC) June 30, 2023
