Louisiana’s education chief to address extremist Moms for Liberty … – Louisana Illuminator

Louisianas superintendent of education will speak to a local chapter of a national group a civil rights watchdog has identified as an extremist organization.

Cade Brumley, who oversees the states K-12 public schools, will be the featured speaker of the East Baton Rouge chapter of Moms for Liberty at its monthly meeting July 24. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has classified the chapter and its national organization as hate groups.

In a statement to the Illuminator, Brumley rejected the idea that the organization is a hate group.

It is wrong to characterize Baton Rouge moms as a hate group as they seek to be involved in their childs education, Brumley said. Parents are their childs first and foremost teacher and Im appreciative of their interest in the school system.

Brumley pointed to his track record of speaking with a broad range of groups about Louisianas education system.

I look forward to sharing educational successes and opportunities with the moms and hearing from them as well, Brumley added.

Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 and quickly became a powerful voice on the far right. The group, which now has approximately 200 chapters across dozens of states, has advocated against COVID-19 safety measures in schools and has supported book bans and limiting discussion of gender and sexuality in K-12 schools.

SPLC and the news outlet Vice have reported Moms for Liberty has formed close ties with far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, a white nationalist organization.

A spokesperson for Brumley shared that he has spoken to the group before. According to The Center Square, Brumley sent a letter last year in support of Floridas Moms for Liberty organization.

I appreciate the advocacy your organization provides and your appreciation for education as a local enterprise; one where those closest to the children are best suited to make the best decisions, Brumley wrote in the letter. Children belong to their parents, not the government. Further, the parent is the childs first and foremost teacher.

In a series of recent social media posts, the East Baton Rouge Moms for Liberty chapter expressed support for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, including two bills aimed at limiting the discussion of gender and sexuality in schools.

The group has also shared podcast episodes that claim sexual grooming is happening in schools through the teaching of critical gender theory and queer theory.

Critics have called out conservatives for misappropriating the term groomer, which typically refers to the behaviors sexual predators use to coerce potential victims, to characterize benign actions by LGBTQ+ people as harmful to children.

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Louisiana's education chief to address extremist Moms for Liberty ... - Louisana Illuminator