‘Parental rights’ group grows as it opposes anti-discrimination changes
NJ Moms for Liberty say sex and gender issues in Title IX revamp have spurred membership drive.
Moms for Liberty, which describes itself as a parental rights group, is using recent changes to a long-standing federal anti-discrimination law to gain more members.
And its New Jersey organizers say that is working. One chapter has doubled its membership, organizers say, and the group is adding local chapters across the state.
Title IX is a federal law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in federally funded K-12 schools, colleges and universities. It has given women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports and includes rules for how schools should handle sexual harassment and assault complaints.
Previous versions of the law did not explicitly define sex, although the law has been interpreted to include gender identity and sexual orientation. New Biden administration changes clearly protect people from discrimination based on these characteristics.
The federal changes to Title IX have prompted legal challenges from Republican-led states and conservative groups including Moms for Liberty. In one lawsuit out of Kansas, the U.S. Department of Education is temporarily prevented from enforcing the new regulations in four states and in certain schools attended by children of members of the three groups, including Moms for Liberty, that sued to block the law.Moms for Liberty has been using this temporary ruling to encourage people to join their local chapters and add their child’s school to the list of places where the U.S. Education Department cannot enforce the new regulations.
Even though the Education Department cannot enforce the law, districts must continue to comply with state anti-bullying and anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBTQ+ students.
“Regardless of whether or not Moms for Liberty targets a particular district, the district is legally obligated to remain a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and families under the Law Against Discrimination,” said Aaron Potenza, a policy consultant at Garden State Equality, the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
The Morris County chapter chair of Moms for Liberty shared an Instagram graphic that reads, “ACT NOW! Join Moms for Liberty to protect your children from Biden’s radical overhaul of Title IX.” The Bergen County Moms for Liberty chapter posted on Instagram, “If you are not a member yet, sign up now to protect your child and their whole school!”
The Bergen County chapter, the state’s largest, had doubled in membership to more than 1,000 at the end of July, according to chapter chair Alex Bougher.
In Morris County, chapter chair Kristen Cobo said her group has 577 members and has been growing steadily. The biggest membership increases since the chapter’s launch in 2021 have been around the time of mask requirements in schools, changes to state sex-education standards and now, Title IX, she said.
“It’s very clear that parents step up and want to get involved when their autonomy to determine what’s best for their own kids is threatened by that government overreach,” Cobo said. “So when Title IX changes were announced, parents were rightfully upset and said, ‘What can I do?’”
There are Moms for Liberty chapters in 10 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. The national organization announced new chapters in Camden, Hudson, Sussex and Union counties on June 4. Of the new chapters, only Camden has a website that lists chapter leadership. The Facebook groups of the new chapters are small compared to some other New Jersey chapters, with just one member in Union, five in Hudson, 28 in Camden and 66 in Sussex as of Aug. 1. Members of the Facebook groups are not necessarily voting members of the organization, and they might not fully reflect the size of each chapter.
The Sussex County chapter hosted a kickoff event in June with Bill Spadea, a Republican candidate for governor in 2025. Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex) also attended the event. Candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty also serve on school boards in some New Jersey school districts.
Protections in NJ
Moms for Liberty’s mission is to defend parental rights at all levels of government, according to the national organization’s website. The national organization takes the position that there are “only two genders based on biological sex,” which denies the existence of transgender and nonbinary people.
At school board meetings across New Jersey, LGBTQ+ students and allies have called similar messaging from Moms for Liberty and other parental rights groups harmful.
“While NJ school districts are required to follow the Law Against Discrimination, agitation by groups seeking to erase protections for LGBTQ+ young people can create a hostile environment that may leave vulnerable youth feeling unsafe and perhaps unsure of their legal rights,” said Potenza of Garden State Equality.
In New Jersey, students have protections from discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The state’s harassment, intimidation and bullying law is also among the nation’s strongest and protects students based on any distinguishing characteristic.