Not Really Shocking: Mat-Su Chapter of Moms for Liberty Goes Dark
After I raised questions about whether members of the Matanuska Susitna School District school board and library citizens advisory committee had joined the Moms for Liberty Mat-Su chapter's Facebook group, they've pulled a move straight out of Save Anchorage's playbook and appear to have gone incognito—as if orchestrating behind closed doors, conspiring to push harmful anti-LGBTQ policies, ban books, and dismantle public education without a shred of transparency. Go figure!
The Facebook group's unsettling disappearance also comes at a time when MSBSD school board member, Kathy McCollum has fallen under scrutiny. McCollum, who is running for re-election this year, handpicked Moms for Liberty Mat-Su chapter co-founder and secretary Kali Ponder, to serve on the district's library advisory committee and was later caught seeking the extremist organization's endorsement for her re-election campaign.
The tight-lipped chapter, led by all Alaska Republicans, has previously declined to answer emailed questions about its membership numbers and activities, including whether they were secretly behind the surge of book challenges filed with the school district earlier this year.
Moms for Liberty is a far-right hate organization whose supporters, such as Alaska state Rep. Jamie Allard (R), often use the derogatory term "groomers" in reference to education professionals, baselessly vilifying them forever in internet search engines as child abusers and pedophiles. Members terrorize school boards in an effort to bully them into whitewashing books that address LGBTQ themes, sexual education, and racial issues from school libraries.
They have enacted a state legislative advocacy infrastructure in Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, and the Dakotas that the Republican-backed organization is using to pass hateful anti-LGBTQ bills.
In the realm of public education, Moms for Liberty peddles baseless conspiracy theories about social-emotional learning, a framework designed to help students develop empathy and essential mental health coping skills. Unsurprisingly, the organization's leaders have criticized some school districts that have embraced inclusivity and respect students' preferred pronouns—blatantly disregarding the need for schools to provide safe and empathetic learning environments for all students.
While the Moms for Liberty Mat-Su chapter's Facebook group is now hidden away from the public, its associated Facebook page continues to pump out right-wing propaganda although provides no insight into their political activities cuz, you know, transparency isn't a quality extremist organizations embrace.
