Were NKY Moms for Liberty chairs booted out because of photo with Proud Boys? What we know
Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect the Moms for Liberty chapters impacted by the changes.
Moms for Liberty said Tuesday it is not affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys and has removed two chapter leaders from their posts for demonstrating "a lack of judgement and misalignment with our core values."
The organization, best known for endorsing culture war candidates in local school board elections, did not name the chapter leaders who were removed. However, the websites for chapters in Boone and Campbell counties no longer show the names and headshots for leaders as of Tuesday afternoon.
The two chapter leaders, Karen Strayer and Mirna Eads, were photographed with the Appalachian Proud Boys at a rally in Frankfort. The Protect the Children rally Nov. 4 was part of a nationwide demonstration calling for stricter laws for child sex trafficking, public indecency around children, drag queen story times, and critical race theory.
“We have been made aware that two Chapter leaders have recently demonstrated a lack of judgement and misalignment with our core values," Moms for Liberty wrote in its tweet Tuesday. "Due to this, those leaders have been removed from their positions.” The group also said its members "repudiate hate and violence."
Who are the Proud Boys?
The Proud Boys is an international extremist hate group whose members often wear black and yellow clothing.
The Anti-Defamation League describes them as "misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration." They've also been linked to white supremacist and antisemitic movements.
Most notably, its members participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building in Washington D.C. in 2021, leading to four of its members being convicted of seditious conspiracy. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, former national chairman of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Why did Moms for Liberty pose with the Proud Boys?
"We posed with them because we had a goal in common: raising awareness of the dangers that lurk around our children and that we were both labeled hate groups by the SPLC," Eads said in a text message Monday, referencing the Southern Poverty Law Center.
She said Moms for Liberty is otherwise not affiliated with the Proud Boys.
Strayer did not respond to emails or phone calls to a number linked to her online. Attempts to contact people who know Strayer were unsuccessful.
What is Moms for Liberty?
Moms for Liberty is a group of dark money groups registered with the Internal Revenue Service that can spend up to half of what it raises on political activity and does not have to disclose its donors.
The Mom's for Liberty website says the organization is committed to "unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government."
The group began in Florida in 2021. For the past two years, the group has become known for getting books banned from public school libraries. Its members also run for public office from school boards to statewide positions.
Strayer ran for the Boone County Board of Education last year and Eads ran for state representative. Neither won, but Moms for Liberty is still influential in Northern Kentucky.
"In Campbell County, I've been able to get 46 books removed (from libraries) – not banned," Eads said at the Protect the Children rally. "We do not ban books as the left likes to say."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Moms for Liberty removes two leaders, denies ties with Proud Boys
