Protesters gather again as Moms for Liberty holds convention in Center City
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Protests are in Center City Friday as the controversial parents' rights group Moms for Liberty holds its convention in Philadelphia. They're drawing some conservative heavy hitters including former President Trump.
It's been a lively afternoon as protesters have been rallying against the conservative controversial group. Former President Trump took the stage showing the political power the group has gained in the last few years.
But protesters say it poses a real threat to education.
Education at the center of Center City protests Friday as Moms for Liberty hosts its annual convention at the Downtown Marriott.
"There's no room on our school boards, there's no room in our libraries, there's no room in our city services, our positions of power, for people who don't acknowledge or accept our existence," Samantha Rise said.
Moms for Liberty has spent the last two years fighting the way some schools have handled topics like race, sex, and LGBTQ+ issues. On the docket this weekend are seminars titled Sex Ed or Sexualization and Protecting Kids from gender ideology.
🎥RIGHT NOW: Protesters gather outside the downtown Marriott to rally against the Moms for Liberty convention. Former President #Trump is slated to speak at the convention at 4pm. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/P9g4kMmgES
— Dan Snyder (@DanSnyderTV) June 30, 2023
We spoke with the co-founder on Thursday about this.
"Parents are seeing this, they're opening up the backpacks, they're finding what schools are teaching," co-founder Tina Descovich said.
The group has also taken aim at history curriculums. In his speech Friday morning, Florida Governor Ron Desantis said they want to teach history "accurately" but specifically promoted a civics course put together by religious and conservative institutions.
"We have scholars from places like Hillsdale College and Heritage Foundation that have helped create this so that you actually know how did America come to be," Desantis said.
And it's stances like that Steve Newman of Mt. Airy says he takes issue with. The Mt. Airy dad says he came out to the protest to support his 17-year-old daughter Tal who is part of the LGBTQ+ community.
"I teach Western civilization as a profession and I can tell you that bigotry and book banning is the worst of it," Newman said. "That's not defending Western civilization. That's taking the worst parts of it and concentrating it."
Five Republican presidential hopefuls are attending the conference this weekend. Protesters say they'll be out here making their presence known as long as the conference goes on.