Moms For Liberty (MFL), a national conservative advocacy group, was established after the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Moms For Liberty advocates against school curricula and books that mention LGBTQ+ rights, race, ethnicity, critical realities of history, discrimination, and even young female health. But soon enough, this organization began to be predominantly characterized as anti-LGBTQ+.
The Co-Founder of MFL as well as a board member of the Sarasota County School since 2014, Bridget Ziegler faces extreme backlash after her true colors of hypocrisy are revealed. Ziegler was known to be "instrumental" in the creation of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which forbids classroom discussion and instruction on topics relative to sexual orientation and gender identity.
On December 1, Bridget Ziegler admitted to having a consensual threesome with an unknown woman and her husband, Christian Ziegler (Chairman of the FL Republican Party) to the police. Soon enough, this scandal was exposed to the public and protesters gathered in front of the Sarasota School Board Building, protesting for Ziegler to resign from her position--not for her decisions, but her sense of hypocrisy and irony. One protestor claims, "[It's] crazy because you have this woman and her husband who are so concerned with preventing children from hearing anything that doesn't totally align with their values."
All four of the board members of the Sarasota County School Board voted for Ziegler to step down from her position and resign. But Ziegler held her stance and refused to step down. The only way for Ziegler to be removed as a board member is through the enforcement of Florida's governor, Ron De Santis. To do so, a separate vote asking De Santis to remove her from her position is required, but this formal method failed anyway and Ziegler has until 2026 until her official term expires.
As a mobilizer for the MFL organization and as a prominent influencer and supporter of the "Don't Say Gay Bill," Bridget is known for her outspoken attitudes against the LGBTQ+ community. Yet her beliefs about same-sex relationships don't actually align with her personal life choices--would you say she is a hypocrite? In essence, this scandal is stirring up questions about the credibility of leaders and how their personal lives may diverge from their professed values.
Do you think she should step down? Is Ziegler being a hypocrite? Why are people now protesting against Ziegler when she has already done unjust to the LGBTQ+ community and how does this reflect upon our society?
Sources:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/12/the-sarasota-school-board-wants-bridget-ziegler-to-resign-shes-not-budging/
https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/12/14/bridget-ziegler-sarasota-school-board-suarez-ac360-vpx.cnn
https://www.momsforliberty.org/
7 comments:
I think protesters are arising more so now because of the 1) their own personal beliefs, protesters who are for LBGTQ+ rights will want someone to be removed who is not in support of it, 2) the amount of media converge this is receiving, and 3) is that even the people who may align with the Zieglers beliefs and support the “Don’t Say Gay" bill likely do not trust them because of the accusations arising. Chair Karen Rose, the board of MFL stated that “I personally care about Bridget and her family and deeply regret the necessity for this course of action, but given the intense media security locally and nationally, her continued presence on the Board would cause irreparable harmful distractions to our critical mission”(CBS) it goes to show how other organizations and politicians must choose carefully how to align themselves, for showing support for another politicians choices which maybe be viewed in a negative light can hurt their reputation. With this in mind, Ron DeSantis has probably felt the pressure to remove the Zielgers from their positions. I think he is likely to follow through with this because he does not want to risk losing support, especially as he is running to be the republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. The Zieglers cannot offer a whole lot of support anymore as their reputation is tarnished, therefore they are not an asset to other politicians like Ron DeSantis.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bridget-ziegler-florida-school-board-seeks-resignation-sex-assault-probe-husband-state-gop-chairman-christian-ziegler/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/12/16/christian-bridget-ziegler-florida-republicans/
If I am honest, this is such a hilarious scandal. It reminds me of the senate staffer being wildly provocative in the capitol. This scandal just goes to show how people who spew homophobic, misogynistic, sexist, racist, -- all the -ists' are actively participating in hypocrisy. For instance, GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said in an interview that he wants to end birthright citizenship for the kids of immigrant parents; despite Vivek's parent's being immigrants and him gaining citizenship through birthright.
It's interesting how the GOP party in general like to spew about how minorities are a danger to the innocent, or freeloaders, despite them being active participants in, or have "freeloaded" in their own personal lives.
The "Don't Say Gay" Bill caused a lot of insecurity and fear in communities, and it is really upsetting that Ziegler finds herself above all of the people that the bill impacted. I personally think that Ziegler should cut her losses and step down. If all of the board members voted for her to step down, I don't understand why she would want to stay where she is unwanted. Additionally, school boards are supposed to ensure that districts follow the values of the surrounding community, but it doesn't seem like Ziegler fully adheres to the beliefs of her community, and therefore shouldn't fill the role. However, I guess her not stepping down could potentially relate to a desire to have power over big community/school decisions.
https://clarknow.clarku.edu/2023/02/01/goldbergs-research-is-first-to-study-impact-of-dont-say-gay-law/
https://www.csba.org/GovernanceAndPolicyResources/EffectiveGovernance/RoleandResponsibilitiesofSBMs#gsc.tab=0
What's interesting is that our Ethnic Studies teachers at Aragon have expressed having to sit in a 4-hour meeting with parents of Aragon students who didn't like the course curriculum. It's surprising to me that residents of San Mateo are actively commending the program but at the same time, there will always be people with those views everywhere. I do think Ziegler is a hypocrite -- for sure. You can't be a politician if you don't stick to your beliefs, in that case, you're just a fake. I hope De Santis finds it in his heart to protect the wellness of his LGBTQ+ citizens in Florida so that they feel accurately represented and heard. De Santis clearly has a lot riding on his decision as in both cases, he will be supported and condemned. However, we'll be able to see his real and genuine priorities as a Governor.
It's so strange how Ziegler isn't able to uphold the beliefs that she advocates so ardently for. The fact that she would take the efforts to confound an interest group that specifically seeks to politically undermine the validity of a community she evidently is a part of is a bit shocking. Then again, given that she is also a member of the school board, perhaps her participation Moms for Liberty was part of a larger political plan to earn support from FL's conservative majority. Still, the LGBTQ community in FL isn't small, and to tackle this specific cause is definitely an interesting choice.
Like others have mentioned in their comments, I think that conservatives might be interested in how Desantis responds to this. However, given the firm grip hold that Trump has over the party, I'm not sure how impactful this really will be on Desantis' place in the primary.
I think this scandal just goes to show that the way people act in public can very easily just be a facade, in this case, it was proven. The views that Ziegler shared publically about supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation clearly do not correlate with her actions. So, I think this goes to show that regardless of what position of power a person is in, we should not blindly trust everything they say in the media because they can easily just be putting on an act. While it is impossible to fact-check every single piece of information that is presented to us, I think it is important that we stay moderately conscious regarding the validity of the information that we come across.
I used to think the "every accusation is a confession" line of criticism of the GOP and it's associates was a bad argument, but I think this goes to show just how deeply hypocritical the right wing in this country is - a rules for thee but not for me line of policymaking and rhetoric. I also think that events like these go to show that the identities that they are rallying against and working to destroy are not what motivate the GOP's policy, but instead a pure desire for power. Any claim to being morally righteous goes out the window when we see politicians like this (and countless other examples of homophobic politicians being publicly sexually degenerate) acting in ways that directly contradict what they argue for, and the only other reasonably assumption for their behavior is that they will argue for whatever they can in order to seize power and rally against a specific group.
What this implies for me (and this may be too bold a statement) is that the GOP and their policy is not motivated by some grand political philosophy or a set of core values (like 'classical liberals' within the party now like to claim they subscribe to), but simply a desire to hold and maintain power and suppress any group that expresses dissent. The greatest cause to fear is, I think, not one that has consistently bad values but rather one that has no values at all.
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