Republicans Suffer Crushing Defeat in Transgender Battle
Republicans in school board races.The results of the 2023 election suggest that a tide is turning against the so-called "parents rights" movement, which gained momentum two years ago and has since dominated the national conversation about education and American politics.Fresh off of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's 2021 victory, Republicans seized on school culture wars as a winning election strategy.
Advocacy group Moms for Liberty gained significant traction as Republican lawmakers, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pursued education policies that tackled critical race theory, sexual orientation and transgender rights.This year alone, 586 anti-trans bills—which include bans on gender-affirming care, the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports and choice of pronouns—have been introduced in 49 states, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker.But Tuesday night suggested that the crusade against transgender students may not be as popular among Americans as Republicans believed two years ago.
Virginia Democrats triumphed in statehouse elections, effectively shrinking Youngkin's power, and the majority of candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty lost their school board elections.
Newsweek reached out to Moms for Liberty spokesperson Marleigh Kerr via email for comment.While school board elections are nonpartisan, the rebuke of anti-trans candidates in school districts like Linn-Mar Community School District in Iowa and Loudon County Public Schools in Virginia raises questions about whether Republicans should continue to embrace campaigns that focus on transgender rights in schools.
