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UPDATE: This story was updated at 12:16 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2023.

The College Republicans at SU withdrew its request for the event with the Onondaga County chapter of Moms for Liberty as SU notified the group that student groups are unable to reserve space for outside entities’ meetings, according to a statement from an SU spokesperson.

“On Wednesday morning, the University met with the College Republicans to notify them their reservation request would be declined for this reason,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange.

Moms for Liberty – a right-wing group that advocates for removing topics such as race, sexuality and gender identity from public school curriculums – was scheduled to host an event with the help of the Syracuse University College Republicans in Watson Theater next Thursday.

John Parker, president of the SU College Republicans, confirmed Tuesday night that the club reserved the space for the group and would help run the event. Watson Hall had two anti-LGBTQ bias incidents in two consecutive weeks in the spring 2023 semester, according to SU’s Department of Public Safety.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization based in Alabama that fights for racial justice and the dismantlement of white supremacy, labeled Moms for Liberty an extremist group in its 2022 annual report.

The SPLC has cited examples of anti-LGBTQ sentiments from Moms for Liberty, including a tweet from the group that called gender dysphoria a mental illness, among other statements in opposition of equity and inclusion initiatives in schools.

“They also use their multiple social media platforms to target teachers and school officials, advocate for the abolition of the Department of Education, advance a conspiracy propaganda, and spread hateful imagery and rhetoric against the LGBTQ community,” the SPLC wrote.

The Florida-based organization was founded in 2021 and has several chapters across the nation, including the Onondaga County chapter that is holding the event at SU.

Joseph Dunaway, the president of the Onondaga County chapter, spoke on a podcast in August with Mo Moodie, a candidate for Onondaga County Legislature’s 15th district in the upcoming November elections.

“The indoctrination of (Critical Race Theory) and the (diversity, equity and inclusion) stuff, that just pushes division. It promotes white guilt, and it tells minorities that they’re never gonna be as good without government assistance,” Dunaway said on the podcast. “Now the new thing is gender ideology, it’s just another distraction from getting back to excellence and meritocracy.”

Published on September 19, 2023 at 11:13 pm

Contact Roxanne: rmboychu@syr.edu