WAPPINGER – What started as a local Dutchess County group of parents to push back against “Christian nationalism” has spiraled into as national effort.
Defense for Democracy was founded by Karen Svoboda after efforts
by Moms for Liberty attempted to convince school boards in Wappinger and Arlington to adopt their policies and beliefs to prevent “government intimidation” and overreach.
In one Orange County school district, Moms for Liberty is targeting an opening gay school superintendent. “Take your pornographic indoctrination back from where you came from,” the group’s literature says. “This is what happens when you mess with our children in OCNY.”
Defense for Democracy’s Svoboda said word of mouth has resulted in the growth of their group.
“All of a sudden, we have a chapter in Arkansas and in Michigan and in Illinois and in Texas. Every time I turn around, there is another chapter because there is such a need in our country right now for a group to fight back against Christian nationalism, that can give a voice to our teachers and our administrators and our librarians,” she told Mid-Hudson News.
Svoboda’s organization says it “will work to maintain communities as well as a public education system that supports and enhances our shared experiences regardless of religious beliefs, cultural background, or sexual orientation.”
