The losing gay Senate candidate from New Jersey on Wednesday met with the head of the state’s Moms for Liberty chapter and signed a pledge endorsing their “parental rights” agenda.
Out Republican Curtis Bashaw was all in on the divisive, far-right Moms for Liberty manifesto, and the right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ moms were thrilled to be working with him.
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“While I understand that some conservatives have questioned the stance of Mr. Bashaw on certain issues, my focus today was hearing his stance on the teaching of gender ideology in schools, the inclusion of sexually explicit material in school, allowing biological males in our girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms and sports,” said Kristen Cobo, Chair of the Morris County New Jersey Chapter of the group.
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“Mr. Bashaw not only enthusiastically expressed his support of the parental rights movement, he was aligned on all the above issues and signed our Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge,” Cobo said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing these important conversations and working together to restore parental rights for the safety of our children.”
Bashaw has been shunned by much of the MAGA establishment since he defeated a Trump-endorsed opponent in the New Jersey Republican primary. While Bashaw has endorsed Trump, the former president hasn’t returned the favor.
The last-minute meeting with Moms for Liberty looks like a Hail Mary designed to shore up a crumbling base in the face of Bashaw’s double-digit polling deficit against his Democratic opponent, three-term Rep. Andy Kim from New Jersey’s 3rd District.
Bashaw is feeling no love from the LGBTQ+ community, either, despite being the first openly gay Republican to win a Senate primary victory in New Jersey.
“Curtis Bashaw’s recent decision to sign the Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge exemplifies why #LGBTQ+ representation cannot rest on one’s identity alone—especially when actively working against your community’s own safety,” said advocacy organization Garden State Equality in a statement.
Statement from Garden State Equality Action Fund:
Curtis Bashaw’s recent decision to sign the Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge exemplifies why #LGBTQ+ representation cannot rest on one’s identity alone—especially when actively working against your community’s own safety. 1/7
Earlier this year, the group backed Kim, earning the gay Republican’s scorn.
“It’s absurd,” said Jeanette Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Bashaw campaign. “There’s a historic opportunity to elect the first openly gay U.S. Senator in New Jersey history, and Garden State Equality made their endorsement based on partisan politics.”
Garden State Equality argued at the time that they based their decision on the candidate’s record, not his sexual orientation. Bashaw’s eleventh-hour kowtow to the “parental rights” group only confirmed their doubts.
“While Curtis Bashaw’s potential election to the U.S. Senate would indeed be historic, after careful review of his responses to our questionnaire, it is clear that his positions do not meet our criteria for being a true pro-equality candidate,” said the group’s Action Fund chair Jeannine Frisby LaRue.
Bashaw has made anti-LGBTQ+ statements in the past. Earlier this year, the Trump supporter falsely complained about how “parental rights” are being diminished by gender-affirming surgery being performed on children without parental consent. No such surgeries are occurring as all child surgeries require parental consent.
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