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As voters in New Jersey go to the polls, they may wonder why Curtis Bashaw, a gay man, supports an antigay group.
Curtis Bashaw, the Republican candidate for New Jersey’s U.S. Senate seat, is sparking backlash within the LGBTQ+ community after signing the Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge, aligning himself with a group designated an “extremist” organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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Bashaw, a businessman known for his historic restorations in Cape May, has indicated his support for so-called “parental rights,” a rallying cry for Moms for Liberty. The group, which has championed efforts to remove LGBTQ+-affirming content from public schools, opposes the inclusion of gender identity and sexual orientation discussions in educational settings. The SPLC classified Moms for Liberty as an anti-government extremist organization, citing its inflammatory rhetoric against LGBTQ+ individuals and teachers advocating for inclusive education.
Kristen Cobo, chair of Moms for Liberty’s Morris County chapter, recently praised Bashaw’s commitment to their values. “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, according to conservative news outlet Save Jersey. She added that the group looked forward to working with him to “restore parental rights for the safety of our children.”
Neither Bashaw nor his representatives responded to The Advocate’s request for comment.
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The endorsement has generated significant controversy. Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, released a statement criticizing Bashaw for aligning with an organization that has actively promoted policies undermining LGBTQ+ visibility in schools. “We need leaders who genuinely support equality, not those who align themselves with groups pushing harmful agendas under the guise of ‘parental rights,’” the group’s statement read, urging New Jerseyans to vote against Bashaw. “Curtis Bashaw’s alignment with an organization known for targeting LGBTQ+ people only reaffirms that he does not meet our criteria for a pro-equality candidate.”
Bashaw’s stance also sharply contrasts with that of his opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Andy Kim. Endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, Kim has long advocated for LGBTQ+ protections, including co-sponsoring the Equality Act.
In recent years, groups like Moms for Liberty have gained traction in certain conservative circles, wielding influence in local school board meetings and state legislatures, though in 2023 the group lost many of the races in which the group had candidates running. Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights argue that these movements erode hard-won protections for LGBTQ+ youth, framing the issue as one of fundamental safety and dignity in schools. Bashaw’s alignment with such an agenda, they argue, places him at odds with his own community.
