In a recent episode of MSNBC’s The Reid Out, host Joy Reid and Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, engaged in a charged discussion about parental rights and the content of school libraries, focusing on challenges to books with LGBTQ+ themes and sensitive content.
Reid highlighted data pointing out a few individuals’ outsized influence on book challenges nationwide, particularly in Florida. Justice defended the role of parents, asserting their fundamental right to influence their children’s education, especially concerning materials they find explicitly sexual.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Moms for Liberty as an anti-government extremist group.
Justice’s repeated use of the word “dildo” about content in certain books, like George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue,” became a focal point. She questioned, “In what context is a strap-on dildo acceptable for public school?” and argued, “I don’t have to be an expert to know that dildos aren’t appropriate for public school.”
Following this interview, MSNBC host Ali Velshi remarked on Justice’s frequent mention of “dildo.”
“She liked to say the word ‘dildo,’” Velshi noted. “[She] said that a lot.”
The interview further delved into the use of the website BookLooks.org. Reid described BookLooks.org as a resource used extensively in Florida, acting like a Cliff Notes for books. This site enables users to perform keyword searches in books, finding specific terms or phrases that might be considered objectionable. Reid explained, “You can do keyword searches and find certain keywords.”
Justice interjected, “Like rape, anal rape, or dildo,” to which Reid responded, “You can find all sorts of keywords.”
Justice acknowledged the website, noting, “I am aware of a website called booklooks.com, where parents can go and see some of the books that other parents are concerned about.”
In jurisdictions around the country, Moms for Liberty supporters have used the website to quote out-of-context passages from books, without needing to read them, Reid explained.
Watch a clip of the episode below.
Moms for Liberty co-founder defends de facto book bans with 'graphic' examplewww.youtube.com