For a while, corporate America was able to rely on the mantra “It’s good business to be friends with everybody.” Donate to any politician, no matter their political affiliation, because then they’ll be more likely to vote for things that help your bottom line. Support every group, no matter their ideology, because their members will be more likely to buy your products. There wasn’t much standing in the way of corporations associating with whatever and whomever they like.
But being friends with everybody is no longer good business. Now, more and more media organizations, watchdog groups, and individuals are paying attention to what and who companies associate with, and if they choose that association unwisely — like with a group that wants to discriminate against LGBTQ kids — it’s going to cost them.
We’re seeing this play out in Philadelphia with the upcoming Moms for Liberty national conference. The Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, which is hosting the organization, and the Museum of the American Revolution, which rented out space to them, have both seen swift negative reaction from staff members and the general public about their decisions to help M4L throw their events. And yes, by allowing them to use their facilities, they are helping them. They can’t say it’s just business. Indifference is not applicable here.
Moms for Liberty, like so many anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans organizations, operated under the radar for a while. That allowed them to build membership without much opposition. It allowed them to make inroads with people and not have to explain what they’re all about. But, as we’ve seen with the growing media coverage exposing them for who they truly are, those days of inconspicuousness are over.
Moms for Liberty might be cordial to your face, but they’ll curse you behind your back. They might say that they’re not about banning books, but their actions show otherwise. They might say they’re apolitical, but then they invite Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis to speak at their conference.
Moms for Liberty’s actions recalls something that mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker has said over and over on the campaign trail: “Don’t worry about what people say. Pay attention to what they do.”
So what does Moms for Liberty do? Moms for Liberty does harm. They harm children. They harm freedom of speech and expression. And as the Southern Poverty Law Center has put it: Moms for Liberty harms government.
This doesn’t seem like a difficult organization to say no to. And yet, we have two Philadelphia institutions, both of which have shown LGBTQ support in the past, hosting one of the most anti-LGBTQ groups possible. Perhaps, back when the Marriott and the Museum of the American Revolution agreed to host Moms for Liberty, they didn’t know just how bad the organization was. The bulk of reporting on M4L’s anti-LGBTQ policies began around eight months ago, though there were articles before that, if one searched for them.
I suspect that going forward, it will be next to impossible for M4L to find any hotel in Philadelphia, or any other large city with an LGBTQ population, willing to host them. They’re definitely not heading to New York City next year. (Or Chicago. Or Boston. Or Los Angeles. Or Denver. Or Seattle. I could go on.) But that’s no consolation. It does nothing to erase what is happening in 2023 in Philadelphia and around the country.
The LGBTQ community has been defending itself from attackers physically, legislatively, and culturally for decades. The attacks have grown significantly worse in the last few years. Now, it will have to defend itself the weekend of June 29 to July 2. The Philadelphia Free Library is bracing for possible Moms for Liberty members protesting their Pride events, and the LGBTQ staff of the Marriott and Museum of the American Revolution will have to endure people who want to harm their community.
If a hotel or museum staff member overhears Moms for Liberty members make racist or anti-LGBTQ remarks, chances are they’ll probably stay silent, because that’s what their management has told them to do. But make no mistake, those kinds of forced silences matter. They aren’t easily forgotten. They shouldn’t happen, but they do, far too often.
Hopefully, both the Marriott and Museum of the American Revolution will learn from these unfortunate events and seriously overhaul their criteria for hosting organizations. But beyond them, hopefully many more businesses (and not just large urban ones) will also take heed and put their allyship where their mouth is.
It’s not enough for companies to support the LGBTQ community and our events. If you really want to help us, you must support us in the face of those that seek to do us harm. And for the weekend of June 29 to July 2, we will be facing them in Philadelphia.
Moms for Liberty harms children. Put that on a poster, or a t-shirt, and make sure as many people see it as possible. If enough people see it, perhaps they, and all the corporations, will finally take notice.