Earlier this year, Moms for Liberty co-founder and right-wing activist Bridget Ziegler was keeping a low profile as her and her husband’s three-way sex scandal blighted their status as conservative culture-war celebrities in Florida.
The embattled “parental rights” activist for months has refused calls to resign from the Sarasota school board and recently returned from a hiatus on X, formerly Twitter, to advance posts against gender-affirming care for trans youth.
At a Tuesday board meeting, Ziegler took her penchant for waging ideological battles a step further, introducing a resolution blocking protections for LGBTQ students and employees mandated by the Biden administration’s newly released Title IX rule that prohibits harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
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Her resolution officially declares that there are “only two sexes” and that biological sex is “an immutable characteristic that cannot be changed, fluid, or altered.” It passed 4-1 after a contentious three-hour public comment period—and an equally contentious debate among board members.
Droves of parents, advocates, and transgender students showed up to stop her, decrying what they called her “political theater” and ploy to remain relevant—while others praised Ziegler, read Bible verses and warned of God’s wrath, spoke of communist brainwashing, and suggested Disney was filled with pedophile employees.
Terra Kater, just one local mom who took to the podium, pointed out that Ziegler “came back with guns blazing with anti-transgender rhetoric.”
“Week after week, this board sits here and you listen to transgender people talk to you about their feelings,” Kater said. “And you hear their stories and their pleas and they’re telling you that they don’t feel safe here in Sarasota, and then this is what happens next.”
Ziegler’s latest “dog whistle,” Kater added, is showing support for Gov. Ron DeSantis’s legal challenge to the Biden administration rules and landing “positive conservative press by taking advantage of confusion around trans students.”
At least 21 Republican-led states have filed or joined lawsuits against the revisions to the landmark 1972 civil rights law—which prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools and universities that receive federal dollars. DeSantis and other governors have parroted the same line in response: They “will not comply” with the changes.
“I'm begging you as a mother who wants the best for my child and all children to stop making trans students the center of your conversation,” Kater told Ziegler and the board. “Leave them alone. Let them live their lives.”
Seth Stottlemyer, the father of a kindergartner, fumed about Ziegler’s “ridiculous desperate political stunt … to stay relevant and perpetuate the failing right-wing culture wars that divide our country and damage our young people.”
“Do measures like the one before us today improve the scholastic environment of Florida students? Of course they don’t. But they do rouse excitement in right-wing chat rooms. Wouldn’t it be nice if some board members spent less time trying to get the attention of demagogues and far-right politicians, and more time making our schools stronger, and our kids smarter.”
A small minority praised Ziegler, with resident Duff Smiley announcing, “Mrs. Ziegler has been through hell and all I can say Winston Churchill said when you’re going through hell just keep walking. They’ve thrown everything they can at you for the worst mistake you’ve ever made. I admire your ability to come back.”
After more than 70 people spoke at the public comment period, Ziegler (who recently tweeted the Title IX rules were an “excellent example of why we need to abolish” the U.S. Department of Education) told the audience, “I’ve been on the board for almost 10 years, and I’ve never put forward a resolution that I recall because I oftentimes think they tend to be pretty political.”
While Ziegler acknowledged “there is not a final rule on sports,” she framed the issue as a fight they needed to get in front of—as they did with COVID masks. “It’s always very reminiscent to the mask situation. Masks 2.0,” she said.
“I fully stand behind the assurance of safety and that every student is safe but we all have an obligation to ensure reality and truth.”
Ziegler’s resolution argued the U.S. Department of Education’s new regulation protecting students from discrimination based on gender identity “would have disastrous impacts to girls and women’s safety in restrooms, locker rooms, and sports.” (The new Title IX provisions, which go into effect Aug. 1, do not include a policy on whether trans students should be allowed to play on school sports teams aligning with their gender identity.)
Under Ziegler’s resolution, the board “affirms that inherent biological differences and abilities exist between the two sexes and commits to protecting female sports” and “acknowledges the importance of single sex facilities.”
The document also stated the board won’t implement any changes until the court battles are resolved.
Some opponents of Ziegler’s gambit were shocked the board would even consider breaking the recently introduced federal law—and risk losing tens of millions of dollars in funding.
Jessica Thomason addressed Ziegler’s three minions on the school board: Tim Enos, Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose. The fourth and lone liberal member, Tom Edwards, has opposed Ziegler’s policies and faced attacks from her supporters.
“At any point over the last week you could have spoken out to assure the public that you understand the Title IX changes, that you understand the new rules make zero recommendations in regards to women’s sports,” Thomason said, adding, “You could even say, ‘I hate the Title IX rules, but I plan to follow the law.’
“But you didn’t, you said nothing. So here we all are summoned like clockwork by your colleagues’ extremist charade, and you’ve done nothing to mitigate this.”
“There really is no winning here. You can’t keep our schools funded without following the law, but you can’t keep DeSantis happy without breaking the law. And, Karen, I know you could really use the DeSantis endorsement for your reelection,” Thomason said.
Multiple Sarasota students also urged the board to reject Ziegler’s action.
The first speaker was Alex, a local freshman who said, “Trans students like myself cannot focus on academic work if they must also worry about harassment for their identity.”
Another student, a sophomore also named Alex, said they were nonbinary and “consistently harassed for my gender identity.”
“One of the students was transferred to another class. No one was ever punished. Instead, they were allowed to continue bullying other queer teens,” Alex said. “The extension of Title IX would provide safety to other queer students.
“You claim to protect every student every day. Yet the motions you set forth do not support this. I am a student and I am not protected. Your job is to help students, keep them safe and support their education. This resolution actively opposes all three of these goals.”
Other Ziegler followers used the issue to denounce the Biden presidency.
Melissa Bakondy, who once made headlines for calling Edwards, who is openly gay, a groomer at a board meeting, declared, “Tell the Biden administration that they can keep their federal dollars if they are tied to this woke gender ideology and policy.”
“We’re not going to let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities,” said another speaker, Brenda Pastorick.
