By Michelle Mullins
Daily Southtown
•
Jun 15, 2023 at 2:59 pm
The Will County Board removed three honorary resolutions and proclamations from its agenda this week after receiving a backlash from residents who said one of the resolutions praised a hate group.
The initial agenda for Thursday’s County Board meeting included recognition of the Juneteenth holiday, Pride month and Moms for America.
After constituents called county board members to complain, the county board’s leadership removed all three items.
Board member Meta Mueller, a Democrat from Aurora, said her phone blew up last weekend with constituents and members of Pride organizations asking why the board would recognize Moms for America, which has spoken out against the LBGTQ community.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s website, which monitors hate groups and extremist organizations, listed Moms for America Illinois as one of 35 hate and antigovernment groups located in Illinois. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s website states it tracked 1,225 hate and antigovernment groups across the country last year.
Mueller said area pride organizations couldn’t believe the County Board would recognize the Moms for America group.
“Their general reaction is shock,” Mueller said. “They are very upset this recently named hate group was given a platform. This feels like it gives equity to two things and one is about hate.”
The Moms for America website recently called for a boycott of Target for promoting its Pride Kids collection and features a photo of the United States flag with a caption that says, “This is our pride flag.”
Board member Steve Balich, a Republican from Homer Glen, said he put on the agenda both the proclamations for Juneteenth and Moms for America. He wanted a broad recognition for National Family Month, which is celebrated in June, and also include recognition for the work Moms for America is doing to promote families.
Democrat Leader Jackie Traynere of Bolingbrook, requested the Pride month proclamation placed on the agenda.
“Democrats don’t like Moms for America. They think they are extremist and radical,” Balich, the county board’s Republican leader, said. “If you look at Moms for America, they are for families. They are not extremist at all.”
Balich said the organization stresses religion and togetherness.
The County Board is comprised of 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans.
Balich said he felt the declaration for Pride month could potentially get 11 no votes from Republicans and the declaration for Moms for America could get 11 no votes from Democrats. Balich said he agreed to remove the proclamations along with other board leadership.
“What was the purpose for doing them?” he said.
The Will County Board unanimously approved a proclamation in 2022 recognizing June as Pride month, according to meeting minutes.
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant issued her own proclamation Friday, the day after the meeting, recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth Day of Observance in Will County.
County Board Chair Judy Ogalla, a Republican from Monee, said that she does not like having any politically charged resolutions on the agenda.
“I personally think we should stay away from social issues,” Ogalla said.
Will County Clerk Lauren Staley-Ferry read aloud nearly 20 emails from concerned citizens, who asked the board not to recognize Moms for America for its divisive and harmful rhetoric.
Margie Wolf, executive director of Naper Pride, wrote to the board that Moms for America is responsible for hate speech on social media and at in-person events, anti-LGBTQ initiatives as well as protests at school board meetings, libraries and pride-related events.
“The presentation of a proclamation for Moms for America is not only insulting, it is demeaning to every LGBTQ individual living in Will County,” Wolf wrote.
Laura Welch, president of Illinois National Organization for Women, said in an interview she fielded calls from angry residents over the proclamation to recognize Moms for America, which she said has called for bans on books about Black history or the LGBTQ community. Welch, a Naperville resident, said many young children can see themselves in these books, and banning them shows they don’t matter.
“These kids need support,” Welch said. “They don’t need people saying they don’t exist. (Moms for America) use terms ‘groomer’ and ‘pedophile.’ It’s a way to harm the LGBTQ community.”
Ellen Moriarty, a Homer Glen resident, said when she looked at the three proclamations on the original agenda, she thought, “One of these things is not like the others.”
“Juneteenth is a national holiday, not a political action organization,” Moriarty said. “It is a historical date. Pride month is also nationally recognized, celebrated since 1969 after the Stonewall riots. It has spread to be celebrated across the world. Again, it is not a political organization. It is a celebratory month. Moms for America is not a celebratory month nor a remembrance day.”
Moriarty said the board’s response was “egregious.”
“Rather than admit that Moms for America was a mistake and remove it alone, the board pulled all three,” she said. “We elected you to represent all of us.”
DuPage Township Trustee Reem Townsend, a Bolingbrook resident, said equality is not a radical concept and asked the board not to normalize the Moms for America organization.
“They are labeled an extremist, anti-government entity by civil rights watchdogs,” she said.
Ogalla said she does not believe that the Moms for America organization is a hate group.
“They are not hateful people,” she said. “They believe in family values and God.”
Ogalla said she feels the board members do their best to represent their entire communities.
“I want the community to know that we do not want to hate anybody or exclude anybody, but we want to include everybody,” Ogalla said.
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Moms for America representatives did not immediately respond Thursday to messages.
Any of the board members can bring forward a resolution for consideration, Ogalla said, adding she respects everybody’s opinion and right to free speech. Sometimes, department heads who work for the county also ask for resolutions specific to their government duties, Ogalla said.
“We are a 50/50 board, and we tried to respect that and give each side their proclamation,” Ogalla said.
Several board members, including both Republicans and Democrats, used their time at the end of Thursday’s meeting to acknowledge Pride month and Juneteenth and urged their constituents to attend a celebration in their districts.
“I’m a woman. I’m a veteran. I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and I check the black box,” said board member Natalie Coleman, a Plainfield Democrat. “When you teach people their history and acknowledge all of our constituents, you actually empower them to believe in themselves, face the truth both good and bad and hopefully prevent harmful acts from repeating themselves. It’s literally appalling that an organization that has been labeled as a hate group has been placed on the agenda.”
“Fortunately I don’t need a proclamation for anyone to tell me when and how to celebrate who I am,” Coleman said. “So to all the marginalized, attacked, forgotten and ignored people, please find your tribe and celebrate who you are, everyday.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.
