The Southern Poverty Law Center is for the first time labeling Florida-based Moms for Liberty and 11 other “parents’ rights” groups as extremist groups in its annual report, released today.

Moms for Liberty and the other organizations are being designated as “anti-government extremist groups.” The SPLC said it decided to label Moms for Liberty, Parents Defending Education and No Left Turn, among others, as extremist because their rhetoric often takes on “anti-LGBTQ, racist and nationalist themes, excluding from their parental concern large demographics segments of American society.”

The organization did not formally respond to the SPLC’s label Tuesday. Multiple politicians weighed in on social media; Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted, “The SPLC is a corrupt slush fund devoted to defamation. Groups like @Moms4Liberty and @DefendingEd should be proud of the work they do for families and kids.”

Moms for Liberty is one of the largest and most visible of a “pack of conservative groups that have popped up across the country post-pandemic, dedicated to advancing a slate of issues they label “parents’ rights,” that typically include opposing public school programs, books and curriculums that address issues like racial discrimination and inequity, gender identity and sexuality,” according to Anna Claire Vollers at Reckon News. The group has successfully flipped some school boards.

Over the past year, apparent members have disrupted school board meetings with claims the schools are teaching critical race theory, attempted to ban books from school libraries and pushed against LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The SPLC claims such campaigns have contributed to an increase in threats and harassment against educators. A Moms for Liberty member in Arkansas allegedly threatened to shoot a school librarian.

Moms for Liberty was formed in Florida in 2021 by three former school board members who were upset about COVID-19 school restrictions. Florida GOP Vice Chairman Christian Ziegler is the husband of one of the original cofounders, Bridget Ziegler.

The SPLC claims that the group later morphed into “an anti-student inclusion movement that targets any inclusive curriculum that contains discussions of race, discrimination and LGBTQ identities.”

Moms for Liberty has a formal chapter in Madison County, Alabama, and other members throughout the state, according to the organization’s website.