Prairie State Wire

Marsha McClary, Chair of the Lake County Division of Moms For Liberty, expressed concerns over schools promoting gender identity changes to children, describing such teachings as harmful. This statement was made on the Prairie State Wire Podcast.

"Telling some child that they might be born in the wrong body and they can physically change it through the school system is very wrong," said McClary, Chair of Lake County Division. "Of many issues in Moms for Liberty, that's one that we are very active on right now."

In Illinois, legislative debates around gender identity education have gained renewed attention amid federal-level shifts. According to Axios, while the Trump administration has moved to scale back LGBTQ+ inclusive education policies, Illinois officials have reaffirmed their support for the 2019 Inclusive Curriculum Law. This law mandates the teaching of LGBTQ+ history in public schools. State Superintendent Tony Sanders emphasized that Illinois schools will continue advancing transgender-inclusive education, regardless of federal directives.

According to a 2025 investigation by Parents Defending Education, more than 1,215 U.S. school districts have formal policies addressing the needs of transgender and gender-nonconforming students. These policies vary but often include provisions related to pronoun usage, bathroom access, and parental notification. The data illustrates a wide range of approaches to supporting student gender identity across the country.

As reported by the Pew Research Center in 2024, American parents remain divided over gender identity education in K–12 classrooms. Thirty-one percent support teaching that gender can differ from sex at birth, while another 31% believe it is biologically determined. Notably, 37% of surveyed parents preferred that schools avoid the topic entirely, reflecting deep polarization over how gender issues should be addressed in education.

According to her professional profile on LinkedIn, McClary is also the Founder and CEO of ROI of Life LLC, focusing on leadership and professional development. She holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and is active in community education initiatives.

Moms for Liberty is a national nonprofit founded in 2021 by Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, former Florida school board members. According to its official website, the organization’s mission is to unite, educate, and empower parents to advocate for parental rights at all levels of government. The group has been influential in local school board races and national debates over curriculum transparency and parental consent.

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FULL, UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT

Bryan Hyde: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Prairie State Wire Podcast. I'm Brian Hyde. My guest today is Marsha McClary. She is the Moms for Liberty Chair for Lake County in Illinois. Marsha, it's a pleasure to meet you and I, I'm sure this is only one of many hats that you wear. Take a moment to tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Marsha McClary: Sure. Thanks Brian for having me. I am a mom and mom of five, a business owner up in the northwest area of Chicago in Barrington, and I also am on the board of Feed My Starving Children and I, I have a business as well and it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you. 

Bryan Hyde: Talk to me a little bit about Moms for Liberty.

I have heard a fair amount about this group over the, over the last few years, but if I were pressed to say what exactly Moms for Liberty does, I don't know that I could give a satisfactory explanation. Tell me a little bit about what's the history behind that group and how did you get involved? [00:01:00] 

Marsha McClary: Sure Moms for Liberty started in 2021 with two moms in Florida who were on different school boards nearby, and they're very passionate about making some positive changes in the educational system.

And at that time it was really about covid and we had grassroots groups all over. Certainly the state and the country similarly to them, and including my area, grassroots groups that were really looking to get the schools reopened, getting the kids back to normal in terms of school sports, what are, what have you during Covid.

So that's where it really started and then now it's evolved to, the mission is really about parental rights. And in education we really focus in Moms for Liberty about education. My personal journey with the group was in, you know, we had definitely smaller group in Illinois and I thought, okay, so the Covid stuff was over in 2022.

Moms for Liberty had a summit and I was kind of shopping for can we attach to a bigger organization [00:02:00] to have resources to share networks? Because I really believe in education. I think it's extremely important that the United. States is on the forefront of education. And if you look in, even at the time I was starting to examine, I'm, I'm sort of a data person.

How are, how are we doing relative to other countries in the world? And our, our educational scores have started to drop relative to where. You know where I thought we would be. You know, you think of United States as on the forefront of education, learning, innovation, all these things. But when you look at the outputs and the outcomes of our students in the United States, we're starting to fall.

In terms of you compare China and there's some studies that I could show you later if you want to. And I said, you know, I, I think I wanna keep working on this post covid. I think we have opportunities to really make a difference in the United States and improve outcomes. And with that comes focus, you know, focusing on academics.

And what I love about Moms for [00:03:00] Liberty. The women I met were extremely professional, lovely people. They really wanna do the right thing, and they were aligned too, and, and we could share resources to come together and say, what are we seeing across the country? Not just in, you know, my hometown, but in.

What can we do to really make the system better for the next generations in the United States? That's the core of the mission, and, and with that comes parental rights because the parents, and in my opinion and the organization's opinion, are the ultimate teacher of your children. So where you place your child to be taught is extraordinarily important.

You're trusting them with your child more than you even see your child. So that's really what, how I got involved. I was sort of organization shopping in 2022 and Moms for Liberty was definitely the, the, the best of the best in terms of kid child advocacy and education. 

Bryan Hyde: I think it's safe to say, we can tell that an issue is serious when moms get involved because no one has a more vested [00:04:00] interest in looking out for their kids.

And you mentioned schools and, and parental choice. It seems like our schools have become a battleground of sorts. And, and I don't mean for who can compete most academically, but rather who can be more indoctrinated ideologically, particularly when it comes to, to gender confusion in men and women's spaces.

Talk to me a little bit about, uh, the work that's being done there by your organization. 

Marsha McClary: Sure, absolutely. And I think our organization really, we want to improve the system and we believe that in terms of this is a massive amount of distraction. Most of it's quite negative. Unfortunately, there are tons of great teachers and educators out there, lovely people.

So it's not about them. It's that. It's a lot of, it's coming from the top and the sides into the system in terms of curriculums and requirements, they have to teach. And it's, a lot of these teachers do not wanna teach this stuff. And like you said it, and it's taking [00:05:00] away from the academic outcomes and, and you mentioned indoctrination.

So indoctrination can be, I. Probably good and bad, right? We talk about, you know, doing the Pledge of Allegiance. That's probably on the good side of things, right? But now we're talking about something that's super divisive and definitely polling where about 80% or so of people don't agree with gender ideology.

That would be bad. Indoctrination, indoctrination. So talking about. Being able to change one's gender or sex in school is something that Moms for Liberty is very against. Certainly it's, it's not biologically based and telling some child that they might be born in the wrong body and they can physically change it through the school system is very wrong and of of many issues in Moms for Liberty, that's one that we are very active on right now.

Bryan Hyde: Marsha, I know that it's, it's an issue in many different places, but give me the lay of the land in Illinois. What kind of challenges is Illinois facing regarding gender [00:06:00] ideology in the schools? 

Marsha McClary: Sure. You know, the root, the root cause of this in terms of legislation and case law is something called the Illinois Human Rights Act.

Now who, who was the ultimate push to get the language in? The way it is today that I am not absolutely sure of, but the Illinois Human Rights Act has some problematic language in it that. Basically says that gender identity prevails in terms of the rights, in terms of schools as students. And where that manifests itself is that, you know, the boys can go into the girls' restrooms and locker rooms.

If they identify as a female, they can compete in women's sports and vice versa too. Right. And it's just dangerous. You know, you have an unmonitored. On, on cameraed environment in a bathroom or a locker room. It's very dangerous in my opinion. There's plenty of other distractions [00:07:00] and probably, you know, the kids, you know, and it's, it's just, and most of these schools have like single use facilities that can be used by someone that might be questioning or challenged in this space.

So by allowing some of these things to happen. Based on, you know, this Human Rights Act, it's, it's really causing a lot of problems in the schools. So, 

Bryan Hyde: and I, I'm curious as, as, as you dovetail this with parental choice, uh, tell, tell me a little bit about the, the state of parental choice as it pertains to education.

If, if a parent says, look, I don't want my kid being exposed to this, or my daughter having men in spaces or boys in spaces where they shouldn't be, do they have a, a clear path to, to have other alternatives or are there a lot of obstacles in their way? 

Marsha McClary: So, you know, there's a lot of challenges there. The cost of living in my area in the Chicago area is very high.

The tax load in the, in Illinois is in [00:08:00] terms of when you add up everything in terms, you know, federal, state property taxes, various sales taxes, it's one, one of the highest in the country. So, and you think. When you look at your property tax bill, but half of that's going, or more sometimes going to the school district you're in to pay for the public schools.

So it's, it's really a challenge for parents to then go and pay for something else. So when we say school choice in Illinois, there is no school choice program in Illinois, it does not exist. You hear about it in other states. A lot of momentum in many states to have some sort of choice program. And you look at, in the Chicago public schools, some of these schools have less than 10% of their kids at, you know, reading at level or math at level.

And even in, even Out By Me in Barrington, it's hovering around 50%. And for a lot of people in, you know, our area's a pretty nice area that is really shocking. You know, and, and Covid certainly didn't help, but it [00:09:00] is not the root, it is not the ultimate problem. 'cause we were already dropping prior to Covid.

So, so the el answer is if you have money and you have resources, sure you can put your kids somewhere else, you drive them a little bit. Absolutely. There are a lot of grade schools to put to private choice it, but it's not realistic for most people. And that's where I feel like. We need to do work in Moms for Liberty and organizations like ours to speak up for the families and these kids that, that don't have that choice.

I mean, it's, it's a lot to say, you know, you'll hear some, some of these legislators say, oh, well you can just put your kid in private. Well, it's just not that simple for everybody. You know, most people by me, and I don't know about by you, but are working to, you know, the parents are both working and they're already having a struggle to make ends meet.

It's not really a fair thing to say. They can just put. Private school, their children. So yeah, it's, it's a problem. 

Bryan Hyde: And, and as far as the, the gender ideology, it, it seems like you, you [00:10:00] had mentioned here that, you know, for, for parents to have a choice, someone else is making the choice as far as what these kids are being exposed to, you know, it's like.

We know what's best and therefore parents, sorry, but we're going to override you on this. What are some of the ways that that Moms for Liberty is working to, to help parents basically claim that that choice and claim their parental rights? Mm-hmm. 

Marsha McClary: Yeah, so there's a lot of facets of that. I mean, the first is working within the system we have, right?

There are opt-outs you can have of certain things. So we try to make families aware of, I mean, let's, let's put the people in the category where they cannot private school their students. Okay? So. We try to reach out to those people and say, okay, there's a survey coming up. The Illinois Youth Survey is something that has a lot of divisive content in it.

For example, it's given to students from grades six through 12. You can opt your child out of [00:11:00] the survey it has, it asks them about their gender and has more genders than two. It asks them about their sexual lifestyle and preferences. It asks them if they use drugs, where they use their drugs and where they get them from.

And we're talking about kids as young as, I think 11 or 12, sixth grade is the first year they start doing this, and. For a lot of parents, it's like planting a seed with my 12-year-old about some of those topics and is really inappropriate, you know, and a lot of kids don't have exposure to that yet, and the parents aren't happy.

So example, so we, we tell parents about the optout process as one of the things similar. The sex ed curriculum in a lot of schools these days has something called comprehensive sex ed. Now that might sound nice on the face of it. But the reality is if you dig into it, and anybody who wants to can follow Moms for Liberty or ask me some of the standards in what's called comprehensive sex ed, are [00:12:00] very divisive.

They talk about use of puberty blockers. It talks about the the use of pronouns and gender ideology, and it's just. And, and different types of sex that, you know, parents, it is just, it's not your biological sex ed, right? It's far beyond that. So again, we, you can opt out of that. So we inform parents of those choices.

The things that we do, uh, in addition to that is sort of exposing where we see some things, where the school is really doing things maybe to hide. From the parents things. Again, a lot of schools are not doing that. Just to be fair, especially in Illinois, down south mid-state, they are really trying not to do any of this.

So I'm, you know, but the ones that are, you know, if they have the, you know, some things that are not going well, we'll expose it, you know? So. 

Bryan Hyde: Well, thank goodness someone is speaking up now for people who want to get involved with Moms for [00:13:00] Liberty, first of all, I have to ask. Is this organization just strictly for moms?

I mean, if, if dads are, are likewise concerned, can, can they help support what you're doing? 

Marsha McClary: Absolutely a hundred percent. The only reason it's called moms is because some moms started it. We even have some chapter chairs that are dads or grandparents and you know, what have you. We have some parents that don't, or some people, sorry, that don't even have children yet that are involved, and they have a lot of time, which is great.

You know, they're just passionate about improving educational outcomes for the kids in the United States. They, they really are, and they know a lot of this is a big distraction and not a good one. So, so anybody who's offended by the name mom, it's really just because that's how it started. It's not because we're exclusive to moms, so, 

Bryan Hyde: yeah.

So let's, let's talk for just a moment about, for people who want to get involved but are hesitant because they feel like, oh, I don't know if I have the time to, to commit to this. Let's make the case of why failing to take action is, is really no longer an [00:14:00] option. Why do people need to get involved at some level with, with what's going on, especially as it pertains to our kids?

Marsha McClary: Absolutely. So everybody usually has some way to contribute and you know it, it does. You don't have to be upfront all the time. I mean, some people it could be, you know. A small amount a week just to, you know, maybe it's telling your friends, maybe it's making a social media post, maybe it's helping somebody run for school board and that's your friend, or you know your neighbor.

It's, everybody usually has a way, even if it's not the most public way, some people have financial resources, whatever, and. I would challenge people to say, isn't the education of the United States next generation important? I mean, I think it's extremely important. You know, we live in one of the best, or if not the best country in the world on a, and it's like, you know, our worst day is the best day in some of these countries.

And it's just, it's just a shame [00:15:00] to me that people have a lot of time to do a lot of other hobbies, but. You know at you, you look back on your life and you think what really makes a difference? And I feel like this makes a difference. I think we're starting to really turn a corner nationally now in Illinois.

We have a lot of laws that are still problematic and a lot of things in the school systems that we need to turn around, but I do feel like now we're starting to turn a corner a little bit on that. 

Bryan Hyde: So, okay, so let's give some specific direction as far as getting people involved. If they want to learn more about Moms for Liberty or for that matter, if they want to become more involved with a chapter that's near them, what's the best way to go about that?

Marsha McClary: Yeah, so in Illinois we only have four active chapters, so there's a lot of territory to cover and they can, they can either, and they shouldn't be intimidated at all. They can reach out. So moms for liberty.org, the national website. Has a sign up and it's free. It's free to follow the national, and if you don't have a [00:16:00] chapter in your area and you're interested to start, you don't have to really do that much.

You just need to have 10 people and you, you can just cover your little area. It's totally fine. And that's what, that's how we started. You know, it. They're not super formal. It is organized by county because in Florida there's one school district where county in Illinois, there's more than that, but it doesn't mean you have to cover the whole county.

So nobody should be intimidated. I. And they can do that. They can reach out to me if they want our chapter and we could link them up. But signing up for national is, is the first way to start. And then there's a lot of resources on the website. There's a lot of free resources. We have a podcast, we have videos, a lot of things that are available to parents.

Bryan Hyde: And, and before we wrap things up for today, is there, is there a central takeaway that you would like our listeners to, to take from this conversation that we're having? 

Marsha McClary: I mean, I think that in, you know, if anybody thinks about it, they really [00:17:00] need to think about what's important to the next generation of kids.

What we're doing in the United States and what could be more important than education and just where your kids are spending time and the next time you think about doing something fun with your friends, I mean, why not come to a Moms for Liberty meeting or have an or, you know, have a, have an outing, come to one of our events or an event of a similarly aligned organization and get involved.

Make it fun. 

Bryan Hyde: Thank you so much for your time today, and thank you for your attention to, to these important issues. 

Marsha McClary: I appreciate it, Brian. Thanks for having me. Have a great day 

Bryan Hyde: again. We've been talking with Marsha McClary. She is the Moms for Liberty Chair for Lake County, Illinois, and this is the Prairie State Wire Podcast.