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Gays Against Groomers vs. transgender people

Gays Against Groomers (GAG) is an American extremist group that attacks US medical consensus for healthcare for gender diverse youth and opposes schools and libraries that share information about gender diversity. GAG has been designated a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center.

Background

Gays Against Groomers was founded by Jaimee Michell in June 2022 as a Twitter account. It was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2023 to “oppose the recent trend of indoctrinating, sexualizing, and medicalizing children.”

In 2022 GAG also formed Trans Against Groomers, which listed conservative trans people and ex-trans activists as members. The site was taken offline in 2023.

People

Board of Directors

  • Jaimee Michell
  • “Sasha Leigh” / Sasha Strother
  • David Leatherwood (resigned 2023)
  • “Judith Rose”

Organization Leaders

  • Jaimee Michell CEO
  • “Sasha Leigh” / Sasha Strother Executive Director
  • “Judith Rose” Director of Communications
  • Meg Martinez Director of Outreach
  • Jen Martinez Chapter Leader Advisor
  • Michael Costa Editor in Chief
  • Matt Rey Director of Content
  • Alex Chrostowski Legislation Advisor
  • “Joe” Director of IT
  • “Brian S.” Director of Chapters & Vetting
  • “Mercedes R.” Director of Research

Members

  • “Adam”
  • “Andrew”
  • “Anissa & Dhani”
  • “Ben”
  • “Chasity”
  • “Cheridann”
  • “Chris”
  • “Cobra Powers”
  • “Conservative Ant”
  • “David”
  • “Evan”
  • “Jermaine”
  • “Kitty Demure”
  • “Lady MAGA”
  • “Lee & Kara”
  • “Mario Presents” / Mario Estrada
  • “Meg and Jen”
  • “Morgan”
  • “Rachel”
  • “Ricky Rebel”
  • “Schuyler Dawn”
  • “Lisa Bella”
  • “Judith Rose”
  • “Haley Shane”
  • “ZRH”

Trans Against Groomers

References

Lazine, Mira (October 15, 2024). Daily Femail: Hate Group Lies About Being Endorsed by Colorado Governor. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/hate-group-lies-about-endorsement

Somasundaram, Praveena (October 9, 2024). After ‘Gays Against Groomers’ stunt, Colorado halts honorary flag program. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/09/colorado-flag-program/

Wiggins, Christopher (October 8, 2024). Colorado officials apologize after Gays Against Groomers falsely claims Gov. Jared Polis supports extremists. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/gays-against-groomers-colorado-jared-polis

Swallow, Owen (October 8, 2024). Gays Against Groomers Event Outnumbered by Counter-Protestors. Colorado Times Recorder https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2024/10/gays-against-groomers-event-outnumbered-by-counter-protestors/64952/

LĂłpez, Quispe (July 10, 2024). Utah Drag Artist Doxxed and Harassed Until She Had to Sell Her Family House. them https://www.them.us/story/tara-lipsyncki-drag-queen-gays-against-groomers-harassment

Crimmins, Tricia (June 25 2024). Gays Against Groomers banned from Reddit. Daily Dot https://www.dailydot.com/debug/gays-against-groomers-reddit/

Henry, Megan (June 6, 2024). Four proponents testify in support of Ohio drag ban bill — including a member of a hate group. Ohio Capital Journal https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/06/06/four-proponents-testify-in-support-of-ohio-drag-ban-bill-including-a-member-of-a-hate-group/

Owen, Greg (April 5, 2024). Self-loathing gay group sues Colorado for the “right” to misgender & deadname trans people. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/04/self-loathing-gay-group-sues-colorado-for-the-right-to-misgender-deadname-trans-people/

Levesque, Brody (April 5, 2024). Far-right Gays Against Groomers, others sue Colorado lawmakers. Los Angeles Blade https://www.losangelesblade.com/2024/04/05/far-right-gays-against-groomers-others-sue-colorado-lawmakers/

Wiggins, Christopher (October 29, 2023). Wisconsin Lawmakers Spotted at Far-Right Rally by Gays Against Groomers. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/gays-against-groomers-wisconsin-politicians

Wiggins, Christopher (October 25, 2023). Meta Under Fire After Suspending & Reinstating ‘Gays Against Groomers’ on Instagram. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/gays-against-groomers-reinstated-instagram

GLAAD (October 25, 2023). Meta suspends Instagram page of Gays Against Groomers. https://glaad.org/releases/meta-suspends-instagram-page-of-gays-against-groomers/

Carey, Maya Henson (October 20, 2023). Anti-LGBTQ+ rallies buoyed by big right-wing money. Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2023/10/20/anti-lgbtq-rallies-buoyed-big-right-wing-money

Wiggins, Christopher (October 4, 2023). Wisconsin School District Gets Restraining Order Against Gays Against Groomers Leader. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/law/gays-against-groomers-wisconsin-allegations

Wiggins, Christopher (September 26, 2023). Meta Fails to Moderate Content from Anti-Trans Hate Group on Instagram, Watchdog Group Says. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/meta-gays-against-groomers-mmfa

Wiggins, Christopher (September 26, 2023). Gays Against Groomers Is Not a Grassroots Organization: Report. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/gays-against-groomers-exposed

Carter, Camden (September 26, 2023) Instagram has allowed Gays Against Groomers to spread harmful rhetoric about LGBTQ people. Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/gays-against-groomers/instagram-has-allowed-gays-against-groomers-spread-harmful-rhetoric-about

Wiggins, Christopher (July 6, 2023). Gays Against Groomers Takes Hit in Membership in Wake of DeSantis’s Homophobia. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/gays-against-groomers-desantis-video

Wiggins, Christopher (July 6, 2023). What Is Gays Against Groomers? The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/what-is-gays-against-groomers

MacDonald-Evoy, Jarod (March 16, 2023). Arizona Senate passes anti-drag bills. Arizona Mirror https://azmirror.com/2023/03/16/arizona-senate-passes-anti-drag-bills/

Riedel, Samantha (February 9, 2023). Extremists and Trump Operatives Run Gays Against Groomers, According to a New Report. them https://www.them.us/story/gays-against-groomers-extremists-trump-operatives

Gingerich, Mia (February 7, 2023). Grifter Gays: How conspiracy theorists and right-wing operatives created Gays Against Groomers. Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/grifter-gays-how-conspiracy-theorists-and-right-wing-operatives-created

Anti-Defamation League (January 24, 2023). Online Amplifiers of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism. https://www.adl.org/resources/article/online-amplifiers-anti-lgbtq-extremism

McKellar, Katie (January 18, 2023). Ban on transgender surgeries for kids, puberty blockers headed to Utah Senate. Deseret News https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/1/18/23559478/transgender-surgeries-puberty-blockers-bill-utah-legislature/

Einiger, Josh (December 20, 2022). 2 women arrested after protesters target NYC councilmember with anti-gay slurs. ABC 7 New York https://abc7ny.com/nyc-ny-councilmember-vandalism-erik-boettcher-drag-queen-story-hour/12591944/

Broverman, Neal (December 4, 2022). Gays Against Groomers Headline Anti-LGBTQ+ Rally in Ft. Lauderdale. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/youth/2022/12/04/gays-against-groomers-headline-anti-lgbtq-rally-ft-lauderdale

Riedel, Samantha (November 23, 2022). This Right-Wing Activist Somehow Blamed Trans Health Care for the Club Q Shooting. them https://www.them.us/story/gays-against-groomers-club-q-shooting

Cooper, Alex (November 23, 2022). Gays Against Groomers Blames Gender-Affirming Care for Club Q Massacre. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/11/23/gays-against-groomers-founder-blames-gender-affirming-care-club-q-massacre

Staff report (September 26, 2022). Jaimee Michell, who is cisgender, tells two cisgender men on Fox News that Twitter banning “trans against groomers” is “transphobic.” Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jaimee-michell-who-cisgender-tells-two-cisgender-men-fox-news-twitter-banning-trans

Wiggins, Christopher (September 21, 2022). Google Bans Anti-Trans Hate Group Gays Against Groomers. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/9/21/google-bans-anti-trans-hate-group-gays-against-groomers-venmo-paypal

Center on Extremism (September 16, 2022). What is “Grooming?” The Truth Behind the Dangerous, Bigoted Lie Targeting the LGBTQ+ Community. ADL https://www.adl.org/resources/article/what-grooming-truth-behind-dangerous-bigoted-lie-targeting-lgbtq-community

Wiggins, Christopher (September 14, 2022). Right-Wing Extremists to Protest School Board Meeting Over Pride Flags. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/9/14/right-wing-extremists-protest-school-board-meeting-over-pride-flags

Bollinger, Alex (August 3, 2022). “Gays Against Groomers” Jaimee Michell compares trans health care to Nazi human experiments. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/08/gays-groomers-jaimee-michell-compares-trans-health-care-nazi-human-experiments/

Staff report (August 2, 2022). Gays Against Groomers founder Jaimee Michell compares gender-affirming care to Nazi medical experiments. Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/one-america-news-network/gays-against-groomers-founder-jaimee-michell-compares-gender-affirming

Factora, James (July 1, 2022). This Gay Conservative Twitter Account Is the Latest Trying to Use Drag to Stir Outrage. them https://www.them.us/story/gays-against-groomers-conservative-twitter-account-libs-of-tiktok

Media

The Serf Times (April 29, 2024). Gays Against Groomers members EXPOSED as the real groomers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciWO45-kE7w

Megyn Kelly (July 12, 2023). Dylan Mulvaney Escapes America in Order To Feel “Safe,” with “Gays Against Groomers” Executives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6QFNWayggM

Brett Cooper (December 13, 2022). Stop Trying To Cancel Gays Against Groomers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlk7Fvulnpo

BlazeTV (December 10, 2022). “Gays Against Groomers” Call Out RADICAL Child Grooming Agenda in Schools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCkId7kAqkk

The Hill (September 22, 2022). ‘Gays Against Groomers’ DEPLATFORMED From Google, Venmo, PayPal For ‘Anti-Trans Hate.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLqqwyguuWo

Jimmy Dore (September 22, 2022). PayPal Bans “Gays Against Groomers” – Venmo Bans “Free Speech Union” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHlmYgnVQTk

Burkett, Eric (August 30, 2022). LGBTQ Agenda: Use of ‘grooming’ slur up 400% on social media, pro-LGBTQ groups say. Bay Area Reporter https://www.ebar.com/story.php?318522

Blaire White (August 8, 2022). “Gays Against Groomers” Founder: Drag Queens For Kids, Puberty Blockers, & Woke Teachers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYtUYdA6blU

Rebel News (July 8, 2022). Interview: ‘Gays Against Groomers’ founder Jaimee Michell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG7-O-IflxI

Resources

Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org)

Anti-Defamation League (adl.org)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki)

Gays Against Groomers (gaysagainstgroomers.com)

Trans Against Groomers (transagainstgroomers.com) [archive]

Instagram (instagram.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)