Jeannette Cooper is an American anti-transgender activist. After losing parental custody, Cooper co-founded anti-trans front group Partners for Ethical Care. Cooper is known as Jeannette Srivastava outside of anti-trans activism.
Background
Jeannette Michelle Cooper was born on November 6, 1977 and grew up in southeastern Ohio. Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree in 2000 from Kalamazoo College and a master’s degree from Michigan State University in 2005. Cooper then taught English and did technical writing. Cooper married Prashant Srivastava (born 1978), and they had one child together.
Cooper founded an organization called Immigrants to Women Empowered Chicago in 2008 and ran it until 2014. Since 2013 Cooper has been involved in homeschooling. In 2015 Cooper enrolled in a doctorate program at DePaul University.
Cooper and Srivastava divorced in 2015. In 2019, when their 12-year-old child began going by Ash and using xe/xyr pronouns, Cooper’s ex-spouse filed for full custody, stating that Ash was āno longer mentally or emotionally safeā around Cooper.
Despite group family therapy sessions, Cooper still opposed any medical transition steps for Ash, stating:
āBut the thing that I clearly am not complying with is this concept that good parenting means that you affirm a childās claim that there is something wrong with their body. Iām not willing to do that. I donāt think thatās good parenting.ā
Cooper runs a private anti-trans Facebook group called Parents of Transgender/Non-binary Kids, Teens, and Young Adults.
Cooper has provided testimony in several states supporting anti-trans legislation, including Florida, Ohio, and Kentucky.
References
Reed, Erin (November 29, 2023). Ohio Trans Ban Proponents Push Family Rejection, Conversion Therapy For Trans People In Hearing. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/ohio-trans-ban-proponents-push-family
Cooper, Jeannette (March 14, 2023). 03 14 2023 Jeannette Cooper Testimony for KY HB470. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/CommitteeDocuments/362/22848/03%2014%202023%20Jeannette%20Cooper%20Testimony%20for%20KY%20HB470.pdf
Schemmel, Alec (August 1st 2022). Mother who questioned 12-year-old daughter’s gender transition loses custody battle. https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/mother-who-questioned-12-year-old-daughters-gender-transition-loses-custody-battle
Bolar, Kelsey (July 26, 2022). Chicago Mother Loses Custody of Her DaughterāFor Insisting That Her Daughter Is A Girl. Independent Women’s Forum https://www.iwf.org/identity-crisis-jeannette/
Cooper, Jeannette (May 19, 2022). Testimony in Favor of HB 454. https://search-prod.lis.state.oh.us/cm_pub_api/api/unwrap/general_assembly_134/chamber/134th_ga/ready_for_publication/committee_docs/cmte_h_families_aging_1/testimony/cmte_h_families_aging_1_2022-05-19-0900_1395/hb454.jeannette.cooper.proponent.pdf
Media
Laura Ingraham (February 22, 2024). Iliinois mom: this bill has it absolutely backwards. The Ingraham Angle / Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/video/6347423516112
Shannon Adcock (February 21, 2024). Protect the Kids Episode 2 with Guest Jeannette Cooper. Awake Illinois https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chDPZpNCqFU
Thistle Pettersen (October 7, 2023). Feminists working with the Right | WLRN Edition 90 with Ann Menasche, Jeannette Cooper, Holly Hart, & Fran Luck. Women’s Liberation Radio News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FTX3_CabqM
Thistle Pettersen (October 1, 2023). Jeannette Cooper, Holly Hart, Ann Menasche & Fran Luck DISCUSS Feminists Working with the Right. Women’s Liberation Radio News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24jUF-UAYtU
Newsmax (September 26, 2023). Society wants to separate parents from children based on gender: Jeannette Cooper | National Report. Newsmax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGZVOPDWc7Q
Ohio State Legislature (June 16, 2023). Ohio SAFE Act – Session 2f – Jeannette Cooper (International Partners for Ethical Care). Thoughts on Things and Stuff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo2GSDltNRk
IWF (August 29, 2022). Identity Crisis: How Gender Ideology Took Away a Mother From Her Daughter for Three Years. Independent Women’s Forum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu9a_HW1Uqw
Allie Beth Stuckey (August 2, 2022). Losing Custody of Your ‘Trans’ Daughter | Guest: Jeannette Cooper | Ep 653. Relatable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEaMt8yA4II
Mark McDaniel (July 29, 2022). Chicago Mom Jeannette Cooper Loses Custody Of Child After DENIAL To Affirm ‘NEW’ Gender. Not By Sight News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzZkplO7XRg
Isabella Malbin (May 19, 2022). Losing Custody: A Frontline Story with Mother Jeannette Cooper. Whose Body Is It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msQiLI4kJm4
Emiliann Lorenzen (March 29, 2022). Jeanette Cooper WLRN Interview. Women’s Liberation Radio News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kccMikTx968
DoFemCo (January 18, 2022). Jeannette Cooper. Congreso Internacional DoFemCo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmNWiR8wOLw
Resources
Partners for Ethical Care (partnersforethicalcare.com)
Dear Daughter, Love Mom (deardaughterlovemom.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
- deardaughterlovemom [suspended]
- momseespossibilities
Twitter (twitter.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Pinterest (pinterest.com)
- Jeannette Srivastava / cooper_jeannett
Flickr (flickr.com)
- eros-the-cat-photographer 150944763@N07/